Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AS A NEW American football season is set to begin, researchers examining the brains of deceased NFL players have found that 99% of them showed signs of degenerative disease — believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head.
Researchers found striking evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in 110 of the 111 donated brains of players who played in the National Football League, according to the study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
CTE causes symptoms including memory loss, vertigo, depression and dementia. Problems can crop up years after a player’s career has ended.
The NFL has faced growing scrutiny in recent years linked to the issue of concussions and head trauma, with the league agreeing in 2015 on a $1 billion settlement to resolve thousands of lawsuits by former players suffering from neurological problems.
Along with NFL players, researchers also examined the brains of those who had played in high school, college, semi-professionally and in the Canadian Football League.
Of the total 202 players examined, the authors of the study from Boston University found that 87% of the players — whose median age at death was 66 years old — showed signs of CTE.
“These findings suggest that CTE may be related to prior participation in football and that a high level of play may be related to substantial disease burden,” the study authors wrote.
The most acute evidence of the degenerative condition, which currently can only be diagnosed post-mortem, was found among those who played at the highest levels, with 86 percent of professional players having severe forms of CTE.
Though the research — the largest CTE study published to date — suggests the disease may be related to prior participation in football, researchers cautioned against extrapolating the results to the general population.
Because the brains studied were for the most part donated by concerned families, they do not necessarily represent all people who have played the rough contact sport.
Traumatic impact
Head injury risks in the US sport have become a major concern as former players speak out about long-term health effects, including erratic behavior and mood disorders.
The issue sprang to the fore after Junior Seau — considered one of the greatest linebackers of all time — shot himself in 2012 at the age of 43.
A post-mortem study of his brain showed that he had been suffering from CTE.
Another former player, Dave Duerson — who killed himself in 2011 — was also found to have the condition, a possible explanation for his mood swings and depression.
Last year, an NFL official acknowledged for the first time a clear link between football and CTE.
In recent years, the league has donated money to concussion research and stepped up regulations in an attempt at minimizing the potentially traumatic physical impact of the game.
In a statement widely published in US media, the league said it appreciated the study “for the value it adds in the ongoing quest for a better understanding of CTE.”
“The NFL will continue to work with a wide range of experts to improve the health of current and former NFL athletes,” the statement said, noting that “there are still many unanswered questions relating to the cause, incidence and prevalence of long-term effects of head trauma such as CTE.”
“The NFL is committed to supporting scientific research into CTE and advancing progress in the prevention and treatment of head injuries.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Great news story, a lovely read for a Friday :-)
Fair play to them.
who would thumbs down that comment, wankers!
Fair play lads, I wish you much success.
Thats the sort of innovation Ireland needs.
And they have to leave Ireland, wish they could of stayed in Ireland
Congrats to @patrickc and brother John Collison @collision on latest $18m funding!
This isn’t Twitter you know
Delighted to see these two brothers getting on so well.I am sure they will go far. Fair dews to them.
Fair dues
I stand corrected
They deserve it. Their main product has removed one of the last barriers to market for anyone setting up a new business or wanting to operate a small business. Brillant.
Spot on Peter.
Couldn’t be happier about this. Great people, great product, great investment.
Really amazing entrepreneurial spirit but wish it could have been further developed in Ireland rather than California :)
Why can’t we make it attractive for guys like that to start up/ keep their business in Ireland . What are the politicians doing??
I dont think it can be entirely blamed on politicians..I dont think Ireland has the same startup environment that california has…and I think its a lot to do with our attitude towards entrepreneurs…and lack of VC funding perhaps..I think to imitate an environment like california, Ireland needs a spark, and for lots of people to take risks, both on their own ideas and on other peolpes…and also to think big, these guys obviously have done that but id say they are one of very few in Ireland. Maybe the draw of having like minded people around is what took them to the US?
First time I’ve ever seen a story on the Journal without a single “thumbs down” good work lads.
of course just as I send my comment…………ah well, still a great story
Great news hope it goes well for the young men,best of luck,it’s what Ireland needs at these times
Chris money doesn’t buy genius it’s fairly obvious these boys are something special really proud of them all do I don’t know them
Congratulations to them ! It’s a shame they couldn’t be incorporated in Ireland and employ Irish people, but the truth of the matter is that our universities are not producing graduates of the calibre required to start a tech company and guide it to success .
A corollary to that is the total funding vacuum that exists for tech startups in Ireland , whether it is venture or angel investment. Enterprise Ireland lack the domain knowledge required – a software startup costs peanuts to fund initially ; most of the cost goes on rent and food but EI and their ilk want to give you way more money than you need in exchange for way more equity than you want to give away, on top of ridiculous conditions like needing to hire a minimum number of people and spend a minimum amount which you will then be reimbursed for.
We will never have a so called smart economy if this doesn’t change and we will continue to produce mickey mouse companies that turn a tiny profit and hire a tiny amount of staff.
I don’t agree 100% with the calibre of graduates in Ireland. i think that the problem is more so the numbers of people doing IT/science subjects. There are some pretty smart people coming out of some pretty good courses at the moment but nowhere near enough.
Very well said Eric. The government should make it easier for the existing it contract development community to setup business and go it alone. I have 12 years experience lots of good ideas but I can’t take s year off ti try something without
Free office rent
A grant of about 45 k a year
And free access to broad band and hardware
Give me that enda and in 5 years I would employ at least 5 if not mire people
The thumbs down on the site is getting a bit ridiculous.
@ Chris Gardner – Your very much mistaken these guys went to a public school in Limerick, if their parents wanted elite education for them they could have sent them to Glenstal not far away. The only downfall with this type of talent in Ireland is that we don’t know how to nurture them past the R&D stage. These guys are in the mould of Gates & Zuckerberg,just a shame we couldn’t keep them but the v best of luck to them.
These Brothers while they deserve their hard work it must be pointed out that they came from an enormously priveleged family with basically unlimited resources. They were destined to do well getting every and all help along the way. Not the story of the vast majority of irish young men. As I said I am thrilled they are doing well but I and millions like me never had these priveleges growing or resources. Its a pity all Irish school goers do not get the same equalities and indeed come to school facing enormous disadvantages, We won’t be reading about them anytime soon.
Well done lads.
There should be a http://www.coderdojo.com in every town/village in the country! Time to ditch fable studies and get programming languages into schools!
OMG lads yis are a legend, well done, I’m as proud of you both as if I were your mother! Wonderful…
They’re set up for life then! Well done to them!
Congratulations to you both
The very highest levels of protection must be provided for intellectual property such as this for the most obvious of reasons. I’m certain that the naysayers and petty critics who believe that it’s acceptable practice to thieve from owners of such valuable property will slink to the sidelines while these young lads bask in well deserved glory.
Fantastic achievement lads…well done!
Your welcome Palo Alto, California.
“You’re welcome” dummy
have your say