Concussion Fears Awakening within the NFL
On Wednesday this past week, A.J. Tarpley of the Buffalo Bills, announced that he was retiring from the NFL. What is more surprising is that he is only 23 years old. Tarpley, a linebacker for the Bills, gave the reason for this retirement as concerns for his long term health due to repeated concussions aka known as mild traumatic brain injury. He is the youngest player to retire from the NFL. Chris Borland, of the San Francisco 49ers also left recently after one season due to his fear of long-term brain damage from mild traumatic brain injury aka concussions leading to cognitive deficits and impairments. Hussain Abdullah retired in March of this year after suffering several concussions (mild traumatic brain injuries) in his 7 years with the NFL. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (C.T.E.), a brain disease with severe cognitive impairments resulting from repeated mild traumatic brain injuries aka concussions, has been detected in the brains of several retired players including quarterbacks like Ken Stabler of the Raiders. When asked for his comment about the sport and it’s dangers of lasting brain damage, Commissioner Goodell stated: “If I had a son, I’d love to have him play the game of football. He also said: “There’s risk in life. There’s risk in sitting on the couch.”