A Blow To The Brain

October 11, 2009 5:20 PM

New studies show that athletes, especially professional football players, who suffered many blows to the head, became brain damaged. Bob Simon reports.

Study Links Concussions To Brain Disease

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by georgevisger March 22, 2010 10:09 PM EDT: Rather than bore all with the details of my 9 VP Shunt brain surgeries (and counting), which resulted from my playing days with the 49ers in 80 & 81, go to the links below to recent articles and stories NPR, CNN and other have recently done on my post football life.

My son will never play.

Nuff said

George Visger

NPR: A Brain, A Life, Battered by Football
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114059228#commentBlock

Sac News and Review Cover story
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1317643

Letter to NFL Commissioner Goodell posted on Dave Pears blog
http://davepear.com/blog/2009/11/open-letter-from-george-visger/

CNN story 020710
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/

George Visger testimony at Senate Hearing on Traumatic Brain Injuries
http://www.kget.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=38122@kget.dayport.com& navCatId=5 (click on: Top Stories - Silent Epidemic Part 2)

George Visger 2/2/10
SmartPlanet.com (click on Smart People)

Bleacher Report ? Head Injury Cover Ups in NFL & My 9 Brain Surgeries 2/10 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/338505-head-injury-cover-ups-in-the-nfl-and- my-9-brain-surgeries/edit?show=events

George Visger 2/2/10
SmartPlanet.com (click on Smart People); Reply to this comment


by 5turtle January 10, 2010 3:17 PM EST: weneed help from someone with our son who has played ice hockey, and had concussions and also in a car accident...does anyone out there know a doctor who is a specialist with brain injuries in the phoenix, az area....or we'll travel...; Reply to this comment


by jackbarry99 December 16, 2009 2:21 PM EST: Bruce Boyd, of the Vikngs, now 52... is bravely testifying to the horrors of the way "the game" is played by the NFL, on the field.... and how he has had alzeimers since age 49.

What needs doing: Have a panel take the bull by the horns, and reconfigure how the game can be legally and safely played, ...if that is possible.

We have come a way, from how it was for the gladiators, in the days of the Roman Empire, but only by replacing the sword with the "bludgeon": a hard helmet on a speeding 250 lb. warrior. What kind of society allows such carnage? Ours, sadly.; Reply to this comment


by daniesbrwneyes October 18, 2009 9:32 PM EDT: I think it should be morn caution on this game. I have epilepsy and I did not choose to have scar tissue left on my brain from mingitus of the brain as a child. Yet these grown men and parents have a choice to let there child play football or even ruff sports. Along time ago I questioned sport like football hockey and soccer. I do not feel sorry for the grown me in NFL we choose many things in life and see how things can injure our bodies and still keep going on with things.; Reply to this comment


by maxwebster October 15, 2009 12:28 PM EDT: I am convinced that one of the main causes of concusions is the equipment players wear in todays sports at both the amateur and professional level. These kids are wearing armour and being hit by armour. Think back to the equipment that was worn before the 80's...it was all foam. Look at todays equipment, it is all heavy plastics etc....it is armour. The NFL, NHL etc need to look at the equipment as a part of their studies.; Reply to this comment


by ErasmusBlues October 14, 2009 7:28 PM EDT: Raising the issue of so-called "mild" Traumatic Brain Injury:

It's thrilling that 60 Mins did this story, a nice companion to Malcolm Gladwell's piece in this week's New Yorker, "Offensive Play":
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/19/091019fa_fact_gladwell

Most concussions happen in car accidents and most of those are underdiagnosed. That's my story, with no damage apparent on MRIs or CTscans hence "mild". My son Chris Byler made a short film based on a talk I've given in the Boston area to grad students. It's what a TBI is like from the inside. It should help you recognize whether you've sustain a brain injury, and give you a vocabulary for describing it to others.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TBINBD; Reply to this comment


by georgevisger October 13, 2009 7:03 PM EDT: To PopBolt;

In regards to the NFL paying $88,000/yr to John McKey for his disability due to Alzheimer's, I agree with you totally in that our system has it's priorities completely ass backwards. When veterans who have placed themselves in harms way so others can make a living playing a game, come back from tours of duty (if they are lucky), to face no benefits and hardships, while overpaid primadonas sit out half the season because they think they are worth more than they are, it makes me hard pressed to even watch anymore.

I played football for 12 years total, including 2 years with the 49ers in 80 & 81 where I suffered the first of my 9 brain surgeries to date. I have never received a penny of disability or compensation from the NFL, nor will I, as to be vested you need to have played minimum of 4 years. It is a constant battle for me to hang on, as it is for most Americans these days, with some days better than others. But the fact of the matter is the NFL players pay into their own retirement system, with 90% of the players never seeing a dime of their hard earned money. The bulk goes to paying the blood sucking representatives we have in the NFL Players Association.

Until we quit paying to go to games, or quit watching games on TV, and start paying to visit injured vets in the hospital, nothing will change. We need to change our values from within.

George Visger
SF 49ers 80 & 81 (Super Bowl)
george.visger@gmail.com; Reply to this comment


by lchester62 October 13, 2009 9:52 AM EDT: Despite scientific evidence, the NFL, NCAA, PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association), and Pop Warner leagues nationwide will continue to deny the link between collision sports and permanent brain damage simply because of the "link" between football and the almighty dollar. Football is a behemoth money maker and no one in the business will ever admit that their cash cow could lead to an early death or early disability of a participant. Out 18 year old son suffered a life-altering "concussion" in his freshman year of high school during practice. It was his 7th concussion; each time he had been cleared by his doctors. At the time of the last concussion he had been concussion-free for two years. We have watched our son go from an honor roll student to one who has not been able to attend school full-time for three years. His current GPA is 2.6. This year, his senior year, is the first time he has been healthy enough to attend every day. I learned that this "injury" is not reportable to the state health department through the school because the PIAA is supposed to monitor athletic-related injuries. My calls to the PIAA have not been returned by their medical director. If we don't report and monitor the injuries then we, the trusting, naive public will NEVER know just how widespread this problem is. Why? Because they don't want us to know. They don't want their supply of expendable players to dry up. They don't want the public to know just how dangerous this sport is. If a factory had as many injuries as high school football has concussions, the factory would be shut down by OSHA and investigated. There is no Football safety and health administration for our children - WHY NOT? Why doesn't anyone want to admit that this sport does so much harm? How many kids have to die first? How many kids have to have their lives irreversibly changed before someone steps in to do something? Finally scientists are providing the evidence that such a link exists and no one has the courage to do anything about it.; Reply to this comment


by SportMedTed October 12, 2009 5:52 PM EDT: As someone who works with concussed athletes on both the high school and college level I appreciate 60 Minutes for covering this topic. The ratio of concussions is highest in football - though other sports may have more total concussions. The number one sporting/recreational cause of concussions is bicycling (due to the fact that many more people ride bikes than play football.) Car accidents and falls cause more concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI) than all sports.

In our sports medicine office we have developed a safe and effective treatment protocol for concussions and TBI but colleges and professional teams aren't interested (we've tried) even though we have the clinical outcomes to prove it (including an All-American basketball player.) The main obstacle - the team doctors - they won't allow us in because they don't understand the science involved. Meanwhile, athletes are being denied access to the only treatment protocol for concussions and TBI. Sad, but true.; Reply to this comment


by milehimomof2 October 12, 2009 4:50 PM EDT: The dangers of long term issues being caused by concussions and head injuries are real. We learned that the hard way with my daughter. After her MRI and CAT scans revealed nothing abnormal (yet, she was still experiencing symptoms), the hospital gave us a hand out on post concussive syndrome and sent us home. They said it would just take time. Years later, she was still struggling in so many ways and nobody could seem to help her or give us any answers. Finally, my neighbor recommended an evaluation at CereScan (www.cerescanimaging.com). They did a functional brain assessment which identified exactly what was not working in my daughter's brain. They were able to show us that there was evidence of the encephalopathy and also confirm what other types of things had developed. Their doctor consulted with her treating doctor and she is doing so much better! I only wish I had known about the availability of this information years ago. Please take concussions seriously and realize that they can be responsible for serious issues later in life...; Reply to this comment