Fly4Fun;1160148 wrote:So you're wondering if scientists are using a control group? I sometimes wonder if mechanics use tools when working on cars.

stroups;1160006 wrote:That makes 8 people from the 1994 chargers that have died.

mella;1160219 wrote:Sarcasm noted and appreciated.

I guess what I was wondering is there any evidence to suggest that people without TBI, traumatic brain injuries, who have attempted or successfully completed suicide have any abnormalities with brain structure when compared to the general population. Everything I looked at suggests a relationship between people with TBI's and a higher than normal attempted suicide rate. But are there structural differences, not just chemical ones, that lead to the depression or urge to committ suicide in people without TBI's. Structural differences are seen in people with dementia but it is not clear if the differences cause the dementia or if the dementia is caused by something else and the structural changes come later.

THE4RINGZ;1160037 wrote:In 2010 Seau drove his car off a cliff, and later said he fell asleep at the wheel.

enigmaax;1160248 wrote:Wasn't that shortly after he beat up his wife or something?

1_beast;1160261 wrote:Wife beating may be tiring?

Wikipedia wrote: Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease found in individuals who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. A variant of the condition, dementia pugilistica (DP), is primarily associated with boxing. CTE has been most commonly found in professional athletes participating in American football, ice hockey, professional wrestling and other contact sports, who have experienced head trauma, resulting in characteristic degeneration of brain tissue and the accumulation of tau protein. Individuals with CTE may show symptoms of dementia such as memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression which may appear within months of the trauma or many decades later. CTE is only diagnosed post-mortem.
Repeated concussions and injuries less serious than concussions ("sub-concussions") incurred during the play of contact sports over a long period can result in CTE. The brain changes in CTE and DP are similar and are delayed effects of repeated concussions and sub-concussions of the brain.

lhslep134;1160319 wrote:RIP, probably my favorite non-Brown besides Barry Sanders growing up.

I'm throwing this suggestion out there that I heard or read somewhere, don't really agree but it's interesting:

Someone suggested they go back to leather helmets with padding on the sides. His reasoning: the big problem is that the helmets are a legitimate weapon and you won't see anyone lead with their head if they only have a leather helmet with padding to absorb elbow shots or something protecting them. Cut down on shots to the head, cut down on the concussions.


While I don't necessarily agree, I will say that in my years of playing pickup football I don't think anyone ever got a concussion. So maybe there is a little merit to the psychology behind it? Who knows.

Fly4Fun;1160320 wrote:I think Gregg Easterbrook suggested the leather helmet thing either this past NFL season or the previous.

Mooney44Cards;1160296 wrote:Pretty clear to me what went on here, the fact that he shot himself in the chest almost confirms it. Doesn't for sure mean its the case, but this is the 3rd former NFLer to off himself in the past 15 months. CTE has been an elephant in the room for far too long. The NFL should be leading the way in improving helmets/equipment to try and prevent concussions, or we may start to see schools dropping football due to liability issues. This is quite a ways down the road, but something I feel is inevitable as more studies are done on CTE and its link to football (and hockey, and soccer, etc.) The NFL is doing a terrible job with this. They're throwing a band aid on a festering wound with this whole fining players thing. They should have announced 2 years ago that they were conducted studies on how helmets/equipment can be improved. Glad those billions aren't going into anything worthwhile though!

DeyDurkie5;1160012 wrote: Also, he put it in his chest. Obviously wanted them to study his brain. Smart suicide?

se-alum;1160336 wrote:Do you really think the NFL isn't doing anything to combat this? The equipment is as safe as it's ever been, they've changed rules to make the game more safe for players. At the end of the day, these are huge individuals playing a game based on collisions. Medical problems are a risk they are taking when they choose to play the game. It's unfortunate that things have ended up the way they have for some former players, but they always could've chosen a different career path.

dave;1160341 wrote:A Seauicide?

said_aouita;1160389 wrote:I heard he's expecting a fine from Goodell for a shot to the head.

vball10set;1160393 wrote:Actually, he shot himself in the chest...nice try :rolleyes:

said_aouita;1160395 wrote:ok, I'll try again.

I heard he's expecting a fine from Goodell for an illegal shot.

vball10set;1160396 wrote:better, but still a tad early

Mooney44Cards;1160342 wrote:Safe as its ever been? Well what the hell does that mean? Absolutely nothing.

And considering the fact that even researchers don't know all of the risks associated with brain trauma, its stupid to say that the players know the risks too.

Your opinion is placing the blame on the player for choosing a career path involving a multi-billion dollar organization who has at best ignored and at worst covered up the debilitating effects of football playing for decades and has only recently shifted their position in response to bad PR. Some opinion you got there.