A Serious Topic is Hitting the Big Screens
For those of you who know me, you know I preach against allowing children to play football. I know concussive injuries result in long-term disability. Hearing a recent interview in which renowned actor Will Smith stated that as a football dad in real life, the last thing he wanted to do was play a role based on the dangers on the field.
Dr. Bennet Omalu and CTE
Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a physician who is credited with discovering CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. CTE occurs as a direct result of repeated blows to the head which is commonly seen in football. In the early days of his career, everyone from the medical insurance giants, the mega healthcare corporations and the National Football League themselves accused Dr. Omalu of improprieties, even as far as to say that his findings were a result of fraud or modern day voodoo! I don’t know of anything that could possibly illustrate my point better – that the dangers of repetitive brain trauma get buried on the field and in the boardrooms of major institutions.
86% Percent of Americans Comprehend the Link
The numbers don’t lie! A 2013 study showed over 86% of Americans understand the basic principles between repeated concussions and long term damage that results in a diagnosis of CTE. Hindsight tells us that this degenerative disease has been affecting some of the world’s most talented athletes for over 100 years!
While we can’t expect the NFL to close the proverbial doors – We can continue to shed light this very serious and tragic topic. ESPN reported that 96% of NFL players who died during the last decade were subsequently tested and found to show CTE. – This is an issue that is not going anywhere. View the poignant trailer for the movie Concussion here.
