July 27, 2010: Head injuries and new NFL guidelines

ß AND NOW IT GOES INTO THE
EGG YOLK ß
>> THIS WEEK IT IS BACK TO
WORK FOR PLAYERS AND THE
NFL, BUT FOR THE FIRST
TIME THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
SPORTS LEAGUE IN AMERICA
IS BLUNTLY WARNING PLAYERS
ABOUT THE LONG-TERM
EFFECTS OF CONCUSSIONS.
>> FOR YEARS THE NFL
DOWNPLAYED THE IMPACT OF
CONCUSSIONS CAUSED BY
FOOTBALL'S FEROCIOUS
HITTING.
BUT AFTER A UNIVERSITY OF
MICHIGAN STUDY FOUND THAT
RETIRED NFL PLAYERS HAVE A
MUCH HIGHER RATE OF
COGNITIVE PROBLEMS, THEY
LAUNCHED INTO HEARINGS ON
THE SAFETY OF FOOTBALL.
>> I CAN THINK OF NO ISSUE
TO WHICH I HAVE DEVOTED
NORE TIME AND ATTENTION
THAN THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF FOOTBALL
PLAYERS.
>> THE NFL IS POSTING NEW
WARNINGS IN NEW LOCKER
ROOMS.
THEY IDENTIFY THE SYMPTOMS
AND COMPLICATIONS OF BRAIN
INJURIES, AND ASKS THEM TO
SEEK HELP.
WITH A SIMPLE REMINDER TO
THE PROS.
THEY SET AN EXAMPLE.
JOINING ME IS CHRIS
NOWINSKI, AND DR. ROBERT
STERN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
OF NEUROLOGY AT THE B.U.
IT SEEMS THAT TO PUT A
POSTER UP WITH THESE
ATHLETES MAKING THIS KIND
OF MONEY WILL MAKE THIS
MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE.
DO YOU HAVE THAT MUCH
CONFIDENCE IT THIS?
>> ACTUALLY, I DO.
YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT
THE NFL HAS NEVER WRITTEN
DOWN ANY INFORMATION FROM
THE PLAYERS.
THEY USED TO SAY WE NEED
TO WAIT AND SEE.
TO TELL PLAYERS WITH THIS,
WITH THE ADULTS, THE NFL
PLAYERS, IT IS ABOUT
UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS.
YOU NEED TO TELL THEM
ABOUT THE RISKS AND LET
THEM CHOOSE THEIR OWN
FUTURE.
AND THIS POSTER WILL
TRICKLE DOWN FOR KIDS AND
EDUCATE YOUTH LEAGUES AND
YOUTH COACHES ABOUT WHAT
THEY WOULD DO.
>> IF THEY WERE TO PUT
SOMETHING UP LIKE THIS IN
WGBH, I WOULD WALK PAST
IT.
NOBODY REALLY ABSORBS IT.
OR IS THERE A LARGER
CULTURE THEY'RE TRYING TO
ENFORCE.
>> THIS REPRESENTS THE
LEAGUE FROM THE TOP DOWN.
THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING
VIDEOS.
THE NFL FUNDS U.S.A.
FOOTBALL, AND U.S.A.
FOOTBALL HAS A TERRIFIC
EDUCATIONAL VIDEO FOR
YOUTH COACHES.
THE POSTER IS NOT THE ONLY
STEP THEY'VE TAKEN.
IT IS REALLY MORE OF A
CULTURE CHANGE.
>> DR. STERN, I WAS
STUNNED TO LEARN WHEN I
WAS GOING THROUGH THE
RESEARCH, A CONCUSSION IS
MORE CHEMICAL THAN ANY
ABRASIVE ACTION THAT IS
HAPPENING IN THE HEAD.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
A CONCUSSION IS A CHANGE
IN THE METABOLIC
FUNCTIONING OF THE BRAIN
CELLS, IF GIVEN ENOUGH
TIME TO REST AND RECOVER,
IT WILL HOPEFULLY RETURN
TO RECOVER.
THAT IS NOT WHAT THE ISSUE
THAT THE NFL AND SO MANY
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ARE
ADDRESSING.
IT IS REALLY WHAT THE
LONG-TERM CONSEQUENSES OF
REPETITIVE CONCUSSIONS
ARE.
A CONCUSSIONS IS A
TEMPORARY CONDITION WHERE
YOU MIGHT SEE STARS.
YOU MIGHT FEEL IN A FOG.
YOU MIGHT BE DIZZY, YOU
MIGHT HAVE POOR MEMORY.
YOU MIGHT BE NAUSEATED.
BUT HOPEFULLY IT WILL GO
AWAY RELATIVELY SOON IF
GIVEN ENOUGH TIME TO REST.
IN THOSE CASES WHERE THE
PERSON GOES BACK TO PLAY
REPEATEDLY, OVER AND OVER
AGAIN, AND SOMETIMES EVEN
WITHOUT A CONCUSSION, BUT
JUST REPEATING HEADING
THEIR HEAD AGAINST AN
OPPONENT, THAT'S WHERE
THIS DISEASE CALLED
CHRONIC TRAUMATIC
ENCEPHALOPATHY MIGHT COME
INTO PLAY.
>> AND IT COMES INTO PLAY
WITH DEMENTIA AND IT HAS
BEEN LINKED TO
ALZHEIMER'S.
>> IT IS ANOTHER BRAIN
DISEASE LIKE ALZHEIMER'S
DISEASE THAT DOES CAUSE
DEMENTIA.
IT STARTS SHOWING SYMPTOMS
YEARS OR DECADES AFTER THE
PERSON FINISHES THEIR
SPORT ACTIVITY, OR
INVOLVEMENT IN THE
MILITARY -- WHATEVER IT IS
THAT IS RESULTING IN
REPETITIVE HEAD TRAUMA.
>> CHRIS, IN THESE GAMES,
WHO IS ACTUALLY GOING TO
BE LOOKING OUT FOR THIS?
AGAIN, THERE IS A HUGE
FINANCIAL INTEREST HERE.
PLAYERS HAVE INJURIES, AND
YOU HAVE TO PULL THEM OUT,
BUT UT DON'T WANT TO PULL
THEM OUT UNLESS YOU
ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
ARE COACHES GOING TO BE
LOOKING OUT FOR THIS?
WHO IS GOING TO BE
ADHERING TO THIS NEW
GUIDELINES?
>> EVERYONE.
FROM THE COACHES, TO THE
TEAMMATES, AND THE
REFEREES, EVEN.
ONE OF THE IMPORTANT
MESSAGES ON THE POSTER IS
BY IGNORING A CONCUSSION,
YOU CAN END YOUR CAREER,
IF YOU REST, YOU COULD BE
COMPLETELY NORMAL.
IF YOU GO BACK TOO SOON,
YOU MAY END UP RETIRING
TOO SOON LIKE TED JOHNSON,
AND EVEN MYSELF.
>> YOU WERE A RETIRED
FOOTBALL PLAYER AND
WRESTLER AT 24.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
>> I KEPT GETTING
CONCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT
BOTH CAREERS.
I DIDN'T KNOW THEY WERE.
AND I DIDN'T TELL ANYONE
BECAUSE AS LONG AS I WOKE
UP AFTER BLACKING OUT, I
THOUGHT WAS FINE.
THE ACCUMULATIVE DAMAGE
THAT I HAD DONE CAUGHT UP
WITH ME.
THE LAST CONCUSSION LED TO
FIVE YEARS OF HEADACHES,
THREE YEARS OF
SLEEPWALKING, FOR WHICH I
WOULD BE MEDICATED.
AND I KIND OF LOST MY LATE
20s BECAUSE I DIDN'T
HAVE THE INFORMATION I
NEEDED.
AND THE INFORMATION IS
PROVIDED ON THIS POSTER.
>> HOW OLD ARE YOU NOW?
>> I'M 31.
>> ARE YOU STILL
SUFFERING --
>> I'M MOSTLY OUT OF THE
WOODS WITH THAT, BUT THE
AVERAGE ONSET OF THE
DISEASE, TRAUMA
ENCEPHALOPATHY, HAPPENS
LATER.
>> DOCTOR, YOU DID A STUDY
AT B.U., AND PART OF IT
WAS FUNDED BY THE NFL, BUT
YOU DID A STUDY THAT SHOWS
THIS SEEMS INEVITABLE.
YOU STUDIED 12 PRO
ATHLETES, AND ALL OF THEM
HAD THIS KIND OF DAMAGE?
>> MY COLLEAGUE, DR. ED
MCKEE, IS THE
NEUROPATHOLOGY WHO DID
THIS REALLY WONDERFUL WORK
WITH THE STUDY OF TRAUMA
ENCEPHALOPATHY.
YES, INDEED, WE FOUND THAT
12 OF 12 FOOTBALLS WHO HAD
DIED, MOST PREMATURELY IN
THEIR 40s AND 50s,
WHO'S BRAINS WERE DONATED
TO OUR CENTER, AND WHO
DR. MCKEE EXAMINED, SHOWED
THIS DISEASE OF C.T. E.
THAT'S PRETTY ASTOUNDING.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN EVERY
FOOTBALL PLAYER WHO HITS
THEIR HEAD WILL DEVELOP
THIS DISEASE.
BUT WHAT IT DOES MEAN IS
THERE IS THIS INCREDIBLE
RISK OF DEVELOPING THIS
VERY PROGRESSIVE BRAIN
DISEASE THAT RIGHT NOW HAS
NO CURE.
>> WHEN YOU HEAR THINGS
LIKE THIS, IT IS CHILLING.
DO YOU THINK THIS WILL
CHANGE THE NATURE OF
FOOTBALL?
WILL WE SEE A DIFFERENCE
COME THIS FALL?
>> I THINK YOU'RE ALREADY
SEEING A DIFFERENCE.
I THINK IT WILL CHANGE THE
NATURE OF FOOTBALL.
WE'VE BEEN PLAYING THE
GAME RAW.
THE HUMAN BODY WAS NEVER
MEANT TO TAKE THIS MUCH
TRAUMA.
THE NFL CHANGED THE RULES
LAST SEASON.
THEY BANNED THINGS LIKE
THE WEDGE.
AND THEY PENALIZE HITS TO
THE HEAD WHEN THE GUY IS
NOT LOOKING.
BUT I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO
TAKE BIGGER AND BIGGER
STEPS TO MAKE FOOTBALL
MORE SAFE.
WE NEED TO CUT BACK ON
PRACTICE, ESPECIALLY FOR
THE YOUNG KIDS.
75% OF THE HITS YOU TAKE
TO THE HEAD IS DURING
PRACTICE, WHEN THE
OUTCOMES DON'T MATTER.
IF WE CAN CONVINCE COACHES
AND LEAGUES TO TAKE THAT
DOWN BY HALF, WE'LL LIMIT
THE EXPOSURE.
>> WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE
ATHLETES WHO ARE RETIRED,
AND NOW HAVE THIS
CONCESSION BY THE NFL THEY
CAN PROBABLY USE FOR
DISABILITY.
IS THIS GOING TO CHANGE
WHAT THEY'RE ALLOWED TO
PUT IN FOR ESSENTIALLY?
>> YEAH, IT'S A HUGE
ISSUE.
THERE ARE CASE OUT THERE
FOR DISABILITY OF DEMENTIA
THAT IS REPORTEDLY DUE TO
THE HEAD TRAUMA FOR
PLAYING IN THE NFL.
THIS IS NOT REALLY THE
FIRST TIME THE NFL HAS
SAID THERE IS A LINK.
BUT IT IS THE VERY FIRST
TIME THEY PUT IT IN
WRITING FOR THEIR PLAYERS.
IS IT GOING TO HAVE AN
IMPACT?
WE'LL HAVE TO SEE.
IF IT GOING TO HOPEFULLY
PREVENT THE PROBLEM IN THE
FUTURE?
THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING FOR US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.
IN A MOMENT, AND ON A MUCH
LIGHTER NOTE, TURNING THE
QUEEN OF CUISINE INTO A
DIVA.
JULIA CHILD AS YOU'VE
NEVER SEEN OR HEARD HER
BEFORE.