Aaron Hernandez Had "Advanced" CTE

[DontTazeMeBro]

31 minutes ago, Yin-Yang said:

Baseless and doubtful. 

Pretty much true.

"Almost inevitable"? Even if that made sense, that's incredibly ignorant. Even if there were some way for you to know - which there isn't.

Is this an attempt to say that the CTE had nothing to do with it? I'm not saying it did or didn't, just that nobody knows and it could be cause for concern with some players actually in the industry. Nobody will ever know if it played a part or not. Other criminals' actions don't really have any relevance at all. 

"High risk to commit violent crime"...based on what? His upbringing? Are we going to assume everyone with a rough upbringing has a high risk of violent crime or suicide? HighER risk, maybe.

This ignorance in this post was so egregious that it sounds like I'm defending a murderer. I'm not saying he wouldn't have done it or that he deserves any extra sympathy - just that the possibility that CTE may have played a factor (which is undeniable) may have an effect on current players' opinions on the matter.

There's another thread somewhere in the news forum about a study on a bunch of players brains and almost every single one had CTE. And I've never heard of a player having their brain studied and them not finding CTE. 

He was high risk and it was inevitable BECAUSE HE WAS A FREAKING GANGBANGER almost his whole life. This really isn't complicated 

so far every discussion about CTE is basically a disease in search of symptoms and people blinded by confirmation bias

[Wyld Stallyns]

1 hour ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

There's another thread somewhere in the news forum about a study on a bunch of players brains and almost every single one had CTE. And I've never heard of a player having their brain studied and them not finding CTE. 

He was high risk and it was inevitable BECAUSE HE WAS A FREAKING GANGBANGER almost his whole life. This really isn't complicated 

so far every discussion about CTE is basically a disease in search of symptoms and people blinded by confirmation bias

110 out of 111 former NFL confirmed to have CTE 

[Soko]

2 hours ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

There's another thread somewhere in the news forum about a study on a bunch of players brains and almost every single one had CTE. And I've never heard of a player having their brain studied and them not finding CTE. 

He was high risk and it was inevitable BECAUSE HE WAS A FREAKING GANGBANGER almost his whole life. This really isn't complicated 

so far every discussion about CTE is basically a disease in search of symptoms and people blinded by confirmation bias

Did you read the study at all, or just read the title and take it as gospel? Most of those brains were donated by patients who allegedly had symptoms. They weren't randomized players - they were players that died and wanted their brains examined because they displayed symptoms. Real easy to find evidence when you're looking for it. 

That also doesn't take into account the fact that since those players are dead, they presumably played before the player safety rules came in. Back in the day when the game was much rougher and had no emphasis on head injuries. Hernandez was drafted in 2010, well after those rules and priorities. Your lack of knowledge on the topic ("I've never heard of a study...") doesn't prove there isn't any. Just your own ignorance. I would wager players who have lived fulfilling lives without any symptoms, wouldn't need their brains examined - thus "no evidence". 

Additionally, being a gangbanger sort of implies he'd already committed violent acts, doesn't it? Self fulfilling prophecy, if you ask me. Being a bad guy in your late teens and early 20s doesn't make it "inevitable" you're going to either commit a violent crime or commit suicide. If that's what you believe, you either have a different definition of inevitable than the rest of the world, or you live in some sort of bubble where you hear scary things on the news and think that that's all that happens in life. 

 

[Small Town Values]

I don't mean to sound cold, but the timing of this really sucks.

Apparently TNF was brilliant, which is a real positive for FB. This unfortunately will likely hijack the headlines, & keep the narrative negative. 

No hiding the truth, I suppose. 

[paul-mac]

8 hours ago, stallyns said:

How much did he play after killing that guy? Not saying it makes a difference as far as the damage is concerned but more plausible deniability for the league and the Patriots. 

 

He didn't. He was caught within days. He allegedly played a season after the first double murder, but he was acquitted of that one. 

[Hunter2_1]

10 hours ago, bzane said:

BOSTON -- Tests conducted on the brain of former football star Aaron Hernandez showed severe signs of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and his attorney said Thursday that the player's daughter is suing the NFL and the New England Patriots for leading Hernandez to believe the sport was safe.

-Perhaps Aaron's daughter will also sue the NFL for neglecting to prevent his becoming a turd; and for failing to coach him that killing people isn't nice.

Might want to check your sources 

[43M]

While its a sad reality, its hard for me to feel really bad for any of these past or present players CTE.    Im not saying I dont have ANY sympathy for them, but I laugh when I constantly hear things like "if they knew what we know now, they wouldve never played football"...which is complete horsepoo and you have to be laughably naive to believe such nonsense.    Sure, alot of these former players have regret in hindsight.....and there are obviously a few that may have made that decision, but if you really believe that many of these former players wouldve given up the money, lifestyle and reputation of being a professional football player EVEN IF THEY KNEW this was a possibility or even a PROBABILITY . then  youre completely delusional.    Look at all the studies that have come out.....what arent NFL players retiring in masses?   

Basically what Im saying is and have been saying for years is....football is a dangerious sport, fraught with potential hazards....and these players know the risks going in, and having more information on them isnt going to prevent many of them from playing, and wouldnt have prevented many past players from playing either, despite some constantly acting like those past players are victims that were lied to.  GTFO.    Again....perhaps 10...15....20 years down the road, these players might look back with regret, but at the time they played?    99% of them would choose the glitz and glamour of the game over keeping their health LATER in life.

In terms of Hernandez....even if you believe he had CTE, what does it matter?    He is far from a victim.    Maybe he did have some brain damage to a point, but you cant just act like he was a murderer for that reason.   He ran with the wrong crowds from a young age and chose a destructive lifestyle, and even if CTE was present, he also made the decision to play football.     So even if you want to give him a little slack for possibly having CTE, to try to blame the NFL or sue because if it is a joke.    

[Louis Friend]

10 hours ago, DontTazeMeBro said:

There's another thread somewhere in the news forum about a study on a bunch of players brains and almost every single one had CTE. And I've never heard of a player having their brain studied and them not finding CTE. 

He was high risk and it was inevitable BECAUSE HE WAS A FREAKING GANGBANGER almost his whole life. This really isn't complicated 

so far every discussion about CTE is basically a disease in search of symptoms and people blinded by confirmation bias

From what I understood, they studied the brains of 202 former football players who had a history of head trauma, 111 of them being former NFL players. Of that number, 110 were found to have signs of CTE. While this is scientifically significant, it also raises alot of questions for me. What about players who don't experience a history of head trauma? What about people in other professions who experience head trauma? I've have two concussions in my lifetime and I did not play football. Am I at risk of CTE? While I applaud the research of this issue, I feel like this little bit of research they have done thus far is very misleading since it appears to be trying to prove one small point about a very specific sub group of people without reaching beyond that.

This is not me saying that sports, or dangerous jobs, don't come with risks. I think it's common knowledge that if you do something that attacks your head, you might get head trauma. Just like if you work about hazardous materials, you experience an accident and possibly face injury including death. That's why these jobs come with higher pay grades as a trade off for those risks. People take those chances to provide for their families. I hope they continue researching this topic but stop trying to prove a very narrow viewpoint without going more indepth.

[tom cody]

Don't feel 1 bit sorry for Hernandez at all. Doesn't excuse the heinous things he did. That said while Hernandez was an extreme case got to think you're going to see more safety precautions coming in the NFL. It's needed for the long term health of these guys.

[THE DUKE]

I'm sure the rampant drug use and gang lifestyle weren't contributing factors at all.

http://hallucinogens.com/pcp/pcp-effects-on-the-brain/

[Ward4HOF]

13 hours ago, GSUeagles14 said:

about to turn 5, disgusting that shes being thrown out there like this. 

Clear attempt at a cash grab by his gf/wife whatever.

I believe the correct term here is 'baby momma'...

Hey, let's sue the NFL for all the money he had to spend on Defense Lawyers for deciding to MURDER people. Now, if EVERY former NFL player who had stage 3 CTE murdered people, then maybe I'd understand, but at the end of the day, it's called "decision making." And if she was paying attention to the warning signs, instead of having a good ole time spending his NFL paycheck  to buy nice things and living the good life, then maybe she could've intervened.

And Dingo Ladd's right. ESPN, and whoever has the Superbowl this year, will create a 30 minute documentary on this thing, and play 'sad' background music, and turn this into a major social issue. I'm still waiting for the 30 minute documentary on the 12000 Service Members that were involved in Burn Pit operations during OIF/OEF, causing Emphysema, and other Respiratory Diseases , or the nearly 1M Service Members dealing with medical issues stemming from Agent Orange in Vietnam.  

Point is, yes, CTE is sad, but there are a lot of occupations where 'employees' suffer after-effects from their profession. Difference is, NFL players make Millions...not tens of thousands of dollars a year. And NFL players are allowed to walk away at anytime; not true for military, especially in war zones. 

You can call me cold-hearted, or whatever you want, but excuse me if I don't break out the Violin for NFL players suffering from CTE; it's not as though they didn't know it was a dangerous, physical-contact support when they started playing. I feel sorry for kids who are forced to play the sport by their parents, then end up with it early on. But for NFL players that consciously decided to accept, what, at the bare minimum a $450K-per-year paycheck? Not so much. Yes, it's unfortunate; no I don't want to watch a half hour documentary on how sad one former player's life now is (or was, in Hernandez' case), as he has difficulty walking up the stairs of his 6 Bdrm, 5 Bth, 4,000 sq ft home, unless they are also going to show that Vietnam vet that is living in a crappy 400sqft apartment and has cancer from Agent Orange exposure. You want me to feel sad for someone with CTE? Show me the person that quit football as soon as he was able after High School, and wasn't pressured by his parents to play, and THEN, years later discovered he suffered from CTE...THAT person I will feel sorry for... 

[Apparition]

2 hours ago, THE DUKE said:

I'm sure the rampant drug use and gang lifestyle weren't contributing factors at all.

http://hallucinogens.com/pcp/pcp-effects-on-the-brain/

I could easily see the plaintiffs arguing that CTE was a contributing factor in him becoming a heavy drug user in the first place.

[THE DUKE]

21 minutes ago, Starless said:

I could easily see the plaintiffs arguing that CTE was a contributing factor in him becoming a heavy drug user in the first place.

Problem with that is they have to prove it.

[eagles101]

Classy as always nfl gen. 

[malibuspeedrace]

15 hours ago, Mid Iowa said:

You know, I crashed my Mustang when I was younger. I got one h*ll of a concussion (headache for 3 weeks, that sucked!). 

I wonder if I could sue Ford for CTE. Nevermind I am a stockholder, was speeding, had been drinking, roads were wet. SOMEBODY MUST PAY!!! ....for my possible head issues.

Do you suppose anyone is safe from anything? Soccer, Boxing, Hockey, even diving causes brain stoppage in the head. NASCAR....... seriously! Where do we draw the line?

Curling may get a chance at being america's pastime!