Even though the National Football League currently paints itself as a player-friendly organization that puts safety above the base thrill of seeing a dude repeatedly getting his bell rung, the league has a long history of not only ignoring the issue but actively seeking to smother scientific research linking the sport to devastating longterm brain damage. A newly released Congressional investigation appears to confirm earlier news reports claiming that the NFL isn’t done trying to insert itself into research that could have an impact on the country’s most popular team sport. [More]
concussions
Chocolate Milk Maker Behind Sketchy “Cognitive Skills” Study Hoped To Cash In On Concussion Movie
By 4.20.16
Last December, researchers from the University of Maryland put out a press release claiming — without showing any of the science to back up the assertions — that a certain brand of chocolate milk could improve cognitive skills of concussed athletes. The study — paid for by the chocolate milk company — was widely derided and the school has since admitted that the press release was rushed and botched. So what was the hurry in getting this incomplete science news out there? Apparently, in the hopes of riding the coattails of a new Will Smith movie. [More]
University Backtracks On Company-Funded Study Claiming Chocolate Milk Could Treat Concussions
By 4.1.16
Earlier this year, public health advocates criticized a University of Maryland research program for taking money from a beverage company and then claiming in a press release — with no reviewable data to back up its assertions — that this company’s chocolate milk product could improve cognitive skills of athletes who’d suffered concussions. Today, the university is admitting that maybe this was not the brightest idea. [More]
University Ripped For Pushing Chocolate Milk As Concussion Treatment
By 1.11.16
A University of Maryland program that “promotes the development and commercialization of products and processes through industry/university research partnerships,” is being criticized for not just declaring that a particular brand of chocolate milk can improve cognitive skills of athletes who suffered a concussion, but for making that declaration without releasing any data to back it up. [More]
Is NFL’s Change Of Heart On Concussions Genuine Or Just Brand-Protection?
By 10.8.13 — Updated: 4.20.16
In 1994, then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue responded to growing concerns about concussions and brain injury by saying it was a case of mass hysteria resulting from “pack journalism.” What’s followed is two decades of the country’s most popular professional sports league saying it was researching the topic while being accused by some in the medical community of trying to quash evidence of a correlation between playing football and degenerative brain disease. [More]
Seven Former Players Sue NFL Over Concussions
By 8.19.11
One of the dark sides of pro football is the toll the game takes on players, leaving some with permanent brain injuries brought on by concussions. Seven former NFL players are suing the league over its handling of concussion-related injuries, alleging teams trained players to hit in ways that led to head injuries, failed to properly treat concussions and tried to hide links between the game and brain injuries. [More]
