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| After losing our beloved husband and father, Frank Gifford, we as a family made the difficult decision to have his brain studied in hopes of contributing to the advancement of medical research concerning the link between football and traumatic brain injury. While Frank passed away from natural causes this past August at the age of 84, our suspicions that he was suffering from the debilitating effects of head trauma were confirmed when a team of pathologists recently diagnosed his condition as that of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)–a progressive degenerative brain disease. We decided to disclose our loved one’s condition to honor Frank’s legacy of promoting player safety dating back to his involvement in the formation of the NFL Players Association in the 1950s. His entire adult life Frank was a champion for others, but especially for those without the means or platform to have their voices heard. He was a man who loved the National Football League until the day he passed, and one who recognized that it was–and will continue to be–the players who elevated this sport to its singular stature in American society. During the last years of his life Frank dedicated himself to understanding the recent revelations concerning the connection between repetitive head trauma and its associated cognitive and behavioral symptoms–which he experienced firsthand. We miss him every day, now more than ever, but find comfort in knowing that by disclosing his condition we might contribute positively to the ongoing conversation that needs to be had; that he might be an inspiration for others suffering with this disease that needs to be addressed in the present; and that we might be a small part of the solution to an urgent problem concerning anyone involved with football, at any level. The Gifford family will continue to support the National Football League and its recent on-field rule changes and procedures to make the game Frank loved so dearly–and the players he advocated so tirelessly for–as safe as possible. |
Yet I have to wonder: where are the studies on rugby players? Baseball players? Wrestlers? Hockey players and players of every other sport that involves contact of any kind? What about extreme sports? What about parkour? Extreme chess?
The fact that the media has grabbed onto this and is pointing the finger at American football is disheartening at best.
And that film isn't even really that hard on the NFL.
Even the title "Concussion" is actually a win for the NFL. Diagnosable "concussions" aren't necessary for CTE. You could play for years and years, never have any actual "concussions," never have a hit like Bednarik on Gifford, and still end up with CTE. It's routine game play -- blocking, tackling and normal collisions -- that trigger CTE. The brain moving around inside the skull, bumping against bone time after time after time, play after play, game after game.
The only way tackle football as we know it can survive in the medium-to-long term is if there are major medical breakthroughs on the prevention and treatment of CTE. The NFL and its owners would be wise to start pouring vast amounts of money into CTE research now, before their billion-dollar franchises start to lose value and before their feeder system dries up.
Yet I have to wonder: where are the studies on rugby players? Baseball players? Wrestlers? Hockey players and players of every other sport that involves contact of any kind? What about extreme sports? What about parkour? Extreme chess?
The fact that the media has grabbed onto this and is pointing the finger at American football is disheartening at best.
If the Parkour league had spent millions of dollars trying to hide and discredit legitimate research in this area, then they would be facing this scrutiny too. As they didn't, it's not a valid analogy.
I can tell you I knocked out quite a few players,got compliments and a rep. My coach in HS used to tell me that I should knock out the other teams best player to give us a better shot to win.
I used my helmet and pads to cause the knockouts and hit high to the head as much as I could. Spearing was legal and not frowned apon In those days it was just good aggressive play. When I think of those days I get sick today thinking of the guys I might have wounded for life.
I tore up my knee Senior year and never played again.
I guess it saved my life and others because I might of caused more future carnage in College. When I read these stories it takes me back to those great Hits and What I might have done to those guys, To myself. I love Football but the damage it does is as bad enough finding out about the later CTC stuff is Scary. We played a sport but really had no idea what we were doing to each other.
Chris, I couldn't disagree more. Look up CTE on the internet, 90% of the topic is focused on the NFL. A recent news report came out saying that 96-98% of NFL players studied showed evidence for CTE. It's disturbing that the same studies aren't being done on NHL players, for example. Hockey can be a brutal sport. Yet we don't hear murmuring that the NFL should shut itself down.
Repetitive contact from any sport or, fuck, anything for that matter, including banging your head against the headrest of your car as you listen to music, can be a leading contributor to a disease like CTE. The media has latched onto this as an NFL issue. Yes, perhaps the fact that the NFL hid vital information about it contributes to that, but not solely.
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If the Parkour league had spent millions of dollars trying to hide and discredit legitimate research in this area, then they would be facing this scrutiny too. As they didn't, it's not a valid analogy.
Chris, I couldn't disagree more. Look up CTE on the internet, 90% of the topic is focused on the NFL. A recent news report came out saying that 96-98% of NFL players studied showed evidence for CTE. It's disturbing that the same studies aren't being done on NHL players, for example. Hockey can be a brutal sport. Yet we don't hear murmuring that the NFL should shut itself down.
Repetitive contact from any sport or, fuck, anything for that matter, including banging your head against the headrest of your car as you listen to music, can be a leading contributor to a disease like CTE. The media has latched onto this as an NFL issue. Yes, perhaps the fact that the NFL hid vital information about it contributes to that, but not solely.
I think thats a little silly. Football is a sport where you are constantly being hit and hit hard and where concussions happen almost every game. To include things like chess in this is ridiculous. Baseball players don't expose themselves to this kind of contact. A player MIGHT get hit in the head with the ball maybe once or twice a career. Head on collisions isn't just that common there. If the NHL were any bigger in the United States they would probably get the same kind of scrutiny.
As someone mentioned though this all began when a bunch of ex NFL players began to commit suicide and then evidence came out that the NFL knew of the effects and really did nothing about it.
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In comment 12644310 Chris in Philly said:
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If the Parkour league had spent millions of dollars trying to hide and discredit legitimate research in this area, then they would be facing this scrutiny too. As they didn't, it's not a valid analogy.
Chris, I couldn't disagree more. Look up CTE on the internet, 90% of the topic is focused on the NFL. A recent news report came out saying that 96-98% of NFL players studied showed evidence for CTE. It's disturbing that the same studies aren't being done on NHL players, for example. Hockey can be a brutal sport. Yet we don't hear murmuring that the NFL should shut itself down.
Repetitive contact from any sport or, fuck, anything for that matter, including banging your head against the headrest of your car as you listen to music, can be a leading contributor to a disease like CTE. The media has latched onto this as an NFL issue. Yes, perhaps the fact that the NFL hid vital information about it contributes to that, but not solely.
I think thats a little silly. Football is a sport where you are constantly being hit and hit hard and where concussions happen almost every game. To include things like chess in this is ridiculous. Baseball players don't expose themselves to this kind of contact. A player MIGHT get hit in the head with the ball maybe once or twice a career. Head on collisions isn't just that common there. If the NHL were any bigger in the United States they would probably get the same kind of scrutiny.
As someone mentioned though this all began when a bunch of ex NFL players began to commit suicide and then evidence came out that the NFL knew of the effects and really did nothing about it.
Soccer is probably the next sport to look at. I believe soccer has the 2nd most concussions behind football at the amateur levels. A lot of collisions and headers and hitting the turf hard.
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Repetitive contact from any sport or, fuck, anything for that matter, including banging your head against the headrest of your car as you listen to music, can be a leading contributor to a disease like CTE. The media has latched onto this as an NFL issue. Yes, perhaps the fact that the NFL hid vital information about it contributes to that, but not solely.
But there are several moments of characters, including Dr. Omalu (Will Smith) talking about how they recognize the grace and power of the game, etc. That's the sort of thing that gets inserted to mollify the marketing dept. at a studio.
You are dumb.
You have this exactly, 180-degrees wrong.
This disease is ONLY associated with chronic brain trauma. Hence the name CTE -- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
The reason CTE wasn't already well-known when Dr. Omalu started researching it was exactly that it isn't common. It's essentially unknown except in people who suffer repeated blows to the head.
It's like saying "I bet if you looked at the brains of all old people, they'd all have bullets in them." No, only people who get shot in the head have bullets in their brains. Only people who suffer chronic brain trauma have CTE. The cause is known, the effect is known. What isn't known is why some people don't seem to get it, and why some people get worse symptoms than others.
Frank Gifford lived to be an old man and seemed pretty sharp for most of his life. Mike Webster was pulling his teeth out and putting them back with Super Glue. Dave Duerson shot himself. All had CTE. Why does it manifest in one way with one guy and another way with another guy? That's a medical mystery.
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I wonder how many would show some signs of it? It wouldn't surprise me if it was a fairly large number regardless of their professions.
No no no no no.
You have this exactly, 180-degrees wrong.
This disease is ONLY associated with chronic brain trauma. Hence the name CTE -- Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.
The reason CTE wasn't already well-known when Dr. Omalu started researching it was exactly that it isn't common. It's essentially unknown except in people who suffer repeated blows to the head.
It's like saying "I bet if you looked at the brains of all old people, they'd all have bullets in them." No, only people who get shot in the head have bullets in their brains. Only people who suffer chronic brain trauma have CTE. The cause is known, the effect is known. What isn't known is why some people don't seem to get it, and why some people get worse symptoms than others.
Frank Gifford lived to be an old man and seemed pretty sharp for most of his life. Mike Webster was pulling his teeth out and putting them back with Super Glue. Dave Duerson shot himself. All had CTE. Why does it manifest in one way with one guy and another way with another guy? That's a medical mystery.
maybe CTE isn't the cause of those behaviors? maybe there's another undetected trauma?
It's difficult to do a properly controlled study because CTE can only be conclusively diagnosed after death, by examining slices of brain tissue. Those tests are expensive; according to the film "Concussion," Dr. Omalu spent quite a lot of his own money to get those tests done on Mike Webster and others early on in his research, because no one else would pay for it.
I suggest you read the Wikipedia entry on CTE and the PBS article from September 2015, linked below. You can also search for CTE study with "control group" and you'll see there are people working on that question.
Money quotes from the PBS article:
“People want to make this just Alzheimer’s disease or aging and not really a disease,” according to McKee. “I think there’s fewer of those people, but that’s still one of our major hurdles.”
They called the show "League of Denial" for a reason.
New: 87 Deceased NFL Players Test Positive for Brain Disease - ( New Window )
You should really read about how the NFL responded to the early CTE research. There are lots of articles out there about what happened. The league set out to discredit the guy and destroy his career. It's pretty dark stuff, actually.
As for the Gifford family, I suggest you read the statement they released. It doesn't sound like they're looking for a payoff. I don't think Dave Duerson was looking for a payoff when he shot himself in the chest and left a note asking his brain be examined. I don't think Junior Seau's family was looking for a payoff. But maybe I'm just really naive.
However, if the NFL knew about this danger and suppressed research and evidence for years -- which may be the case -- then there's going to be a helluva lawsuit.
Flag football here we come..
Flag football here we come..
Everybody understood the risks of repeated actual concussions and other traumas, like explosions and car accidents. It wasn't so clear that just playing football was bad for a lot of people's brains.
this was my first thought too, but in reading the quote in the OP, it mentioned his family had suspected he was suffering a brain injury (head trauma it says). I wonder what symptoms led to their suspicions, he may not have been as "of sound mind" as we the public believe.
I'd read the article and see if they go into those details, but I can't follow the link at this time.
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How in the world does anyone think concussive hits causing serious brain issues is new? "Requiem For A Heavyweight" was written by Rod Serling in 1956. About a punch drunk fighter. People knew about it long before then. You get hit in the head, a certain percentage of people have issues. No doubt the league should do anything it can to help vet players. But the idea that they somehow "hid" the truth is asinine. This movie with Will Smith about the doctor who "discovered" CTE is ridiculous. Maybe next he will star in a movie about a scientist who discovers they are gambling in Las Vegas. Frank Gifford lived in to his 80's giving interviews and seeming perfectly fine. Never a peep about any issues. Maybe this proves that CTE is harmless for some. Or maybe, Frank's lovely wife isn't content with the insurance money and wants another payday. To sum it up, there are some sick players who deserve our compassion and a helping hand from the NFL. But there are some much, much, sicker attorneys trying to rip off the NFL and deprive fans of a sport that was really special once.
You are dumb.
Understatement of the year
Kudos to the Gifford family and RIP Frank.
For a guy with CTE, he presented himself remarkably well in the media for years after retiring from the game.
As a player he was just before my time, as a representative of the sport (post retirement) there was no one finer, more eloquent, or more passionate.
Odds are that the vast majority of players from Gifford's era suffered from CTE as hard hits to the head were more accepted in the old NFL
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The helmet companies need to be working on this issue because until the game is phased out, it must be made safer. Insulate the head and separate the outer shell. Egg dropish. Something that dissipates impact across a large area and also layers away from the head. Gyros? Don't know, but this is sad:(
Just watch the Frontline. Goodell and his posse of whore doctors really suck.
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There were reports that the NFL got the film neutered. Wonder what it was REALLY going to say.
Just watch the Frontline. Goodell and his posse of whore doctors really suck.
Don't be silly. The league is a wonderful band of do-gooders who go out of their way to support players health even though they don't really need to. Get with the program!
I don't know how CiP's ever going to recover from those burns.
From the inception of pro boxing, it was mostly the realm of the deep underclass. Many football players come from poor neighborhoods/families, but since they are funnelled through the college sports arena, their health and welfare gets more attention than boxers did.
Furthermore, boxing has been on the decline for decades, while football is at its peak of popularity. And, of course, the league behaved very badly and has an identifiable core, whereas there is not equivalent cartel in the boxing profession to take the blame.
That being said, people like a few on this thread who suggest that there really isn't much to see here in terms of the behavior by the league or the ongoing risks to players are just fooling themselves because they love the sport.
My biggest hope is that the large number of players who got screwed by the settlement, and who will suffer greatly in the future, get more out of the NFL than under the current agreement. And I hope that as detection becomes easier, which it will, big-time colleges and universities have to ante up as well in case where their indentured servants come out of the game with no diploma and serious brain damage. Their hands are not quite as unclean, but close.
And secondly why aren't any of the colleges responsible. The amount of hits many of these guys took in college may be the same as their respective careers
We know the average NFL career is not much more that 4 years. For those who play longer ok but if they have been Ying 4 years in high school and four years in college and the damage is cumulative and crom Repetitive hits not necessarily big hits the schos should bear the brunt as well? Why not?
And for every person who believes the NFL is totally culpable and in this case you are implying immoral Then you are just as bad if you continue to watch and enrich them. Watch away today. Post here. The. Moralize how evil they are. It's kind of weird to be honest to slam them about this the. Watch it and cheer.
So did the team for a moment at the half. I'm sure you know the story Pat Summerall tells about the guy who had a heart attack during the game and was brought to the locker room while waiting for the ambulance. They wheeled him out at halftime on a gurney, covered with a sheet, just as the Giants were coming in. SUmmerall thought oh my god, Bednarik killed Frank.
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just the hit from Bednarik alone..I thought Frank was dead
So did the team for a moment at the half. I'm sure you know the story Pat Summerall tells about the guy who had a heart attack during the game and was brought to the locker room while waiting for the ambulance. They wheeled him out at halftime on a gurney, covered with a sheet, just as the Giants were coming in. SUmmerall thought oh my god, Bednarik killed Frank.
Yes, heard that story before..That had to be some scary shit for the Giants..A healthy Thanksgiving to you and D..Send her my love
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/15/health/baseball-ryan-freel-cte-suicide/
Anyway, the point I was trying to make, which seems to have been missed, is that any repetitive activity that causes the brain to slosh around can possibly be a contributing factor in all this. Singling out football because it's a hard hitting sport is foolish.
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