Tragic story, about former Chicago Bear David Duerson. He committed suicide by shooting himself in the heart. Why the heart? He didn't want to damage his brain. His last wish was to donate his brain to science, to see if he was suffering from brain damage due to repeated head trauma from his football career.
There's been increasing evidence that head trauma can lead to long term brain degeneration. The NFL has resisted this truth for a long time, but it's become impossible to do that.
I'm not sure what the answer is. Football wouldn't be football without the hard hits. But the average NFL player has a four-year career. Is that worth lifelong brain damage?
Better protective gear might help. And both sides in the current labor dispute should consider putting more of the NFL's profits toward the support of the players who have suffered permanent disability from playing the game.
Labels: NFL, science of sports
