Aaron Hernandez' Brain Had Severe CTE

[Forge]

1 hour ago, Yin-Yang said:

When this concussion business came about, I had an “old head” POV - despite being on the younger side - and thought football is football. Even recently, I’ve been in debates with people who would opt out of letting their kid play. 

But as more and more stuff comes out, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t push my kid to play another sport at a high level. 

If my kid plays football, I'll make sure he's just good enough to make it and in the nfl as a backup quarterback. Nice play, seldom see the field.

Otherwise, baseball and those guaranteed contracts, baby.

[Calibucsfan]

Damn

 

This kind of news always scares me. I never played in the NFL, but have played since 7 years old all the way to 21 in college, and took too many hits to the head to give an accurate count.

And there's no way to test for it while you're alive.

[DingoLadd]

1 hour ago, Calibucsfan said:

Damn

 

This kind of news always scares me. I never played in the NFL, but have played since 7 years old all the way to 21 in college, and took too many hits to the head to give an accurate count.

And there's no way to test for it while you're alive.

Not yet anyway I'd imagine over the next decade a bunch of money will be poured into research to figure out ways to prevent head injuries and figure out to diagnose it without waiting for people to die. 

 

 

[ChazStandard]

2 hours ago, Thelonebillsfan said:

Brain damage like he sustained directly impacts impulse control. CTE didn't turn him into a monster, but it certainly removed a barrier and very likely was one of several causes.

That's very bad logic. It's the most basic premise of the scientific theory that correlation =/ causation. You can't just throw the word "certainly" in front of a piece of speculation and act like it means anything. AH was way too young to have symptoms of a degenerative disorder, played only 3 seasons in the NFL,  being only 24 when he was indicted, and having reported criminal bhaviour going back to 2007,  when he was only 17.

CTE is the magic buzzword at the moment, but like all only vaguely understand issues, people are tending to ascribe almost magical powers to it. Hernendez was just a psychopath.

[Hunter2_1]

I have no proof, but I think it's both. He took too many damaging hits, and he's also a turd. Upbringing, learned behaviour or whatever - he was probably always going to be on 'that' side.

[Small Town Values]

6 hours ago, incognito_man said:

More damaging news for the NFL.

CTE will kill off American football first, then rugby.

I'm done with sport when that happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although, If E-Sports gets really good, I might reconsider? 

[RuskieTitan]

Roman gladiators used to fight in front of crowds, and their reward was to live another day.

Nowadays these gladiators are compensated millions of dollars, and whether or not they choose to play or leave the game is entirely up to them.

Now it is concerning to see it so advanced in someone who didn't have a lengthy NFL career, but at the same time he was a scholarship athlete in college and didn't have to worry about student loans and debt like the vast majority of college students. It's a tradeoff, potential mental health in exchange for a free education and opportunity to enter a career field with millions of dollars available if you perform.

What I'm interested in hearing the results for are the people who played football in middle and high school, and stopped there, what kind of impact that would have had on their brains, because that encompasses a vast larger amount of people in the US.

[RuskieTitan]

7 hours ago, Forge said:

If my kid plays football, I'll make sure he's just good enough to make it and in the nfl as a backup quarterback. Nice play, seldom see the field.

Otherwise, baseball and those guaranteed contracts, baby.

Punter. No pressure to make last-second field goals, go out there a couple times a game and just boot the ball really far. Make hundreds of thousands of dollars and if you are good, millions.

[MWil23]

8 minutes ago, RuskieTitan said:

Roman gladiators used to fight in front of crowds, and their reward was to live another day.

Nowadays these gladiators are compensated millions of dollars, and whether or not they choose to play or leave the game is entirely up to them.

Now it is concerning to see it so advanced in someone who didn't have a lengthy NFL career, but at the same time he was a scholarship athlete in college and didn't have to worry about student loans and debt like the vast majority of college students. It's a tradeoff, potential mental health in exchange for a free education and opportunity to enter a career field with millions of dollars available if you perform.

What I'm interested in hearing the results for are the people who played football in middle and high school, and stopped there, what kind of impact that would have had on their brains, because that encompasses a vast larger amount of people in the US.

He was also a street thug that was involved in countless fights. Who is to say how much of that played a role as well?

[fluhartz]

7 hours ago, Forge said:

If my kid plays football, I'll make sure he's just good enough to make it and in the nfl as a backup quarterback. Nice play, seldom see the field.

Otherwise, baseball and those guaranteed contracts, baby.

if they are left handed and can throw especially... 

[Dome]

11 minutes ago, RuskieTitan said:

Punter. No pressure to make last-second field goals, go out there a couple times a game and just boot the ball really far. Make hundreds of thousands of dollars and if you are good, millions.

Yeah I'd go punter or long snapper 

[cddolphin]

9 hours ago, Carmen Cygni said:

Just like we have an age limit for alcohol and tobacco to protect youth, there should be age restrictions for tackle football. Tackling shouldn't start til at least JV high school football, IMO.

You are right, but such restrictions would almost certainly have to be a result of legislation, which would be remarkably difficult to pass in most areas of the country.

[Pats#1]

Like someone above stated, I think a huge step in this research will be testing brains of younger players like middle and high school students.

For that to happen though, the parents will have to okay their young child's body to be cut open and examined, which I don't even want to try and comprehend with a young son of my own about to be born. 

If, let's say, we do see younger players start to be tested after death, and they show CTE damage, that will be the straw that breaks the camels back IMO.

[Phire]

30 minutes ago, Pats#1 said:

Like someone above stated, I think a huge step in this research will be testing brains of younger players like middle and high school students.

For that to happen though, the parents will have to okay their young child's body to be cut open and examined, which I don't even want to try and comprehend with a young son of my own about to be born. 

If, let's say, we do see younger players start to be tested after death, and they show CTE damage, that will be the straw that breaks the camels back IMO.

When there's an economical way to test for CTE through non-invasive means (most certainly happening in our lifetimes) and kids' brains light up like Christmas trees around the nation, that's the end of the sport IMO. 

[ET80]

2 hours ago, fluhartz said:

if they are left handed and can throw especially... 

You're basically printing money at this stage.