ESPN reports Dorsett with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

[Chuck 54]

Probably old news for you guys, but I just read the article on ESPN.go.com

 

[Rack]

Amazing considering defenders rarely ever got a solid hit on him.

 

[Lodeus]

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...indicators-cte-resulting-football-concussions

 

[DallasCowboysRule!]

Read the article. The part about him getting on a plane and forgetting where he is going or getting lost taking his daughters to practice is pretty terrifying. I really hope that something is figured out to fix this and/or prevent future athletes from getting it.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

He got whacked enough times that this doesn't surprise me at all. I thought when Ray Ellis hit him in Philadelphia in 1984 that he was dead. He came back to play later in the game but even in the post-game interview said he didn't remember any of it after the hit.

 

[DallasCowboysRule!]

Amazing considering defenders rarely ever got a solid hit on him.

Apparently it doesn't take much. Those small hits that players take on every play add up over time. The PBS documentary on it was really good. If anybody hasn't watched it I recommend it. It's available for free on the PBS website.

 

[joseephuss]

Amazing considering defenders rarely ever got a solid hit on him.

He does rank 11th all-time in rushing attempts and 11th in touches. Even though he was good at avoiding a lot of the big hits, he still touched the ball enough to get hit a lot. Dorsett had 3334 touches during his playing days. Compare that to Earl Campbell who had 2308 touches in his career. Two very different running styles and we all know Campbell wasn't as adept at avoiding the solid hits as Dorsett. Those 1000 extra touches for Dorsett could make up for that difference in running style.

 

[DallasCowboysRule!]

I don't have kids atm but its coming to the point where if I have a son (or daughter if this is her thing) that wants to play football I don't think I'd let him. I can take him to a doctor and have them fix a broken arm, torn ligament or something else. I can't fix his brain if it gets hurt

 

[03EBZ06]

That's unfortunate news, wish him well. Loved watching TD run, he was so smooth and fast.

 

[Falcon554]

just hope and pray for TD. Wonder how Troy has seemed to luck out

 

[mahoneybill]

Apparently it doesn't take much. Those small hits that players take on every play add up over time. The PBS documentary on it was really good. If anybody hasn't watched it I recommend it. It's available for free on the PBS website.

Recall Emmitt stating something to the effect that being in an NFL game as a running back is like being in 5 head on car collisions in the same day....

 

[RS12]

ESPN reports Dorsett with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

It is football, not a pillow fight. Anybody who played the game had to figure there could be long term ramifications.

 

[WoodysGirl]

It is football, not a pillow fight. Anybody who played the game had to figure there could be long term ramifications.

Now. I wouldn't say they knew back then. But then like now, I'm not sure they would've cared.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

good fortunes to you TD.
One of my favorite players of all time.

 

[dropdeadfred5]

all this BS about the players not possibly knowing the risks is just that.

You have to be a total idiot not to realize the health consequences of playing professional football - but they willingly took the risks.

 

[joseephuss]

just hope and pray for TD. Wonder how Troy has seemed to luck out

Has he? Or have his issues not manifested yet? Troy is 13 years younger than Tony.

 

[Doomsay]

all this BS about the players not possibly knowing the risks is just that.

You have to be a total idiot not to realize the health consequences of playing professional football - but they willingly took the risks.

The full diagnostic technology didn't even exist in TD's era, hard to say that they knew the risks of something that hadn't been discovered.

 

[Doomsay]

Has he? Or have his issues not manifested yet? Troy is 13 years younger than Tony.

Exactly.

 

[jobberone]

all this BS about the players not possibly knowing the risks is just that.

You have to be a total idiot not to realize the health consequences of playing professional football - but they willingly took the risks.

That's just ridiculously and patently untrue. No one knew what the heck CTE was years ago. We knew boxer's had problems [dementia pugilistic(a)] but no one in my day thought for a second that they would be severely dysfunctional later from playing football. Now in retrospect maybe we should have figured it out but most things look obvious until its figured out. There was nothing taught in medical school and beyond about these kind of consequences from playing football or from concussions period. No one knew any better until people started putting symptoms and signs together with postmortem examination of the brain of enough of these unfortunate individuals.

The problem is that there are other diseases and syndromes which overlap with those of CTE making it difficult to diagnosis. Many don't remember being concussed so long ago or even thought getting your bell rung would be significant. There are no markers or tests that are diagnostic either although there is some progress in that area.

 

[tomsanders921]

You can have sympathy for the older players, as not much was known about the long term effects of playing football.

But i have no sympathy for players these days. They know the risks involved with playing the sport. That is why they get millions of dollars every year. Nobody is forcing them to play the game.