Last night during Monday Night Football, I watched Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis lay a gruesome hit on Jets tight end Dustin Keller as Keller attempted to catch a pass over the middle of the field. It was the kind of hit that makes you cringe, but at the same time, keeps you coming back for more.
But the very fundamentals that draw us to such a violent sport could be slowly killing its participants. Former University of Pennsylvania defensive end Owen Thomas, who tragically committed suicide back in April, could be proof that hard hitting football can lead to permanent -- and fatal -- brain damage.
A brain tissue autopsy done at Boston University of the twenty-one year-old Thomas showed evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a brain disease found in more than 20 deceased NFL players, including former Eagles safety Andre Waters, who committed suicide in 2006, and the late Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both suffered from late stages of C.T.E., but little is known about the affect the disease has on the psychology of the brain.
In a story done by the New York Times, BU doctors also insisted that Thomas’ death “should not be attributed solely or even primarily to the damage in his brain, given the prevalence of suicide among college students in general.”
C.T.E has been linked to severe brain damage caused by concussions. Head injuries have become a serious matter in college and the NFLrecently as players, coaches and owners have stressed a higherimportance on safety. However, according to University of Pennsylvania football medical records, the former stand-out had no history of brain trauma.
“Every single kid coming in has to take a baseline neurological test. If he has shown any signs of a concussion, he cannot practice until he gets back to that baseline. It takes the guesswork out of it,” insisted Thomas’ coach Al Bagnoli.
Dr. Daniel Perl, a professor of pathology at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, believes Thomas could be a link between the disease and the ages in which it occurs.
“It’s not unreasonable that aspects of his [Thomas’] behavior were related to the underlying brain disease that was detected,” said Perl. “This is real.”
The silver lining to Owen Thomas’ death could be the advancement of medical research to further protect athletes. “This is a call for a broader range of research into this problem thatextends beyond the heavy duty N.F.L. level of athletics,” remarked Perl.
Not to play devil’s advocate, but there hasn’t been a lot of evidence of player concussions resulting in suicides. Cases such as Thomas’ have been a rare find, but perhaps the tragic end to a promising young life could be the jump-start doctors need to fuel further research.
Until then, hits like the one Lewis put on Keller last night are reminders that the human body can only take so much punishment.
“I think the game is more unsafe,” said Dr. Adam Shunk, a neuropsychologist at St. Vincent Sports Performance Center in Indianapolis. “Just look at the physicalness of football now. Athletes are bigger and stronger and faster, and mass media has the effect of glamorizing big hits and it increases risks of concussions.”
There is a picture of Owen Thomas, embraced by a teammate, with a bright smile on his face. If a picture is worth a thousand words, Owen’s might be a thousand reasons to protect future athletes.
