Reaction Towards Concussions and CTE

The Story of Dr. Bennett Omalu: Discovery of CTE in Football

After Doctor Bennett Omalu released his research on Webster's brain to a highly-renowned medical journal, Neurosurgery, three NFL scientists asked for Omalu's research to be retracted. Neurosurgery, however, did not accept the NFL's request for retraction. Nonetheless, Omalu received the brain of Terry Long, who had depression, memory loss, and experienced crazy behavior. Omalu immediately published a second paper to Neurosurgery, who gladly published the research of Long's brain. The news of CTE, meaning that retired athletes could potentially be suffering from a disease more harmful than Alzheimer's, was surrounding the mainstream press. The NFL, meanwhile, responded with denial and ignorant attacks towards Omalu's research, adding comments such as "purely speculative" and "preposterous." Following Omalu's extensive research, studies were performed by other parties, such as the University of North Carolina, whose research was, like Omalu's, deemed flawed by the NFL. Additional doctors who were first very skeptical of Omalu's research, like neurologist Peter Davies, became amazed by the brain slides of the former football players when they saw them in person.

On-the-field collisions in football can generate accelerations up to 150 times stronger than gravity. After the discovery of CTE in former football players, researchers have been trying to prevent the causes of CTE through many different ways. The first being new helmet designs that supposedly reduce the 150 Gs to 50, says Dr. Stefan Duma, director of Virginia Tech's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. The second being speedier diagnoses, which can be accomplished by providing non-professional football players with the extensive medical attention that professional players receive. Lastly, some scientists claim that certain drugs, such as cannabis, can give football players a degree of neuroprotection. Since cannabis contains many biologically active compounds, such as cannabinoids, which initial research has suggested that it might help limit the degeneration of the brain tissue caused by CTE, some researches claim that cannabis may prevent or treat CTE. Although initial findings of CTE were found in athletes, research has proven CTE is not limited to athletes and has affected others outside of sports field.