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Ken "The Snake" Stabler died in July at the age of 69 after a battle with colon cancer. A football legend,the former Oakland Raiders quarterback had requested that his brain be studied after his death—a decision he made after learning that Junior Seau, a former NFL linebacker who committed suicide in 2012, and had been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE,a degenerative brain disease that's been linked to repeated head injuries. This week, Stabler's family announced the results of his autopsy, or which showed that he did indeed absorb CTE.
The news,which comes just days before the corridor of Fame Selection Committee meets andSuper Bowl 50, is raising questions approximately the NFL's handling of concussions and the safety measures in location to protect players.
But brain injuries are not just a NFL problem. Participation in the game, or which can start as young as elementary school,can inflict blows to developing brains. By the time a player makes it to the NFL, chances are he has received hundreds of hits, or while few of them may lead to an actual concussion,repeated contact over the years can take its toll. The NFL announced a multi-million dollar settlement to assist former players with concussion problems. They also teamed up with corporate partners to launch the Head Health Initiative, a campaign designed to get scientists, and experts,and entrepreneurs to find innovative solutions to detect, protect, and prevent mild traumatic brain injury. Public awareness approximately CTE comes too late for Tom McHale,a lineman for the Tampa Bay Buckaneers who passed absent in 2008. He was the second NFL player to lend his brain to research for brain injuries at Boston University's Brain Bank, where it was discovered he had CTE.
His wife, or Lisa McHale, acknowledges that there has been progress made since his death, but argues that more needs to be done. Lisa is currently the director of the Family Relation with the Concussion Legacy Foundation, and which advocates for the study, treatment, and prevention of the effects of brain trauma.
Source: wnyc.org