ijohnb

November 16th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^

would venture a guess that he does.  Aside from the, ya know, bursts of homicidal rage, over the years it has occured to me that he does not seem all there.  He laughs at inappropriate times, he says things (often in the same sentence) that are inherently inconsistent, he often repeats the same statement over and over (often times he does this with insignificant parts of what he is saying).  It may very well be just old-school narcissism, but there is something very amiss about his interactions with other people and his surroundings.

Marvin

November 16th, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^

CTE doesn't "make" someone do anything, but one of its effects is to render people less capable of making considered decisions. It also essentially disables the mechanisms the brain usually accesses for impulse control.

"Mood changes often involve problems with depression, irritability, loss of motivation, or suicidal thinking or behavior. Behavioral changes are typically seen as problems with impulse control which can lead to aggressive or violent behaviors, or problems with substance abuse."

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&cad=rj…

ijohnb

November 16th, 2017 at 1:17 PM ^

don't think that.  But forget the murder for a second (well, don't forget it, but ya know), the robbery for which he was convicted of was really bizarre.  He barely knew the people he went into that room with(two of them he met when he entered the casino right before), he had very little knowledge of what was inside that hotel room, nor apparently any idea what he was going to do with it even if he did get it.  They had no bags to carry anything with, no pre-arranged transportation out of there.  He ended up carrying what he took in a pillow case back to the casino floor(?).  His intent there seemed less criminal and more just non-sensical.

MgoHillbilly

November 16th, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^

In all seriousness, I would think it's likely.  My only anectdotal experience involved a pro-bowl linebacker who historically exhibited the same kind of violent behavior that seems prevalent in the news now for these CTE cases. The guy shows serious wear and tear from playing.  But that may very well be incidental.  Quite possible these people are already violent to begin with and play more recklessly as a result, thus increasing the likelihood of CTE instead of CTE being the causal factor. Who knows?

 

Trebor

November 16th, 2017 at 12:20 PM ^

Wrong link, but I read the article you meant to link this morning.

If this method passes scientific scrutiny, and if a lot of NFL players get checked and diagnosed, this could really be what causes a precipitous decline in football participation.

jg2112

November 16th, 2017 at 12:38 PM ^

Take it a step further. If this becomes a recognized and accepted test, I would be fairly surprised if CTE scanning doesn't become mandatory for all high school, collegiate and professional football and hockey players, followed by forced retirement for any player with CTE symptoms.

UMProud

November 16th, 2017 at 12:44 PM ^

So if they detect CTE does this mean an end to football for a player?

What percentage of players may have CTE?

If it is detected in large percentages of players what does this do for the sport's future?

Erik_in_Dayton

November 16th, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^

It looks like football may stop existing - or become purely a poor man's sport as far as players (it's already headed that way) - in the next 100 years.  Many people play it and end up more-or-less fine.  But the apparent risk of substantial brain trauma is already high enough to deter a great many parents from letting their kids play.  And an ability to detect CTE in living people will likely increase the number of parents who won't let their kids play and cause people who were allowed to play to stop participating.

Everyone Murders

November 16th, 2017 at 1:07 PM ^

I wonder how much lead notice you'd get of CTE - i.e., if you see the tau build-up and stop playing, are you already in an irreversible situation?  It's really intriguing technology, but I'm curious how it would be used both diagnostically and in a preventative fashion.

Optimally, players would get checked on the reg, and those showing tau build-up would exit the game and get better.  This sort of technology will answer all sorts of those questions if enough of a sample size of young football players are tested and tracked.

UMGoRoss

November 16th, 2017 at 1:12 PM ^

I think that’s the best case, though may be farther off. People would feel more comfortable letting their children play if it was seen in the same vain as a broken arm or ligament damage. If it’s something that can be diagnosed, and more or less cured / damage reversed, it’s way less scary

Blueblood2991

November 16th, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^

I would be interested in having the test done on myself. Not only because of years playing football, but all the time I spent banging my head against the wall watching an Al Borges offense.

xtramelanin

November 16th, 2017 at 1:17 PM ^

depending of course on many factors, but you could go from 60 to 0 in one season.  no more kids playing, h.s. maybe finishes out with the players it has, colleges too, then done.   

accuracy, sensitivity, control for other factors all important.  and conceivably it could be a game-breaker in terms of giving an 'all clear' to many concerned players and/or their families, but i think that's a long-shot.  

His Dudeness

November 16th, 2017 at 1:20 PM ^

I want one of those tests.

I've had at least 4 major concussions, 3 of which knocked me unconscious and 2 of which put me in the hospital.

Not to mention all of the "minor" ones I had playing high school and some collegiate rugby.

Ooohhhh do me! Do me!

Oldadguy

November 16th, 2017 at 2:16 PM ^

If it is predictive, with the marker as an indicator, it could save football. Those tha have it, can't play. Those that don't, can play without worry of CTE

trueblueintexas

November 16th, 2017 at 2:27 PM ^

This is the list of sports I immediately thought of that could easily be impacted:

Football, soccer, hockey, boxing, MMA

It's too early to tell what the outcome of this will be but these could be some of  the changes:

Soccer (no more using your head, basically the game remains the same)

Hockey (no more checking into the boards, basically the game remains the same - not sure about goalies and hits to the head)

Football would require significant changes but could continue to exist (in essence, highly evolved flag football with the focus on execution, play calling and speed instead of phsycality)

Boxing & MMA could disappear. Yes you could institute a no punching/kicking to the head rule, but I'm not sure many fans would stick around for that.