Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive, declinatory disease of the brain found in people, often athletes, with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic sub concussive blows to the head. CTE spreads over a period of years or decades as a result of trauma to the head. The brain of someone who suffers from CTE gradually will deteriorate and over time lose mass. Symptoms of CTE include loss of memory, impulsive or erratic behavior, impaired judgment, depression, aggression, difficulty with balance, and dementia.

Mike Webster, Hall of Famer for the Pittsburg Steelers, was the first football player to be diagnosed with CTE, and died of the disease in 2002. As told by his

She is a leading authority on CTE. She has found evidence of CTE in over 70 of the athletes that she has examined. Over the last 5 years, Ann McKee has become the most important members among research scientists and family members effected by the issue of CTE. Chris Nowinski was a Harvard football player, who became a pro wrestler and suffered a debilitating concussion during his career. This led to his finding of the Sports Legacy institute, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the research of sports related head injuries. Following his wrestling career, he wrote his book: “Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis.” The book examines the long-term effects of various forms of head trauma among athletes. Nowinski played a crucial role in the discovery of the fourth diagnosed case of CTE in a former NFL football player, Justin Strzelczyk, former Pittsburg Steelers offensive lineman, and worked with Dr. Bennet Omalu to examine the

The NFL has stated that they believe the issues having to do with the knees, drugs, and steroids are greater problems in football, according to the number of incidents, than concussions. In several attempts to talk to the NFL about the effects of CTE found in football players, the discussion has been dismissed. In 2013, the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to settle the lawsuit with retired players. As part of this settlement, the league did not admit any wrongdoing. There was no admission that anything was caused by football. In response to CTE, the NFL is in denial. To limit the number of concussions, the NFL released a video in 2013 explaining the new NFL playing rules, banning the “crown of the helmet” hits outside of the tackle box- designed to reduce high impact blows to the head resulting in