NFL’s Super Shame – CTE

As we get ready for another Super Bowl, the NFL’s super shame becomes more obvious as former NFL players’ brain injuries and CTE deaths keep piling up ~ For example there were 152 NFL concussions in 2013 with the majority being wide receiver and cornerback positions and the obvious danger of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) proportionally increased along with the NFL’s shame:

by Allen L Roland

A few nights ago I watched League Of Denial on Frontline and was amazed at the depth of the NFL’s concussion crisis. Watch this hour-long documentary on the hidden story of the NFL and brain injuries as well as the heroic story of Dr Ann McKee (Boston University) who has examined brains from 46 deceased former NFL players and found that 45 had CTE.  Watch video ~

I have a personal interest in this story because my beloved twin brother Bobby died on August 17th of 2013 of advanced Parkinson’s disease with possible CTE complications from playing High School as well as College Football and Hockey.

Jason Breslow writes in FRONTLINE that High school football players are nearly twice as likely to sustain a concussion as college players. The report also raised new concerns about just how far helmets can go to protect athletes from concussions. In May, FRONTLINE reported that as early as 2000, the NFL’s official helmet provider, Riddell, was warned that even a helmet that passed industry safety standards for protection against skull fractures and other severe head injuries could still leave a player with a 95 percent likelihood of receiving a concussion.

To this, I add comments from my High School friend and former High School Superintendent Jim Leonard who writes that .. ” Last year, Massachusetts school officials reported 4,200 concussions in football alone.  If that had been reported for any other activity there would have been a tremendous outcry, but this information went almost unnoticed.  I am suggesting that school officials take a long and serious look at contact sports.  After all, the primary goal of public schools is to provide meaningful education not opportunities for life-altering injuries.”

Here’s how CTE affects the brain and it’s not pretty as compiled by Neuropathologist Dr Ann McKee from Boston University.

1. Stage One ~ No Symptoms
2. Stage Two ~ Rage, Impulsivity, Depression
3. Stage Three ~ Confusion, Memory Loss
4. Stage Four ~ Advanced Dementia

See report :

Less than three years after retiring, the legendary quarterback, Brett Favre, has become one of the most high-profile players to acknowledge he has experienced health problems stemming from repeated concussions in the NFL ~ “God only knows the toll from NFL Concussions” Brett said.  See report ~

But I definitely know from a phone conversation with my twin brother about a year ago when I was sharing an indelible common joyful memory from our childhood years ~ and Bobby slowly interjected  “Allen, I don’t remember anything..”

About the Author: Allen L Roland is a Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist. He is also a practicing psychotherapist, author, and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his web site at AllenRoland.com. He also guest hosts a Truthtalk, a national radio show that airs monthly. He is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements, and private consultations via email at allen@allenroland.com.

Allen L Roland, PhD

Allen L Roland, PhD is a Freelance Alternative Press Online columnist. He is also a heart-centered spiritual consultant, author, and lecturer who also shares a weekly political and social commentary on his website at AllenRoland.com. He also guest hosts Truthtalk, a national radio show that airs monthly. He is available for comments, interviews, speaking engagements as well as private consultations via email at allen@allenroland.com.

Roland is a twin who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, survived a dysfunctional family, pursued and lived his dreams, including becoming a Navy supersonic carrier pilot, finding himself by fully opening his heart, writing three books, siring four children ~ and still living his ultimate dream by making a difference from a place of love, celebration, and service.

His Ph.D. dissertation THE UNIFIED FIELD was chosen by Common Boundary and Noetic Science Institute, in their 1998 national dissertation contest, as one of the top three finalists for combining spirituality and psychology. His ongoing heart-centered work as a consultant with veterans with PTSD is the most satisfying work of his life. Allen’s online newsletter, columns, and radio broadcasts are committed to the truth ~ as he sees it ~ for only the truth is revolutionary.