HJNO May/Jun 2023

CTE 18 MAY / JUN 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS These rules were made initially for a reason, because these men were attending a univer- sity to get smarter, not brain damaged. But because of the evolution of the football hel- met, and more importantly the face mask, which now protected the noses and teeth of players, the helmet became a weapon in the 70s. Was it for profits from the game that the NCAA turned a blind eye to a half- century of men repeatedly told to “lead with their heads” and trained to use their “heads as weapons”? Where were the NCAA rule enforcers? Certainly not protecting these guys from brain damage as they were get- ting their helmets smashed repeatedly, thousands of times a season. So, I started asking former players about the “helmet as a weapon”rule. They can’t even conceive of playing football according to that rule, nor were they even aware of the warning pasted into their helmets: “WARNING: Do not strike an opponent with any part of this helmet or face mask. This is a violation of football rules.” Because head hits are an inherent part of the game. One we now know cannot be played without the repeated subconcus- sive hits that result in long-term sequelae of degenerative brain disease ... because it isn’t, well, football. And yet today, the NCAA disparages the very players suffering from their incompe- tence or complete disregard of player heath and their wives for using science to answer the question, “Did their brains deteriorate from playing football?” Yes! The answer is Yes! Ann McKee says if she has examined every single case of CTE in NFL players and no more ever appear in her lab, the per- centage of players with confirmed CTE is around 9%. Acurrent study released shows 92% of the NFL brains at the UNITE brain bank have CTE, and a 2017 study from this same group shows CTE in the brains of 91% of college football players and 21% of high school football players. I wonder how many of Smith’s player brethren are out there now feeling the effects of CTE and/or brain cancer? And if I think like Smith often did, from a pub- lic health perspective, how many of his 800,000 former NCAA brothers’ brains are currently building that unique CTE signa- ture tauopathy or even cancer cells that quietly congregate in neuro cells that were stretched and broken beyond their capac- ity inside a helmet they thought protected their brains? So, the Journal posed the following ques- tions to the NCAA’s press center: • Howmany former NCAA football play- ers are alive today? Please break out by class. • Howmany have died by class? Please include age of death, year of death, and cause of death. • How many former players have died of brain cancer by class? • How many per class have died with confirmed CTE? As of press time ... crickets. n