HEAD IN THE
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HOW CTE AFFECTS ATHLETES TODAY Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, better known as CTE, has become a controversial issue in sports today, especially the NFL. Recent discoveries regarding the connections between repeated head trauma and football careers have led to the NFL making game changes after years of ignoring the problems relating to CTE. The Alzheimer’s Association defined CTE as a condition associated with repeated head injuries. CTE may lead to personality and behavioral changes, memory problems and a higher probability of developing dementia. Unfortunately, because of brain changes only visible from an autopsy, CTE remains diagnosable only after death. CTE has a complicated way of affecting how the brain functions. “Say you’re driving down a street in Palmetto Bay… Then there’s a canal. And then you have to turn another way. And you keep going. Now you have to go back out; there’s no outlet. Now you have to turn and go back. Then you try again and it’s still a canal. That’s basically what’s happening to the pathways of the brain,” Miami Palmetto Senior High athletic trainer Michele Benz said. “In the brain, you don’t get a black and blue mark, you get a production of proteins. The proteins are like the canals in Palmetto Bay. They don’t let normal nerve pathways exist.” Following the death of Steelers’ center Mike Webster from a heart attack, Dr. Bennet Omalu, who conducted Webster’s autopsy, noted he had severe brain damage that may have resulted from repeated blows to the head Webster experienced during his NFL career. Similar to Webster, three other deceased former NFL players also noted had severe brain damage. A study from Boston University researcher Dr. Ann McKee, showed that signs of CTE appeared in 99 percent of former NFL players’ brains. The NFL has now recognized the links between CTE and football. NFL officials have added several new rules in recent years to help keep players safe on the field. For example, Rule 12, Article eight in the NFL Rulebook states that when initiating contact with another player, it is a foul for a player to
lower his head and make contact with his helmet against the opponent. Players who violate this rule may be disqualified from the game. “A lot of stuff was legal back in early football, but the way they have it now, they make it more safe and cautious for everybody,” senior and Palmetto Panthers varsity quarterback Cairiq Rackley said. Although there have been several rule changes in the past few seasons, football remains a very rough sport. Palmetto junior varsity kicker Aaron Schurr feels grateful he is not hit as hard as other positions that have to take on tacklers throughout the game, but is also aware of the ferocious nature of football. “I wouldn’t want to be a quarterback or a running back because you get tackled a lot, and you need to be very strong,” Schurr said. Several cases of CTE show athletes that became very violent outside of their respective sports. One example that received significant media coverage was the career of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez was primed to be a successful tight end for the Patriots, catching 18 touchdowns in his first three seasons and participat ing in the 2011 Super Bowl. But in 2013 Hernandez was arrested for the murder of Odin Lloyd and committed suicide in his jail cell nearly four years later. His autopsy uncovered signs of CTE. Although scientists have made progress in CTE research in recent years, athletes still have to factor in possible brain damage before deciding to step onto the field, ring or wherever they may play. But despite these risks, athletes continue to play the game they love. “Players should be as aggressive as they want to be,” Schurr said. “If you play football, then you know the consequences.”
Jack Meyer
Sports Editor
j.meyer.thepanther@gmail.com
