The topic we will discuss in this post is controversial, as it touches on the core interests of the number one sports show in the American union, the astronomical income received by the NFL, franchise owners, and players, so we thought it appropriate to start talking about concussions in soccer, and especially the case of former Pittsburgh Steelers player, Mike Webster, better known to fans as Iron Mike. Before talking about his case, we will dedicate a few lines to knowing what concussions are in the context of the NFL.
Concussions have been a major problem in the NFL and have been a topic of discussion for quite some time. Although the league has taken steps to make improvements in concussion protocol, these have not been enough to mitigate their serious effects on players, they continue to occur with increasingly troubling statistics. Between 2015 and 2018 more than 100 former players out of 281 examined were diagnosed post-mortem with chronic encephalopathy. Between 2013 and 2015 the top 5 teams with players with concussions were Cincinnati Bengals at 17% | Cleveland Browns at 16.7% | San Diego Chargers at 14.7% | Oakland Raiders at 12.7% and Jacksonville Jaguars.
There are several causes of concussions in soccer players, one of which is when a player's helmet comes in contact with another player's helmet, also when a player hits his head on the ground or during a tackle, or when colliding with an opponent who has fallen.
Concussions can also be caused by blows to the head that do not involve direct contact with another person or object when a soccer player falls and hits his head on the field with no other person nearby, or if the player falls after being pushed from behind and hits his head, neck or spine.
The topic of concussions, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is back in the NFL news these days, due to the two concussions suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the last two weeks of the regular season, the 1st in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills, the 2nd against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.
We note that in the 1st concussion he was checked in the blue tent by the league's independent neurotrauma medical team, despite being visibly hit the player, as he did not coordinate movements when walking, after 20 minutes he returned to play when protocol in these cases indicates that the player can not return to the game, the doctors argued that it had been a blow to the back that was not a major risk, the test applied resulted in that he was not concussed.
As for the 2nd concussion suffered by the quarterback five days after the 1st one, we cannot fail to mention the visual and emotional impact that the images caused us, we had never seen a concussion of such magnitude, the player was left on the ground after the tackle with his hands totally paralyzed.
This is a disaster. Pray for Tua. Fire the medical staff and coaches. I predicted this and I hate that I am right. Two concussions in 5 days can kill someone. This can end careers. How are we so stupid in 2022 pic.twitter.com/D8S8eEbgda
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 30, 2022
It was precisely the shocking images of the two concussions that reminded us of what happened to former player Mike Webster, whose case inspired the movie, The Hidden Truth, starring actor Will Smith, who plays the Nigerian-born forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, who, based on the case of the former Pittsburgh Steelers player, establishes the scientific basis of the degenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is caused by repeated blows to the head.
The case of former player Mike Webster, who died at the age of 50 of a heart attack on September 24, 2002, marked a before and after regarding concussions in American soccer players, he was the first player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy post-mortem, the finding was made by the forensic pathologist of the city of Pittsburgh, Dr. Benett Omalu, after the autopsy, the doctor sensed that the cause of death had a background, so he asked for authorization from family members to conduct an extensive study of the brain of the best player in the game, the doctor sensed that the cause of death had a background, so he asked for authorization from family members to conduct an extensive study of the brain of the best player in the game. Benett Omalu, after performing the autopsy, the doctor intuited that the cause of death had a background, so he requested authorization from the family members to carry out an extensive study of the brain of the best player at the center position in 100 years of NFL history.
The results of the studies of Mike Webster's brain were terrible, the forensic pathologist ruled that Webster had indeed died of a heart attack, but his brain had killed him before, the controversial and the controversial diagnosis of Dr. Bennet Omalu fell like a nuclear bomb in the NFL, the NFL never recognized the opinion that concussions are the cause of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in soccer players, but it would be time to give the reason to Dr. Omalu.
It would be in 2009 when, faced with the high number of cases (+100) of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in soccer players, the NFL would reluctantly accept the voluminous report of forensic pathologist Bennett Omalu, which determined that a former player in perfect health died of a heart attack and that the sport Webster played for 17 seasons had a lot to do with it.
The report on Mike Webster's brain concludes that he received approximately 12,000 hits to the head at a rate of 49 per game in his 17-year professional career and played in 245 games. This was enough for his brain to change its chemical structure, releasing the killer Tau proteins, which devour the cells of the frontal lobe, and therefore the player began to experience changes in his personality, social withdrawal, headaches, severe migraines, personality disorders, loss of consciousness, photosensitivity and irritability, and even the murder of people around him or suicide.
Mike Webster played 17 seasons in the NFL in the most difficult position in American soccer, 15 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and 2 with the Kansas City Chiefs, participated in 245 games, was selected 9 times to the Pro Bowl (all-star game), his dominance of the center position earned the Steelers 4 super bowls, was selected by the NFL twice as the best player of the 1970s and 1990s, in 1997 he was immortalized in the soccer hall of fame.
📌 Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) Notice to the reader My mother tongue is Spanish, so please excuse me for any grammatical or syntax errors in the translation of this content. Descargo de responsabilidad ⚠️ Disclaimer 2022 NFL Enterprises LLC. NFL y el diseño del escudo de la NFL son marcas registradas de la National Football League.Los nombres de los equipos, los logotipos y los diseños de los uniformes son marcas registradas de los equipos indicados. Todas las demás marcas comerciales relacionadas con la NFL son marcas comerciales de la National Football League. Imágenes de la NFL © NFL Productions LLC. | 2022 NFL Enterprises LLC. NFL and the NFL shield design are trademarks of the National Football League. Team names, logos, and uniform designs are the teams' trademarks. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. NFL Images © NFL Productions LLC.
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