NFL Players Leave Their Brains To Science For Concussion Study

by Jon Azpiri | September 24, 2008 at 12:11 pm

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A group of NFL players have agreed to leave their brains to science to help with research on the effects of concussions. The study will be conducted by Boston University in conjunction with the Sports Legacy Institute, founded by Chris Nowinski and Dr. Robert Cantu.

One of the athletes leading the push is former New England Patriot Ted Johnson, who claims to have suffered from long-term problems as a result of concussions he suffered during his playing days. Johnson hopes that the study will eventually force the NFL to confront the issue of head trauma among players, an issue that the league has often evaded.

The N.F.L. says that, in regard to its players, the long-term effects of concussions are uncertain.

“I shouldn’t have to prove to anybody that there’s something wrong with me,” said Johnson, 35, whose neurologist has said multiple concussions from 2002 through his 2005 retirement resulted in permanent and degenerative problems with memory and depression.

Johnson added: “I’m not being vindictive. I’m not trying to reach up from the grave and get the N.F.L. But any doctor who doesn’t connect concussions with long-term effects should be ashamed of themselves.”

Other athletes who are part of the study include former football players Frank Wycheck, Isaiah Kacyvenski and Ben Lynch. The NHL's Noah Welch and retired women's soccer player Cindy Parlow will also be taking part. All the athletes will undergo regular examinations to track their cognitive health.

In recent years, there have been NFL players who have suffered severe damage from head injuries. John Grimsley died of a gunshot wound but was found to have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Then there's legendary Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, who died in 2002 after struggling with all manner of cognitive impairments.

Some doctors estimated he had undergone the equivalent of 25,000 car crashes during his career and, as a result, suffered from amnesia, dementia and depression. It got to the point where Webster was often living out of his car, not that many people knew it.

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