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A story by Alan Schwarz in The New York Times cites an expert who examined late Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters’ brain and said his suicide was tied to brain damage he suffered as a player due to concussions.
Waters’ brain, said Bennet Omalu of Pitt, had degenerated to that of an 80-year-old man with similar characteristics to that of early stage Alzheimer’s victims. Had he lived, the doctor said, “Andre Waters would have been fully incapacitated” in 10 to 15 years.
It’s all very sad, and a very great article, and highly recommended. It’s also recommended for this twist: The man who first offered the theory of Waters’ suicide tied to brain damage is none other than Christopher Nowinski, better known as WWE wrestler Chris Harvard. (His gimmick was that he was from Harvard, where he did graduate from.) Nowinski was forced to retire from wrestling after suffering a concussion. He contacted Omalu and Waters’ family and helped set everything in motion.
(One wonders if other wrestlers will soon step to the plate and advocate their own causes. I can see Bret Hart contacting doctors about knee disease, Ric Flair advocating a cure for hair whitening, The Undertaker advocating for more fairness in coffin prices, etc.)
Nowinski also offers up this quote:
“You don’t usually get brains to examine of 44-year-old ex-football players who likely had depression and who have committed suicide,” Mr. Nowinski said. “It’s extremely rare.”
He’s right, you know.
Expert Ties Ex-Player’s Suicide to Brain Damage [NYT]
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