This article was written by Courtney Pierre
In April 2017, Aaron Hernandez, a former tight-end for the New England Patriots, committed suicide in a Lancaster, MA prison where he was serving a life sentence for convicted murder. Just last week, a scan on Hernandez’s body revealed breaking news; Hernandez was suffering from severe CTE.
CTE stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and has been a topic of hot debate recently, ever since studies at Boston University revealed that 110 out of 111 brains of ex-NFL players that they studied were sickened with this disease.
CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive head-injury, therefore often seen in competitive contact athletes and war veterans. It has thus far been most prominent in football players because of the highly aggressive nature of the sport. Symptoms begin by altering patient’s mood and behavior and may present itself as anger issues or lack of impulse control. As patients age, these aggressive symptoms may persist, and be accompanied by memory issues and potential dementia.
Talk has now transitioned into what responsibility the NFL should hold for Hernandez’s crimes and suicide if the driving factor of his aggressive nature was in fact CTE. It is argued that the NFL should be held responsible for the program’s negligence in recognizing brain injuries at the time they occurred, leaving players with long-term defects. Hernandez’s fiancée has sued the NFL for $20 million in honor of their daughter who is now being raised without a father, a situation she blames on the CTE.
The future of football and football safety is unknown. Many youth football organizations are reducing the amount of contact in children’s games in hopes to minimize early brain trauma, but this becomes an unfeasible task as these kids grow older and transition into high school football leagues. While new helmet regulations could help reduce the effects of collisions, this is not a long-term solution in avoiding the consequences of repetitive brain trauma.
The most recent study underway at Boston University has revealed that a certain protein, CCL11, may be a biomarker of CTE. This discovery could help with early detection of the disease, thus allowing for early intervention which could lessen the threat and degree of the effects. This biomarker could also aid in the differentiation between CTE and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s in older patients.
While new discoveries are leading to positive progress in the medical field as to how to avoid, treat, and discern this disease, there is no clear way to avoid its occurrence given the passionate nature of American football in this country which limits the allowance of changing its nature.