Corey Parker - CTE

[The '47ers]

'I have no doubt': NRL great's startling CTE admission

'The damage is done'

wwos.nine.com.au

I understand the older blokes getting it but Parker one of the younger ones.

 

[mave]

NRL will not be close to the same sport in 10 years time.

Even more big big changes will have to come.

 

[lsz]

Devastating.

I have to be be honest as I have gotten older these sort of things worry me more and more. Honestly I am not sure what the answer is but I am not sure what role sports like NRL, Union, NFL (even AFL) may have going forward at least in their current forms

 

[BOZO]

Perspective time ....
Kick Boxing is Brutal
Car racing is dangerous
Bull riding is risky falling of a bull and getting your skull kicked in

The moral of the story
The Thrill is what attracts the fans
We kill the thrill and we Kill the sport

Sht happens to every one . I know an office worker who never played sport in his life
He was a book worm and at 64 he got dementia

NRL ???
I say Bring back the Biff !!!

 

[The '47ers]

Perspective time ....
Kick Boxing is Brutal
Car racing is dangerous
Bull riding is risky falling of a bull and getting your skull kicked in

The moral of the story
The Thrill is what attracts the fans
We kill the thrill and we Kill the sport

Sht happens to every one . I know an office worker who never played sport in his life
He was a book worm and at 64 he got dementia

NRL ???
I say Bring back the Biff !!!
View attachment 26116

Until someone sues the NRL into oblivion

 

[BOZO]

Until someone sues the NRL into oblivion

Every one gets sued for some reason or other
and
law suits
salary caps
Records
Game plans
and defensive lines are all meant to be broken feathered friend

 

[mosto]

At some point the onus has to be on the individual. By choosing any profession you accept the risks associated with that profession. Absolutely it is up to employers and governing bodies to mitigate those risks as much as possible but at some point the individual either accepts those risks, or decides the risks are too great and chooses a different profession.

Likewise from an amateur perspective. I played League and/or Union from the age of 11 to 34. I have a knee that will require surgery at some point, ongoing back issues, was heavily concussed in a game at 14 and had countless mini blackouts through out my time playing. Issues from that may well surface later in life. However I knew and accepted the risks of my chosen activity. I've also come off a horse which exaggerated the back issues. I accepted the risks associated with what I was doing. I'm not about to sue the horse!

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

At some point the onus has to be on the individual. By choosing any profession you accept the risks associated with that profession.

As in your own case, and mine, one problem with that is that you typically begin these activities when you are just a kid depending on others to decide what is safe and what is dangerous for you to do.

The other issue is that even as an adult you are more likely to choose to put your health at risk for money if you are from a low socio-economic background and can't see many options. Boxing is filled with classic examples of this (eg Manny Pacquiao).

Of course you're right that adults should have the right to do dangerous stuff, and there are plenty of examples of people who do have other options yet still choose to play violent sports (or even to become an astronaut, seems dangerous to me!)

But it is problematic when you are running an entertainment business for profit and taking advantage of the fact that people will take any risk to play, at least in part because it is the only chance to lift their family out of poverty.

How civilised are we as a society? Maybe we should allow gladiator sword fights and the like, imagine the ratings, and there'd be people desperate enough to do it (just sign this disclaimer first please).

CTE is still subject to a lot of research but the gist has been known for yonks, yet there has been huge pushback from pro entertainment industries, notably NFL. It is a big issue that will get bigger.

 

[manly al]

Not being callous to the generations of players who are experiencing issues now with concussion or head knock related health problems but should be some ongoing and future improvements with the much stricter monitoring and protocol measures for some time now .
Bigger bodies in general , fitter and more powerful individuals and athletes , higher impact factors as a result , so were urgently needed on a number of fronts irrespective .
Junior grades also requiring some practical adjustments accordingly one would think
More then overdue in hindsight but can not be helped now , especially at a higher level and not just for R L and again should [ or best probable expectation ] to make a significant difference and improvement in future times

 

[mosto]

I absolutely get what your saying @SeaEagleRock8 and agree with a lot of it. However as parents, it is our responsibility to decide what is and isn't safe for our kids. My 8 yr old girl is a bit on the tubby side so we have tried to get her into sport for a bit of physical activity. First it was League as that's what her three brothers play, she didn't like that so this year she will learn to ride a bike and also ride horses with her mother. Both activities have significant risks that we as parents have weighed up. I would say horse riding is significantly higher risk than U8's League Tag but that's the decision we as parents, in consultation with her, have made. Any injury she sustains will be on us. Likewise, if we let her do what she really wants to do, which is sit inside, eat snacks and watch YouTube clips she would be 100kg by the time she's a teenager and subject to all the associated physical and mental health issues that brings. As parents, that is would also be on us. So we have made what we think is the best decision.

The Socioeconomic points you raise are also valid, but I still think anyone in that position is responsible for their decision. People in that situation who don't have the athletic ability to turn to professional sport or don't have means or pathways to higher education sometimes turn to crime which has it's own inherent risks.

I guess what I'm saying is everyone has the ability to weigh up the risks of their decisions. In the case of children, it is up to parents to weight up those risks. And granted, people from disadvantaged backgrounds may have a need, or perceived need, to make higher risk decisions, but it is still their decision none the less. The role of employers and governing bodies is to minimise those risks, but a good proportion of responsibility still falls on the individual I believe.

 

[manly al]

and of course , the almost zero tolerance on head contact from defensive players for some time now , intentional or not

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

The role of employers and governing bodies is to minimise those risks, but a good proportion of responsibility still falls on the individual I believe

I agree with everything you say! This bit is the trick I suppose, there is a line somewhere, it's changing but how far and how fast?
Clamping down on dangerous play is part of it, investing a lot of money in medical and retirement funds for players is another, being open about all the potential risks is another.

 

[manly al]

I agree with everything you say! This bit is the trick I suppose, there is a line somewhere, it's changing but how far and how fast?
Clamping down on dangerous play is part of it, investing a lot of money in medical and retirement funds for players is another, being open about all the potential risks is another.

Sad part also is that many of the aliments of course have not been detected until much latter in some players lives and not apparent in the short term
Anyway prevention is better then cure as the old cliche goes so just have to rely largely on the preventative and remedial protocols and ideally measured on field adjudicating rulings that have again been in place for some time now

 

[BOZO]

The Focus should be in not changing our Great Game
The Focus should be in the duty of care for the players

Here is a a great point of view by our Great Manly premiership winning Spud Carroll

Speaking to The Australian on Wednesday, Manly Sea Eagles legend Carroll said the NRL needs to increase the stand-down period that players must complete after being concussed. The NRL introduced a mandatory 11-day period last season, but Carroll says it isn't good enough.
“The stand down is 11 days. That’s bull****,” Carroll said. “If you’re a boxer, it’s at least 30 days if not longer. It used to be seven days in the NRL, then they went to 11 days because some metrics, determined by a computer, recommended that time frame.
“Longer stand downs will hurt clubs and their rosters but it’s in the best interests of the player. It should be at least three weeks, what’s 11 days if a player has been diagnosed with a concussion? It’s not long enough.”

 

[EOL now nesting on the GC]

while I don't doubt Parker's story and we all know the inherent dangers of full-contact sport at some point you need to ask the question 'Was it worth it'.

Now that he has had a great career, made good money and has a future in the game he's in a position to speak out. I bet if he could go back in time and talk to his 16yo self he wouldn't say don't do it.

I think a lot of ex-players will be coming out in the media and elsewhere over the next 5 years to make sure they are in the mix once the class action is launched to make sure they get a piece of the pie.

the truth is that a large part of NRL players come from lower socio-economic backgrounds where playing NRL is a way out. What's the alternative? when you are young CTE or old person problems are a long way away.

 

[Budgie]

I guess what I'm saying is everyone has the ability to weigh up the risks of their decisions. In the case of children, it is up to parents to weight up those risks. And granted, people from disadvantaged backgrounds may have a need, or perceived need, to make higher risk decisions, but it is still their decision none the less. The role of employers and governing bodies is to minimise those risks, but a good proportion of responsibility still falls on the individual I believe.

I don't say this unkindly but intelligence really is an absolute. The bell curve of intelligence suggests that the vast majority of people actually cannot weigh up the risks of their decisions given the number of other factors at play.

 

[globaleagle]

Robbie O'Davis and family gave an interview last year about cte - as posted in our mental health thread.

For those who missed it / are interested.

NRL great’s sad moment with daughter: ‘It’s frustrating but upsetting’

Robbie O’Davis had one simple task, but his devastating health battle left his wife to pick up the pieces.

7news.com.au

 

[lsz]

Honestly it is such a tricky issue you can see why there is an inability to effectively deal with it.

As long as there is large sums of money involved the discussion will never be clear.

 

[Kiwi Eagle]

I know it’s a serious subject, but lightening it up a touch, I have always thought Parker’s commentary showed signs of serious head knocks

 

[krusty]

Until someone sues the NRL into oblivion

James McManus already tried and lost.

James McManus's concussion compensation case against NRL club Newcastle settled in favour of the Knights - ABC News

amp.abc.net.au