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Monday, September 15, 2014

Data estimates 3 in 10 NFL retirees face cognitive woes

NFL players are likely to suffer chronic brain injury at a "significantly higher" rate than the general population and also show neurocognitive impairment at a much younger age, according to documents filed on behalf of the league in federal court Friday.

Former players between 50 and 59 years old develop Alzheimer's disease and dementia at rates 14 to 23 times higher than the general population of the same age range, according to the documents. The rates for players between 60-64 are as much as 35 times the rate of the general population, the documents reported.

The figures, compiled by actuarials hired by the NFL, appeared to be the first public admission by the league that retired players incur brain damage more frequently than the general public. The report did not specify why the rates for retired players are significantly higher.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't care if they're a bunch of blithering idiots in the distant future.As long as they report for duty in my living room on my TV set as scheduled they have fulfilled my requirements of them.Since they are making a thousand times more money than I make they can hire someone to do their thinking for them.

Anonymous said...

3 Out of 10 is not a bad price to pay for a sport entertaining so many. Their salaries compensate them very well.

Anonymous said...

1:40 & 2:27 - How gracious of the both of you ignoramuses to be so compassionate of former player's mental health problems. The 2 of you idiots should've pursued being football players if you wanted to make the same amount of money. You whiners were & are probably too lazy to even do a couple jumping jacks.

Andy Berges said...

Health > Wealth 2:27. What good is having million$, or even billion$, if your health is horrible in your 50's or 60's...especially your mental health??? This is a horrific price for 3 out of 10 ex-athletes to pay no matter how many people these guys are entertaining!

Anonymous said...

3:24 The point of this... since they do make so much, why isn't it "ON THEM" to worry about their health after their playing days are over? Why is it up to the taxpayers? Their employers?

Nobody forces anyone to play sports, it is voluntary. Maybe they should have something in contracts where a certain percentage is set aside for their post career health. It's their body, and their responsibility. Not mine, not their employers, not the US... their own, and that's it.

Anonymous said...

Well now they know the downside,so it's on them.Nobody is making them play.

Anonymous said...

They make plenty of money, so when they start to go downhill later on, they should be able to afford the health insurance, medical procedures and a nice room in the alzheimers unit. The problem is that most of them splurge on unnecessary wants while they are young & don't invest enough to last them through old age.

Gerald said...

These guys were brain damaged in the first place, it just gets worse with the head banging. Have you ever listened to a interview with one of them??? They can't speak clearly, nor put an intelligent thought together.

Anonymous said...

7:07-Kinda like Rocky.

Anonymous said...

The headline should have read, "3 in 10 NFL *Referees* face cognitive woes".