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NFL, union looking at head injuries
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Published: October 28, 2009
WASHINGTON - The head of the NFL Players Association said yesterday that the union has differences with the NFL over how to address head injuries sustained in games but that the sides are not fighting about it.
One day before a congressional hearing about head injuries in pro football players, union head DeMaurice Smith credited the NFL for doing a "tremendous job" to improve player safety in the past five years.
"This is not a battle between us and the league," Smith said.
But he also complained that he didn't have access to the medical information the NFL collects on players. That information, he said, can be used "to come up with better, safer ways to not only deal with their exposure to injury on the field, but also to improve their lives off the field."
Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said he wasn't aware of any medical information the league isn't sharing with the union, adding in an e-mail to The Associated Press that "players have full access to their medical records."
Smith will testify today, along with Commissioner Roger Goodell; Rep. Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat and co-chairman of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force; medical experts and former players.
Among the medical experts testifying will be researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine, who announced last week that a player who never competed beyond the college level suffered from a degenerative brain disease previously discovered in former NFL players.
It was the first time an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy was found in a player who did not advance past college football -- suggesting that players could be at risk for CTE even if they don't play professionally. CTE, originally found in boxers, is caused by repetitive trauma to the brain, with symptoms similar to Alzheimer's disease.
The hearing will look at the lasting impact of head injuries, how to limit them and how to compensate players and their families. A preliminary study done for the NFL suggested that retired pro players might have a higher rate than normal of Alzheimer's disease or other memory problems. Lead author David Weir, who is among the witnesses, has said that the results show the topic is worth further study but they do not prove a link between playing football and later mental troubles.
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