Congress: NFL Influenced Govt Head Trauma Study

[A.E]

 
WASHINGTON -- At least a half-dozen top NFL health officials waged an improper, behind-the-scenes campaign last year to influence a major U.S. government research study on football and brain disease, congressional investigators have concluded in a new report.
 
The 91-page report describes how the NFL pressured the National Institutes of Health to strip the $16 million project from a prominent Boston University researcher and tried to redirect the money to members of the league's committee on brain injuries. The study was to have been funded out of a $30 million "unrestricted gift" the NFL gave the NIH in 2012.
After the NIH rebuffed the NFL's campaign to remove Robert Stern, an expert in neurodegenerative disease who has criticized the league, the NFL backed out of a signed agreement to pay for the study, the report shows. Taxpayers ended up bearing the cost instead.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/15667689/congressional-report-finds-nfl-improperly-intervened-brain-research-cost-taxpayers-16-million

 
More reason to despise the NFL. I'm the first to admit, "No shit, football players put themselves at risk for brain trauma", but the NFL's repeated attempts to bury facts is repulsive. Very similar to the Tobacco industry trying to bury health facts related to cigarettes back in the day.
 
 

 

[Hurricane Season]

I wonder at what point shit like this starts to affect support of the NFL.  The concussion issue continues to get worse and worse for the NFL with each story, yet the league could not be any bigger or more successful.

 

[A.E]

I wonder at what point shit like this starts to affect support of the NFL.  The concussion issue continues to get worse and worse for the NFL with each story, yet the league could not be any bigger or more successful.

 
It won't in the current generation but definitely will down the line. I know a lot of people that aren't allowing their kids to play football because of the head trauma concerns. I think 20 years from now will show a huge decline in the number of kids playing football at the youth levels. Obviously has an adverse effect on high school and college numbers.

 

[BwareDWare94]

Practically no head trauma occurs in youth football, even high school football. It's very rare because the kids can't hit hard enough to even be worried about it. Concussions at lower levels result from one of two things--improper equipment or uninformed coaching. Teach the kids how to tackle properly and make sure equipment is up to date and you are pretty much guaranteed there won't be any concussions. Not letting kids play football isn't a safety thing. It's a not knowing the facts thingm

 

[buzzy]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YT5G3Cq_d2Q

 

[A.E]

Practically no head trauma occurs in youth football, even high school football. It's very rare because the kids can't hit hard enough to even be worried about it. Concussions at lower levels result from one of two things--improper equipment or uninformed coaching. Teach the kids how to tackle properly and make sure equipment is up to date and you are pretty much guaranteed there won't be any concussions. Not letting kids play football isn't a safety thing. It's a not knowing the facts thingm

 
Exactly... and people don't know the facts. Junior Seau blows his brains out, come to find out he had CTE, and thousands of parents will deter their kids from playing tackle football because of it. 

 

[BwareDWare94]

 
Exactly... and people don't know the facts. Junior Seau blows his brains out, come to find out he had CTE, and thousands of parents will deter their kids from playing tackle football because of it. 

It really shouldn't be up to the parents. Our helicopter parent society is such a fucking joke.

I doubt sloshing even occurs much through high school football, except for rare hits.

Don't get me wrong--concussions are a very real issue in the NFL and college football but it has much less to do with football itself than the a reckless nature these elite athletes play with. The sheer speed they have, and the force they can hit with, and still they all use their heads too much.

Continued emphasis on proper technique and further development of equipment will make football much safer in the coming years.

 

[elcheato]

It really shouldn't be up to the parents on what their children do under their care? Who should it be up to, the government? 

 

[A.E]

It really shouldn't be up to the parents on what their children do under their care? Who should it be up to, the government? 

FEEL THE BERN!!!! lol

 

[Pugz]

It really shouldn't be up to the parents on what their children do under their care? Who should it be up to, the government? 

if parents dont have a right to stop their children from playing football then im moving to canada, where they dont play football

 

[elcheato]

I should probably rephrase my statement to focus about sports, because I forgot about the batshit crazy anti-vaxxers who use that same line of defense. 

 

[Pugz]

I should probably rephrase my statement to focus about sports, because I forgot about the batshit crazy anti-vaxxers who use that same line of defense. 

ugh. two of my good friends are anti-vaxxers

 

[BwareDWare94]

It really shouldn't be up to the parents on what their children do under their care? Who should it be up to, the government? 

 
The kids. Do we stop them from enlisting if they want to? No. They should be able to play football if they want to. It's that simple. Whatever your kid wants to do, if you can afford it, you let them do it. I mean, I get it when it comes to a sport like hockey where a parent may not be able to afford the equipment and travel, but I like to think they'd at least try to make it work, don't you think?
 
If a kid wants to be able to play football, he/she should be able to play football.

 

[elcheato]

So you're suggesting full atanomy for children, starting at what age, 10? Do they get full control over what they eat for dinner too?

 

[BwareDWare94]

Oh please, it's not even close to the same thing? Are you just trolling me or do you honestly think it should be up the parents about whether or not a kid can play football? If the kid wants to play football, he or she should be able to. It's that simple. 

 

[elcheato]

Yes, I believe it's up to the parent on what a child can and cannot do. Don't really believe that children should be fully autonomous

 

[A.E]

Personal opinions are irrelevant to the conversation. Regardless "should" or "shouldn't" do, kids aren't going to play youth football if parents have head injury fears. 

 

[elcheato]

And even if concussions aren't as common as the NFL, they still happen in youth football.

 

[Pugz]

ive been concussed playing basketball. i can only imagine how many kids have that could go unnoticed playing football.

 

[catman]

As one who played football in high school for a very good team (we were the smallest school in the "big school" class and were ranked #3 at the end of the season), I will say that I wish I had not played.  My knee, shoulder and neck problems all stem from this activity.  I separated both shoulders and played with them taped up with extra padding to avoid further injury,  I tore up my knee playing WR getting hit on a pass reception over the middle.  My neck was injured on a similar play.  That one put me out of action for several weeks.  The Dr just couldn't allow me to go back out there.  My equipment was as good as was available back in the early 70s, so I won't blame it for my injuries.