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Tag: concussion

  • “Concussion” Movie: Hollywood On Board in Protecting Athletes

    Concussion–the movie about athletes who sustain concussions during play–presents one of the hottest health topics in sports circles to its viewers. With Hollywood on board with this topic, the film might do as much good as doctors have in spreading the word about the dangers involved.

    Premiering on Christmas Day, Concussion stars Will Smith as Nigerian-born forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. He is the doctor who discovered a disorder similar to Alzheimer’s–called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE–while doing an autopsy on a former NFL player. He then went on a crusade to make the public aware of the dangers of football-related head injuries.

    Since Dr. Omalu’s research began more than 10 years ago, the public has learned a lot about these sports-related blows to the head.

    Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre spoke to CBS This Morning about his injuries and the memory loss he sustained as a result.

    “This was a little shocking to me that I couldn’t remember my daughter playing youth soccer,” Favre said.

    A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury, typically caused by a blow or jolt to the head.

    Concussion, the movie, proves football is dangerous and makes one wonder if it’s really a sport, according to the Huffington Post.

    The publication’s review of Concussion says the movie’s end credits will “stir up anger and a discussion about the validity of football as a sport. Dr. Omalu fought for the truth to be admitted by the NFL, then dropped the ball. Concussion only tells part of the story.”

    Between the serious nature of this film and Will Smith as its lead character, do you think Concussion is worth a trip to the movie theater?

    It definitely sounds like one all coaches and parents of kids who play sports–especially football or hockey–should plan to see.

  • Will Smith For President? Don’t Rule It Out, He Says

    Will Smith says he is seriously considering adding “politician” to his many hats.

    The 47-year-old rapper, singer, producer and actor told CBS correspondent Tracy Smith, in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday Morning the he might toss his hat into the political arena, especially considering the current discourse in the presidential race.

    Smith, who stars in the new film Concussion, says he has bigger dreams than just being an actor.

    “If people keep saying all the crazy kinds of stuff they’ve been saying on the news lately about walls and Muslims, they’re going to force me into the political arena,” he said.

    And Smith says he wouldn’t just settle on being a mayor, or even a senator. Instead, he said he would aim for the top spot. “I mean, I gotta be the President. Come on!” Smith says, adding, “What else would I run for?”

    Smith has had a stellar career that include winning four Grammy Awards for his work as a rapper and being twice-nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness. He was also just nominated for a Golden Globe for his work in Concussion, which chronicles the real life of the doctor who identified brain damage in former NFL football players.

    Despite his success, Smith says he still has much to achieve.

    “I tell my kids, ‘Be as unrealistic as possible, and then figure out how to make it real,” he said. “The best things that have ever happened, ever, were unrealistic before they happened. So for me, I think being the biggest movie star in the world as a goal actually was too small!”

    With many of his goals achieved, Will says he began to ponder, “What else am I going to do?”

    “I realized that the dream was too small,” Smith said. “I realized that there was no way that I was put here just to be a movie star.”

    Tracy Smith’s interview with Will Smith will air on Sunday Morning on December 13.

  • Will Smith Reveals He Is Preparing For Politics

    Actor and musician Will Smith admits he has politics on his mind and believes his grandmother would be proud of him.

    Appearing in a podcast for the first time, Smith opened up about his political ambition in the near future on the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.

    “I think that that’s what my grandmother always hoped, that I would make myself useful to people in this lifetime,” said the actor who aspires to make his late grandmother proud. Smith believes there might be a future for him in politics. In fact, the actor/rapper has started to polish his skills before embarking on this new challenge.

    “I’m working really hard and my storytelling is elevating, my ability to be eloquent with my body and with my voice and to deliver ideas as an actor is elevating,” he revealed during the podcast.

    Smith also said that this is the first time he has been “incensed to a level that I can’t sleep” and added that he also felt like he will have to use his influence to contribute to shedding light on some important issues.

    For someone like Smith who is constantly reinventing and improving himself, his acting, and his music, it is not surprising to see him try his hand in politics. He is one of those rare celebrities who are able to keep up with ever-changing trends in culture and society.

    “I’m a climber, so if I see a mountain, I have to climb it. I’m not a camper; I don’t like hanging in one place too long,” Smith explained. “At this point, I’m elevating my ability to be useful in the world.”

    Will Smith Stars In Bio-Sports Thriller “Concussion”

    Smith is currently busy with his upcoming film, Concussion where he plays a forensic pathologist who is fighting against the NFL for suppressing his findings about the brain damage suffered by football players. The multi-talented artist is also planning to come back to the music scene with a tour with long-time friends and collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff.

  • Ohio State Football Player Found Dead

    The body of an Ohio State University football player who had gone missing was found in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, according to authorities.

    Kosta Karageorge, a 22-year-old OSU defensive lineman and wrestler, disappeared Wednesday, and his body was found five days later. Karageorge apparently commited suicide inside of a dumpster near his apartment, by way of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

    Investigators were able to identify the body via various tattoos, according to Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Columbus police spokesman.

    A woman told reporters that her son had found the body, and police revealed that the handgun was likewise found in the dumpster, though they are not sure it belonged to Karageorge.

    Susan Karageorge, the deceased’s mother, had previously commented that her son suffered concussions, and that he had sent her a text shortly before he went missing. The text was an apology for being an “embarrassment,” as a result of his injuries.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that all football-related concussions are serious, most occur without loss of consciousness and recognition and proper response to concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury or even death.

    The CDC adds that symptoms of a concussion can include one pupil larger than the other, weakness, numbness, decreased coordination, slurred speech, convulsions, unusual behavior, confusion, restlessness and agitation.

    OSU said in a statement, “The Ohio State University Department of Athletics was shocked and saddened to learn today of the death of student-athlete Kosta Karageorge, a senior from Columbus. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time.”

  • Jovan Belcher’s Mother Sues KC Chiefs for Death

    In more sad news concerning Jovan Belcher’s 2012 homicide-suicide, Sports Illustrated now tells us that a wrongful-death lawsuit has now been filed against his team by his mother Cheryl Shepherd.

    Belcher’s body has been recently exhumed so that his brain condition upon death could be further examined. Enough evidence has been found for Shepherd to believe that the Kansas City Chiefs had a part in her son’s death.

    Belcher’s brain was studied for a neurological condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease related to a number of other NFL player’s deaths in recent years.

    The Kansas City Chiefs have been under more fire in particular for similar charges; a lawsuit involving 22 Kansas City Chief players in 2005 was filed charging the Chiefs with increasing player’s risk of brain damage by giving them, “ammonia inhalants, caffeine cocktails and/or (anti-inflammatory drug) Toradol to abbreviate the need for concussed employees to miss working time due to a brain injury” and using outdated preventative and care methods for concussions. Their unforgiving astroturf home stadium surface has also been called into account for player’s head injuries in the lawsuit.

    The list of claims in Cheryl Shepherd’s suit includes:
    – Failure to warn, educate and counsel Jovan Belcher of short and long term risks of concussions
    – Failure to monitor/treat Belcher for neurological dysfunction
    – Failure to remove Belcher from practicing/playing after any head trauma

    Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend nine times after an argument on December 1, 2012 before shooting himself in the Kansas City Chiefs practice facility parking lot. His mother, Cheryl Shepherd, believes that Belcher’s concussions sustained as a Chief along with the care received after play a part in this tragedy. Symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE) include severe changes in mood, memory loss, and high bursts of aggression.

    Shepherd is seeking $15,000 in damages.

    Image via Youtube

  • Eight NFL Concussion Studies to Receive Millions in Funding

    The fate of NFL athletes and a possible connection between repeated brain injury and later health problems is now being taken seriously by the NFL. As part of their new focus, the league last year donated $30 million to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), primarily for research concerning brain trauma.

    Today the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced eight new studies that will receive funding to study the effects of repeated head injuries, concussions, and traumatic brain injury. The studies were selected by the NIH to receive funding following what it calls a “rigorous scientific review process.

    Two of the eight studies will receive $6 million each to examine long-term brain changes following a head injury or repeated concussions. One of the se two studies will take place at the Boston University School of Medicine and will examine brains for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and could help determine a method for diagnosing the condition in the living. The other study will take place at Mount Sinai Hospital and will compare the chronic effects of traumatic brain injuries to features of CTE.

    “Although the two cooperative agreements focus on different aspects of TBI, their combined results promise to answer critical questions about the chronic effects of single versus repetitive injuries on the brain, how repetitive TBI might lead to CTE, how commonly these changes occur in an adult population, and how CTE relates to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Story Landis, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

    The six other studies will be smaller projects, with the NIH spending slightly more than $2 million for them. These studies will be pilot projects related to collecting data on sports-related concussions, particularly in children and adolescents. Any of the projects could become larger studies if results seem promising to the NIH.

    “We need to be able to predict which patterns of injury are rapidly reversible and which are not,” said Landis. “This program will help researchers get closer to answering some of the important questions about concussion for our youth who play sports and their parents.”

  • Wes Welker Injured In Broncos Win, Unlikely To Play Thursday

    Wes Welker left yesterday’s game with a concussion, and it looks like it may be serious enough to keep him out of their next game. Welker is playing in his first season for the Broncos after enjoying great success with Tom Brady and the Patriots for several years.

    During the Broncos game that was played on Sunday, Wes Welker was forced to leave before halftime, due to a hard hit that he suffered, which lead to a concussion. This is the second concussion that he has suffered in the past four weeks, after suffering the same injury against the Kansas City Chiefs on November 17.

    In yesterday’s game, Welker appeared dazed following the hit that was delivered from Titans’ safety Bernard Pollard. He went low in an attempt to make a catch late in the second quarter, and received a hit in the head as Pollard tried to break up the pass.

    Luckily for the Broncos, they have been able to win both games that he has been injured in, but Welker is one of the top receivers in the league, and certainly Peyton Manning’s favorite target on the field, just as he was for Brady. Despite losing Welker, the Broncos beat the Titans 51-28, and clinched a spot in the playoffs with a record of 11-2.

    Wes Welker is now subject to the NFL’s concussion protocol, which baseline testing on Monday. Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers also suffered a concussion recently in an NFL league that seems to leave players injured more often than in the past.

    Unfortunately for Broncos fans, even if he were cleared to play this week through the test, he would still be unable to play in Thursday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

    The protocol states that a player who is cleared for activity the day after a concussion is only able to participate in the non-contact parts of practice on Thursday, and with this week’s game being on a Thursday, that does not allow him to play.

    Along with Peyton Manning, Wes Welker has been an important part of the Broncos offense that has been destroying its opponents throughout the season, especially in the first half of the season.

    Before leaving the game with his injury, Wes Welker was able to catch five passes for 61 yards and 1 touchdown. In the 2013 season, Welker has 73 receptions for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Wes Welker Concussion Confirmed

    Wes Welker Concussion Confirmed

    Wes Welker did everything right when he played for the Patriots. The five foot nine wide receiver only missed three games in six seasons. He also held the franchise record in receptions and ranked third in receiving yards. And even though he was Tom Brady’s go-to-guy, the sure-handed Welker and the New England Patriots, could not come to terms in the off season. The team let him walk.

    Welker was not on the market long before the Denver Broncos signed him to a two-year $12 million contract. Since then, Tom Brady has had a hard time finding a guy he can trust to catch the ball, while Peyton Manning has used Welker out of the slot like the two have been playing together in the backyard their whole lives.

    (image)

    Even though the Broncos are offensively charged with a plethora of weapons, Welker still leads the team with 61 receptions and is tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns. I’m sure Welker took a look at the NFL schedule when it came out and circled November 24th, that was the day that he would make his return to Gillette Stadium to face his old team, the one that let him go.

    Now that reunion may not come to fruition. It’s been confirmed that Welker suffered a concussion during the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. After Welker took the hard hit to his head, he went to his knee. However, he returned for the next play, when he subsequently made a nine-yard catch. He left after that down and did not return to the field. The Broncos handed the Chiefs their first loss of the season in a 27 – 17 defeat.

    Due to the NFL’s concussion rules, Welker will be a limited participant in practice this week. He will also have to pass all the concussion protocol tests before returning to the field.

    Image via Facebook, Twitter

  • Gale Sayers, Former Bears Running Back, Sues NFL

    Gale Sayers, former star running back for the Chicago Bears, has reportedly sued the NFL. The legendary runner sued the NFL on Friday, claiming the league negligently handled the injuries that he repeatedly suffered to the head. The Hall of Famer played in the league for seven years. The NFL has been blamed in a number of lawsuits before this, as the game of football continues to be extremely dangerous for players, especially quarterbacks and running backs.

    Sayers was reportedly sent back into games after receiving a concussion, which is clearly the fault of the NFL and cannot be allowed. In the lawsuit he filed Friday in the U.S. district court of Chicago, he said that he has suffered headaches and short-term memory loss, since retiring from the league, reports the Chicago Tribune. Sayers spent his college career at Kansas and earned himself the nickname of “The Kansas Comet.”

    As a number of other players have also complained of the NFL withholding information, Sayers also mentions that the NFL didn’t do enough to warn him that playing through concussions could cause permanent brain damage. According to ESPN, at the end of August, the NFL came to a settlement relating to concussion-related injuries, among its 18,000 retired players. The settlement was a total of $765 million, which was designed to compensate victims, pay for medical exams and underwrite research.

    One young fan who clearly doesn’t get it, took to twitter and reacted to the news. It seems like he could have done a bit of research and realized that Sayers is clearly not the only one who has done such a thing. This is a very serious issue in the NFL and needs to be continually addressed as the injuries continue to pile up, especially in the current season.

    His career with the Bears lasted from 1965-1972, when he earned five All-Pro honors and two rushing titles. Sayers was born in Wichita, Kansas, but was raised in Omaha, Nebraska. A couple of his major records include most touchdowns in a rookie season (22) and most touchdowns in a game (6). The lawsuit is also being extended to helmet maker Riddell, allegedly being blamed for failing to prevent repeated head injuries that he suffered while playing, states CBS Chicago.

    Sayers’ friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo and Piccolo’s cancer was documented in the made-for-TV movie, Brian’s Song. Brian’s Song was originally released in 1971 when Sayers was still playing and was remade in 2001.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B68BFI2gLCI

    Image via Youtube

  • Man Hits Head And Becomes Piano Savant

    A 40 year old man in Denver dove into the shallow end of a pool 6 years ago and he suffered a severe concussion, hearing and memory loss. A few days after the accident, Derek Amato sat down at a piano and played an original composition that lasted for hours. “As I shut my eyes, I found these black and white structures moving from left to right, which in fact would represent in my mind, a fluid and continuous stream of musical notation.”

    He became only the 30th known person to have a syndrome known as an “acquired savant.” Acquired savant syndrome are instances in which dormant savant skills emerge, sometimes at an extraordinary level, after a brain injury or disease in previously non-disabled people where few such skills were evident before the injury or disease. The other type of savant is the “congenial savant.” They are born with a disorder of the brain such as autism.

    The Idea of being a savant by hitting your head is severe and not at all worth it because you would no longer be a normal functioning adult. But if you had to choose what to become a savant in I’m pretty sure most of us would choose:

  • Jennifer Lawrence Gave Josh Hutcherson a Concussion

    Jennifer Lawrence has played a tough chick throughout her young career; In Winter’s Bone she got her butt kicked by her hillybilly relatives and sawed off her dead father’s hand so that her family could collect insurance money, in Burning Plain she accidentally burned her mother and the man she was having an affair with alive after trying to smoke them out of their love shack, and in The Hunger Games she will fight to the death to save her people and start a revolution.

    As we reported in a previous article, Lawrence went through intense training to prepare her for the role of Katniss Everdeen. Throughout the process she has become a biological weapon of Lara Croft proportions and unfortunately HG co-star Josh Hutcherson was on the receiving end of her playful death blow.

    Hutcherson revealed on the “Late Show with David letterman” on Wednesday that he was goofing around with Lawrence on set and she ended up giving him a mild concussion: “We were just goofing around, and like doing some shadow boxing for fun. She throws this beautiful kick, but it landed right on my temple and literally knocked me to the ground. I was down. I was seeing stars and she was freaking out, crying.”

    Apparently Lawrence doesn’t know the power of her own strength.

    Hutcherson tried to comfort Lawrence and patted her on the back as the production called in the number 1 neurologist in the state to make sure he was okay.

    Hutcherson said he was so dazed that the next day he started giving someone his address from when he was nine.

    The young man was in good spirits earlier this week and thinks the entire incident is hilarious.