ExiledInIllinois Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18955466/san-francisco-49ers-legend-dwight-clark-diagnosed-als Caused by playing football? Clark seems to think so.
Augie Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 I don't even want to read it, but prayers sent....... So sad.
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 20, 2017 Author Posted March 20, 2017 Yeah prayers all the way around. I never knew this, curious to look it up: "A standout football and baseball player, Gehrig signed his first contract with the New York Yankees in April 1923. Over the next 15 years he led the team to six World Series titles and set the mark for most consecutive games played. He retired in 1939 after getting diagnosed with ALS." I didn't know Gerhig played football, but one can suspect it. :-( :-( Could it have caused it? His early football days? Then there is this (7 years old): https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/science/2010/aug/17/lou-gehrig-disease-baseball-death "...According to a paper to be published tomorrow in a leading journal, Gehrig and a string of American football players and soldiers recorded as dying of ALS, may instead have died due to brain traumas..."
Doc Brown Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Poor guy. I pray it continues to progress as slowly as possible. I would think long and hard about ever letting my kid play football like I did. These college football players have to ask themselves is the money in the NFL worth the health risks. I hope Aaron Williams doesn't return to football.
row_33 Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Sorry to read this. I have known a few who died of ALS without playing football, especially at at a very young age.
Elite Poster Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Suffering any amount of head injuries will predispose you to essentially any neurodegenerative disease. There will be more stories like his. I hope one day they can figure out a way to protect everyone's heads. It's just a game.
Beast Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Poor guy. I pray it continues to progress as slowly as possible. I would think long and hard about ever letting my kid play football like I did. These college football players have to ask themselves is the money in the NFL worth the health risks. I hope Aaron Williams doesn't return to football. Why don't you just quit following football if it bothers you that much?
bobobonators Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Poor guy. I pray it continues to progress as slowly as possible. I would think long and hard about ever letting my kid play football like I did. These college football players have to ask themselves is the money in the NFL worth the health risks. I hope Aaron Williams doesn't return to football. Based on everything ive read on ALS over the years, the fact that Clark is somewhat older may suggest that he was genetically predisposed to the disease. Wish him all the best. Horrible.
LEBills Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Why don't you just quit following football if it bothers you that much? Good question, it's tough to give up the game you love. It's becoming harder and harder for me to keep supporting it knowing what former players are going through. I will always be a Bills fan, but I may have to stop supporting the sport out of my own conscious. I'm not sure when the tipping point will be because I do love the sport and the Bills so much.
oldmanfan Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Sad to hear this. At this point there is still research to be done, but early data suggests NFL players may be more predisposed towards this disease. I have mixed feelings about this entire issue. I think NFL players now must realize there is significant potential for damage from playing the game, but they choose to do so because of love of the sport and because financially it is so lucrative a profession. College players get a free education through football, and the elite get a chance to play professionally. But as a parent, would I encourage my child to play pee-wee through high school? Probably not. I have two daughters and have not had to make that choice, but even with daughters the issue exists; a friend of my younger daughter who is a soccer player was out 2 months from a concussion she suffered. So long as there are contact sports these issues are going to be there. So do we abandon such sports, or just accept the risks and move on, and try to keep things as safe as possible knowing you can never eliminate risk? Probably the latter, and centuries from now I'll wonder if folks will look back and wonder how a society could be so barbaric that they would allow such conduct. For me I'll still watch the Bills every Sunday (been doing so for 57 years, how could I stop now), and go to the local high school games. And pray that no one gets seriously hurt.
row_33 Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Why don't they use boxers to determine the effects of blows to the head? Are they ignored because its too obvious?
plenzmd1 Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 (edited) Very sad to hear... from anyone. I hope that studies can continue on head trauma and sports, and include ALL sports and that more athletes across the board donate their brain in the effort to understand CTE better. If only football players that show symptoms donate, the sample sizes will continue to be too low. We need soccer players, hockey players, water polo players, basketball players etc to all participate. I would also be interested to know if the ALS rate or rates of depression etc are greater in football players than other sports and just the general population. (edit: in MMQB, says ALS death 4 times more likely in football players) Edited March 20, 2017 by plenzmd1
Malazan Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Poor guy. I pray it continues to progress as slowly as possible. I would think long and hard about ever letting my kid play football like I did. These college football players have to ask themselves is the money in the NFL worth the health risks. I hope Aaron Williams doesn't return to football. The health risks aren't a secret. They players have access to the information...and they choose the money.
frogger Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 If anyone wants a really good cry, watch "Gleason" it's on Amazon prime, it shows what ALS does to a person. It breaks my heart every time I see him.
row_33 Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 The health risks aren't a secret. They players have access to the information...and they choose the money. A major problem is team doctors telling them they are 100% okay to go back out there when they clearly aren't recovered from a concussion. refusing to stand by the obviously shaken player.
KD in CA Posted March 20, 2017 Posted March 20, 2017 Why don't you just quit following football if it bothers you that much? I have a friend who did that. He decided watching football was hypocritical if he wasn't going to allow his sons to play. ALS is the worst disease ever; very sad for Clark.
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