OTL: Belchers Brain had CTE Signs

Delsohn, S. (2014, September 29). OTL: Belcher’s brain had CTE signs. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/11612386/jovan-belcher-brain-showed-signs-cte-doctor-says-report

Summary: This article talks about a former player of the Kanas City Chiefs who had killed himself after he had shot his girlfriend. The family has allowed the body to be exhumed so his brain can be examined. The family wants to know if what happened has to do with a chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or if it was something else. CTE is a brain disease that is found in athletes with repeat brain injury. The only way to diagnose CTE is after someone has passed. It allows doctors to exam brain tissue and look for an abnormal protein called tau. Tau has been found in multiple brains of NFL players all of whom have committed suicide. There are now scientists working to find common symptoms in the brain disease in living players. Players that have CTE often have problems with memory and making decisions. There are others that may have depression, mood, and behavior problems. At times there may be players that do not show any symptoms at all. Since then there have been other players who have had behavior changes, depression, amnesia, etc. It has been a big concern round the NFL with players having repeat brain trauma. There was a lawsuit settled that requires the NFL to pay for medical exams, concussion compensation and medical research for retired NFL players and families.

Response: I did not know what to think when I first read this article. It started with this sad thing this player did to his girlfriend and then what he had done to himself. What gets your attention is that the family of the player wanted to know more about why he had done this to himself and his girlfriend. The family got answers by having the body exhumed and it told them that he had CTE which causes players to have depression and mood change. It helped to open the discussion that this is becoming a problem throughout the NFL. The NFL does not know why some players seem to get CTE while others do not. There have been lawsuits that the NFL has had to deal with because of the medical treatment the player needs. The NFL is concerned about CTE and have been helping with medical research on the players who have retired. I like that they are looking at players who have retired to see how they can help.