Just two weeks into the NFL season and already, the concussion headlines are everywhere. In Tom Brady’s new book, out Tuesday, the star quarterback writes that “playing football for a living was like getting into a car crash every Sunday – a scheduled car crash…” And for parents whose hearts are stricken with fear hearing those words, thinking about their own kids playing just got worse. A study released by Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) finds kids who participate in tackle football before age 12 have an increased risk of emotional, behavioral and cognitive issues later in life. Co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, who authored the book “Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis,” and Doctor Robert Stern, who serves as director of clinical research at BU’s CTE Center and co-authored the study, joined Jim to discuss the findings of this latest research.
Famed Washington Post Columnist Sally Quinn has written on a lot of topics in her day, but lately, her focus has turned to religion and how it has shaped her life. In 1973, Quinn became the first female anchor of the CBS Morning News. She was married to the late Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of the Washington Post from the mid-60s to the early 90s. In her latest book, ‘Finding Magic: A Spiritual Memoir,’ she details her relationship with religion -her voodoo lessons as a kid in her family of Presbyterians and psychics. Quinn joined Jim to discuss her new title and the journey that led her to write it.
There are many studies that link poor health to poverty. Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury has several ways it’s trying to address health disparities. One way is through its Lower Roxbury Coalition, which is run by Dumas Lafontant.
Jim’s thoughts on a municipal lawmaker’s proposal to change Board of Selectman to Board of Selectwomen.