ADVERTISEMENT

Hernandez had Stage 3 CTE.

Jake LaMotta fought over one hundred professional fights against some of the greatest fighters of all time. Hundreds of rounds and thousands of punches not counting sparring and training. He died last week at 95 and supposedly was sharp as a tack. How come no CTE problems?

Agree. Imagine taking repeated blows from fighters like Baer, Liston, Louis, etc. Baer killed two guys in the ring, separating Frankie Campbell's brain from his skull.

No CTE back then.
 
IMO, arguing that his actions are 100% attributable to CTE is as crazy as arguing his actions are 100% to his prior gangster ties.

From what I understand about CTE, social instability, depression, and impulsive and suicidal behavior are symptoms of the disease. If he had stage 3 CTE, it was likely hard for him to control his impulses and likely contributed to Hernandez's actions.
There has never been a study that found causality of those issues. People have been quick to blame CTE but it hasn’t been proven to be the cause.

The problem is there has not been a controlled study done on CTE. The only research has been on who have displayed those symptoms. There are many other causes that display similar symptoms. For example substance abuses. People have been quick to blame CTE but have continually ignore past histories of mental illness and substance abuse. Hernandez has past history of all those problems.

There is no doubt that playing football can cause damage to ones brain. However what we do not know is what that causes because they simply not done enough research. What needs to be done is examine brains of a random sample of players not of one who show symptoms they want to blame on CTE.

I am willing to bet if I took the brains of former NFL players who lived a normal healthy post football life that a high percentage of them would show CTE. I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion the CTE caused them to be happy and normal.

In the end I think you are going to find a much weaker correlation between the post life problems many face and CTE. I think other habits and personal backgrounds are going to have a major impact on how CTE presents itself in former players. Particularly I think we are going to find that substance abuse is also going to factor high into the results.
 
Last edited:
There has never been a study that found causality of those issues. People have been quick to blame CTE but it hasn’t been proven to be the cause.

The problem is there has not been a controlled study done on CTE. The only research has been on who have displayed those symptoms. There are many other causes that display similar symptoms. For example substance abuses. People have been quick to blame CTE but have continually ignore past histories of mental illness and substance abuse. Hernandez has past history of all those problems.

There is no doubt that playing football can cause damage to ones brain. However what we do not know is what that causes because they simply not done enough research. What needs to be done is examine brains of a random sample of players not of one who show symptoms they want to blame on CTE.

I am willing to bet if I took the brains of former NFL players who lived a normal healthy post football life that a high percentage of them would show CTE. I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion the CTE caused them to be happy and normal.

In the end I think you are going to find a much weaker correlation between the post life problems many face and CTE. I think other habits and personal backgrounds are going to have a major impact on how CTE presents itself in former players. Particularly I think we are going to find that substance abuse is also going to factor high into the results.

You nailed it. If I didn't get CTE from a serious head injury, like many others have had, then it doesn't impact everyone the same way. As noted, if Jake Lamotta wasn't affected by CTE with all the head trauma he experienced, then the effects are certainly in question, as we know now.
 
You nailed it. If I didn't get CTE from a serious head injury, like many others have had, then it doesn't impact everyone the same way. As noted, if Jake Lamotta wasn't affected by CTE with all the head trauma he experienced, then the effects are certainly in question, as we know now.
So if one smoker in 20 does not get COPD or lung cancer, we can conclude that the causal connection between smoking and those diseases is questionable? Is your real name Philip Morris?

Perhaps you can show a bunch of folks with no record of head trauma who nevertheless contracted CTE.

That seems to at least have the benefit of some logic, unlike the Phillip Morris plan.
 
So if one smoker in 20 does not get COPD or lung cancer, we can conclude that the causal connection between smoking and those diseases is questionable? Is your real name Philip Morris?

Perhaps you can show a bunch of folks with no record of head trauma who nevertheless contracted CTE.

That seems to at least have the benefit of some logic, unlike the Phillip Morris plan.

That is exactly my point. There are probably many people walking around, living normal who don't know they have CTE. Jake Lamotta could very easily have had CTE, but he lived into his 90's and showed no signs of it, as did many other pro fighters. Ali, and a few others (Freddie Roach) developed trauma induced Parkinsons.
 
That is exactly my point. There are probably many people walking around, living normal who don't know they have CTE. Jake Lamotta could very easily have had CTE, but he lived into his 90's and showed no signs of it, as did many other pro fighters. Ali, and a few others (Freddie Roach) developed trauma induced Parkinsons.
It's a nice theory, so all you need is some scintilla of evidence.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT