Saturday, January 26, 2013

Denial Is Nothing New to the NFL

This piece does an excellent job of showing how the NFL denied, denied, denied that concussions were a huge problem.  The bits and pieces here sound like cigarette companies denying the science of cancer research.  So much conflict of interest between team doctors and the players. 
 2010 - In March, the NFL creates a new committee to study concussions, distancing itself from Pellman and Ira Casson. Prominent neurologists Dr. H. Hunt Batjer and Dr. Richard G. Ellenbogen are appointed as co-chairs. Batjer says the following about the MBTI: "We all had issues with some of the methodologies... the inherent conflict of interest... that was not acceptable by any modern standards or not acceptable to us."
 It is not time for the players to have player doctors on the sideline--it is way, way, way over due.  And I do think that much of the talk (not action) that the NFL is spitting out these days is only of the cover your ass variety.  Force the players to wear the best helmets--there is no way so many helmets should be flying off every week.  Forget the talk about an 18 game season.  Do not return players to the field if they are seriously hurt (like RGIII).  This really is not rocket science. 

We talk about bubbles all the time, like an education bubble.  But what if the NFL is just one big bubble ready to pop?  What happens to the game if the players cannot get hit in the head?  Just wondering.

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