brain snap

[SeaEagleRock8]

Interesting Four Corners program last night about studies being done about brain damage to football players. The studies started in the US with NFL players and the results suggest - they say - that repetitive head knocks can lead to early dementia, even when the head knocks are not severe enough to cause concussion symptoms.

For players who do get knocked out or suffer significant concussions, they might need 3 weeks rest before playing again, rather than one week, or no weeks, that NRL players are usually stood down for.

Personally, I would rather the players get stood down for longer to minimise the risks to their long term health, rather than get rushed back on the fileld at any cost. The program referred to the Knights and implied they were stalling in cooperating with the local studies. I hope our club puts players health as a priority, be nice to think we were leaders in that field.

 

[eagles2win]

Only have to see what happened to Junior Seau to see the effects of this.
Shot himself

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

I hadn't heard about him but this is from wikipedia


"On May 2, 2012, Seau was found by his girlfriend dead of a gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Oceanside, California. The death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner's office.[24][25][26] Seau had no prior reported history of concussions,[24][27] but his ex-wife said he did sustain concussions during his career.[28] "He always bounced back and kept on playing," Gina Seau said. "He's a warrior. That didn't stop him."[29]

Seau's family is considering allowing researchers to study his brain for possible damage[30][31][32] due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition traced to concussion-related brain damage with depression as a symptom. Research candidates included the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy of Boston University and the Brain Injury Research Institute"

 

[lsz]

You would hope the independent comis would make player welfare a priority

Independent medical assessment of head injuries would be a start

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Former All Black Steve Devine was featured in the program, only mid-30s and very sad to see.

Agree on both counts, lsz.

 

[ERNIE FOR NO7]

Interesting Four Corners program last night about studies being done about brain damage to football players. The studies started in the US with NFL players and the results suggest - they say - that repetitive head knocks can lead to early dementia, even when the head knocks are not severe enough to cause concussion symptoms.

For players who do get knocked out or suffer significant concussions, they might need 3 weeks rest before playing again, rather than one week, or no weeks, that NRL players are usually stood down for.

Personally, I would rather the players get stood down for longer to minimise the risks to their long term health, rather than get rushed back on the fileld at any cost. The program referred to the Knights and implied they were stalling in cooperating with the local studies. I hope our club puts players health as a priority, be nice to think we were leaders in that field.

personally I would rather see them stop the head knocks.

We need to stop nobs like Gould saying that "there was nothing in it" when a player is wrecklessly hit in the head.

With the increased money in the game we need to increase match payments and increase suspensions.

If a player is earning $6000 per game and he is suspended for 6 weeks he might correct his "technique"

Hits like the one Kasiano did the other day should be more severely punished. The Players Assoc needs to take the initiative. Players are so much bigger these days and the hits are far more lethal and tackling is targetted higher on the body. Former players like Gould do not have an appreciation for the knocks that the current players are enduring.

It will be a bad look for the game when a have a former player exposed with a brain injury.

And as far as looking after players who are concussed we are not looking after them like Boxing does. We should have doctors employed by the NRL at the games and only these should be allowed to assess players who are concussed and if they can return to the field. And it should only be these "neutral doctors"who given clearances before the player can play again next week. Club Doctors are under too much pressure in these circumstances.

 

[simon_eagle]

It was an interesting program.

Felt for that Cowboys prop - two concussions in the one game; with the second leaving him in a seizure.

 

[voicefromthehill]

You would hope the independent comis would make player welfare a priority

Independent medical assessment of head injuries would be a start

I know where you are coming from - but it is sad that we feel it is something of a priority for them, it should be a matter of common sense among the clubs and they should have come to this decision years ago, it isn't recent news this issue. It is yet another example of where the AFL have got it right and we have still got it so wrong. Winning a game isn't everything.

This is currently an axe to grind for Peter Fitzsimmons - he made an interesting observation about the comments made after Thurston got knocked silly, if I can find it I will reference it

 

[ManlyBacker]

Fitz "red bandana" is just soft, and that is in most of his views. I don't want to see any player suffer a long term injury but how many of us just watched the Matai vid listed in post http://forums.silvertails.net/Thread-Matai-vid and went 'Wow, that is sensational". Without wanting to be insensitive the logical conclusion is that RL will change forever if we take OH&S to its logical conclusion.

You can ban the use of shoulder hits if that is what society in general wants and out any player that staggers after a tackle for a period. The first step will be to ban any tackle that may injure and you can be positive the spectacle won't be the same. I'm sure these discussions were held in the bleachers at the Colosseum.

Please, I'm not downplaying the severity of the issue, but the game you know and love could be never the same as you have known it. Why do you think NFL went the way of padding and jockeys wear vests? It is dangerous out there. And that is what we have come to expect.

 

[nodd]

Ban rugby league and just play touch footy.

 

[Dan79]

Only have to see what happened to Junior Seau to see the effects of this.
Shot himself

Thanks for flagging the recent loss of junior Seau. He was as hard as nails, shame he went out that way.
Maybe the league does need to look at how to better protect the players.

 

[Wolfpack]

Only have to see what happened to Junior Seau to see the effects of this.
Shot himself

Junior Seau isn't the only one to have gone this way. Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling & the great Andre Waters all commited suicide. All of the autopsys showed that their brains had been suffering from CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Dave Duerson's brain in particular was the equivalent of an eight five year old man (He was fifty when he died). Also bear in mind that they all commited suicide by shooting themselves in the chest (Duerson & Waters actually left notes asking that their brains be studied), they knew that something wasn't right upstairs.

I saw an interview with Jim McMahon on ESPN a couple of weeks ago where he described how he had early-onset alzheimers disease & he was a QB, so in the grand scheme of things he copped nowhere near as many hits as most footballers take.

Rugby League is sheltered from this somewhat due to the tackling technique (in American Football defenders are/were taught crack the crown of their helmets into their opponents helmet, chest or lower back) but it's still a pretty serious issue that needs to be looked at ASAP. Definately agree with Ernie that big head knocks need to be rubbed out of the game entirely, shots like the one Kasiano did on friday aren't acceptable now that we know the risks. The league needs to tighten up it's concussion guidelines as well, no more letting blokes back on to the field after they've just had their lights switched off - we need independent doctors at the games to evaluate the players condition before they just get sent back out there.

These studies have been going on in earnest in the US since 2006 so it's hardly breaking news. Football codes around the world just need to stop dragging their feet on the issue.

 

[voicefromthehill]

@ ManlyBacker - I dont consider anyone who has thrown themselves into a ruck or mail against the All Blacks soft, his views polarise yes.

I think he makes a valid point of the continued disregard the NRL and clubs have for player welfare by their treatment of head injuries.

You are correct, I watched the Matai vid, I loved it, just as I love a good stink. Probably hypocritical but I dont believe it dilutes my view. If any of those legal hits result in a head trauma then there should be a mandatory rest of a min 1 week. If the tackle is illegal and results in head injury immediate suspension.

Having been concussed more than once I believe you don't properly recover in a week, and you only have one brain so let it recover

 

[ManlyBacker]

Don't worry voicefromthehill, just another very late night posting from me when I should have gone to bed Fitz is annoying because there is RU, and there is the evil that is RL and it comes out clearly in his every rant. I still think that if we extend the concerns about player safety then games like RL will just disappear.

 

[Hamster Huey]

Inside Sport had a very good story on this late last year and it was a scary read. The onset of the condition can be very rapid and at such a young age. We may read about a handful of ex-players with a profile suffering later in life, but there is going to be a large number that aren't reported on as they are 'no names'.

Hopefully the actions of some of those NFL players to preserve their brains, can lead to better understanding of the issue and possibly lead to more protection from the likes of the ARLC, in the face of overwhelming evidence.

 

[ManlyBacker]

No butts, NRL restates concussion guidelines

THE NRL's chief medical officer, Ron Muratore, says Wests Tigers superstar Benji Marshall should have been taken off the field for assessment rather than being allowed to play on after being stunned by a head knock against St George Illawarra this season.

Muratore was shown answering several questions in the Four Corners program ''Hard Knocks'', about the effects of concussion on players in various football codes, screened on the ABC on Monday.

Lots more @ http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/no-butts-nrl-restates-concussion-guidelines-20120515-1yp52.html#ixzz1uz2HcSd4

 

[voicefromthehill]

No dramas at all MB, yes agree his Rah Rah comes through loud and clear. Only did the @ as I find quoting makes navigation harder on the phone, so just doing my bit for the community!

A good article you linked to, I am reading that over my morning coffee ATM - should really get to the office...

 

[AshfieldBazza]

I still cannot believe that you can suffer a concussion and return to the field in the NRL, or play the next week. At least in RU their is a 3 week stand down for all concussion's, not sure how long that stance has been around though.

The player should have not say in the matter and nor should the club, the stance need's to come from the Independent Commission. A example of this was Dallas Johnson in State of Origin a few years ago telling the Doctors where to go and coming back on the field when clearing concussed and was applauded for it and no one expressed concern at all for his well being.

The shoulder charge issue needs to be dealt with by suspension's and fines to players, it's simple really. If you hit someone in the head with a shoulder charge you get charged and suspended, if you make the tackle correctly ( i.e you hit the players body not head) you play another game the week after.

 

[Rodo]

This is a serious issue that I hope the Independent Commission is investigating

Here's a post that I wrote about this some time ago with a link to an article that it worth reading:

Hits deliberate or not to the head need to be stamped out of the game. They've got it right in AFL by penalising players who even unintentionally bump or hit someone in the head.

Studies in the US of players from American football are indicating that repeated concussions and head knocks lead to long term brain issues such as dementia. There's a very interesting article I read about this in the SMH - http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-bra...oyed-a-football-superstar-20110720-1ho7x.html where they've set up a "brain bank" housing the brains of American football and ice hockey players to examine the long-term effects of concussions on sportsmen and women, soldiers and other people subjected to brain injuries.

 

[Stevo]

If anyone was serious about reducing head injury in the NRL then head gear would be compolsory. The amount of players that don't worry about head gear tells me they're not worried about head injury.

To be honest i don't think it's as big of an issue in the NRL as it is in the NFL. Strangely, i believe if the NFL banned armour and helmets then head injury in that competition would be minimal.