Over two days last week, the New York Times printed three stories that, taken together, connect pro football to concussions to Parkinson’s disease. On the one hand, I don’t know why this is considered “newsworthy” – what we need to be reading now are stories of how football players are, say, leaving (excuse me, not entering) the sport and excelling instead in tennis, triathlons, baseball or basketball. And on the other hand…well, there is no other hand for me on this issue.
The first story (click!) focuses on Marshall Faulk, a 53-year-old Pro Football Running Back, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Strangely, he doesn’t seem to care, thinking that since he “caught it” early, he’s in a good place. Here’s an entire paragraph from the article:
“I didn’t look at it like if I got a diagnosis, it was something bad, that life was going to end,” Faulk said. “I treat it like I’ve had a bunch of surgeries on my right knee. There are some parts in it that aren’t mine, that aren’t original. My back hurts every once in a while. It’s something you live with. It’s not to (the point) where it’s a detriment to your livelihood. Now, if you don’t take care of it, there’s an opportunity for that to be. But you have to take care of it.”
The stupidity of this rationalization is amazing. Almost everyone who gets diagnosed with PD starts in on the treatments, and eventually the symptoms become severe – severely severe.
The second article (click!) features an in-depth look at NFL player Ryan Kelly. The title says it all: “Ryan Kelly wasn’t ready to end his NFL career. Concussions left him with no choice.”
The third article (click!) is an obituary for Lawrence McCutcheon, a five–time Pro Bowl running back for the Los Angeles Rams. He recently died “following a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.”
I can’t believe that the NY Times continues to print articles about football players and gloss over, or ignore entirely, the dangers that rise from concussions, primarily Parkinson’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Here’s what Google AI has to say on the subject:
What is the relationship between Parkinson’s disease and C.T.E. rates in NFL players?
Former NFL players face a 3.88 times higher risk of dying from Parkinson’s disease compared to the general population, a link strongly tied to the cumulative effects of repetitive head impacts and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Key Findings on Parkinson’s and NFL Players
- Elevated Mortality Risk: Large-scale cohort studies from Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation show that former NFL players have nearly quadruple the general population’s rate of neurodegenerative deaths, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and ALS.
- Younger Deaths Spike: Former players who pass away before the age of 60 experience a 12-fold increase in neurodegenerative mortality rates.
- Dose-Response Relationship: Career length directly scales the risk. Players with 5 or more seasons in the NFL face roughly double the neurodegenerative and Parkinson’s-related risk compared to those with shorter careers (1 to 4 seasons). Skill-position players also show higher rates due to cumulative g-force exposure.
- Parkinsonism in CTE: Research published in JAMA Neurology indicates that parkinsonism (movement symptoms like tremors, stiffness, and slow movement) is present in 7% of deceased athletes with neuropathologically confirmed CTE.
- Underlying Brain Changes: In individuals with CTE, years of contact sports lead to neurofibrillary tangles and neuronal loss in the substantia nigra (the part of the brain that controls movement), alongside Lewy body pathology, which directly drives parkinsonian symptoms.
