Roger Goodell, The Verdict Is In

Sports Illustrated July 25, 2017:

A new study by Boston University researcher Dr. Ann McKee examined the brains of 202 deceased football players and found that 110 of the 111 brains of former NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The brains were donated by families of former NFL players who showed signs of the disease. The study was not conducted on a set of random former NFL players, and Dr. McKee notes “tremendous selection bias” in the samples.

“It is no longer debatable whether or not there is a problem in football—there is a problem,” Dr. McKee said, according to the New York Times.

In October of 2013, PBS and Frontline aired the documentary “League Of Denial.” Based on a book written by ESPN reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru. The book and film devote significant attention to the story of Mike Webster and his football-related brain injuries, and the pathologist who examined Webster’s brain, Bennet Omalu, (see the film Concussion) The TV film also looks closely at the efforts of researchers led by Ann McKee at Boston University‘s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, where the brains of a number of former NFL athletes have been examined. The 2002 death of center Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers at age 50 is the cornerstone of the documentary, a tipoff delivered in opening scenes of molten steel and blast furnaces. The Hall of Famer was the first former NFL player diagnosed through autopsy with the brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

The Pittsburgh doctor who diagnosed Webster says the NFL tried to “squash” him and later helped block him from examining the brain of former NFL star Junior Seau, who committed suicide in 2012. Another researcher says she encountered a dismissive attitude – and sexism – when she made a presentation to a male-dominated NFL committee in 2009.

During the documentary, Omalu recalled a discussion with an NFL doctor while reviewing Webster’s case. Omalu said the NFL doctor told him,

“Bennett, do you know the implications of what you’re doing? If 10 percent of mothers in this country would begin to perceive football as a dangerous sport, that is the end of football.”

By the way, the Frontline documentary won a Peabody Award.

From The Sporting News published March 25, 2016

A leading CTE researcher (Chris Nowinski, co-founder and president of the Concussion Legacy Foundation), says NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is “lying so frequently that I almost don’t think it matters anymore” when it comes to the league’s stance on the degenerative brain disease found in numerous dead NFL players, The Palm Beach Post reported.
In a speech given by Roger Goodell at the NFL owners meetings this week (March 2016) in South Florida. In the speech, the commissioner — and subsequently powerful Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — sidestepped the link between playing in the NFL and CTE.

Recently published in The Guardian:

Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel has abruptly retired from the NFL after just three seasons, the team announced on Thursday.

Although a diagnosis of CTE can’t be confirmed until an autopsy is performed, there are behavioral clues to its existence:

Difficulty thinking (cognitive impairment)
Impulsive behavior.
Depression or apathy.
Short-term memory loss.
Difficulty planning and carrying out tasks (executive function)
Emotional instability.
Substance abuse.
Suicidal thoughts or behavior.

My research to date has found 37 suicides of former NFL players including:

Junior Seau
Aaron Hernandez