The growing focus on head injuries and long-term consequences among ex-NFL players has been the focus of media attention in recent months, in part because of a large lawsuit settlement between former players and the NFL. A number of ex-players and their families have also spoken out about the permanent effects of multiple concussions and how life after football has been difficult.
One of those players in the spotlight of the issue is former Dallas Cowboys’ Running Back, Tony Dorsett. Dorsett played a total of 11 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and racked up an impressive 12,739 yards – averaging more than 1,000 yards per season. Dorsett also won the Heisman Trophy in 1976 before joining the Cowboys in the NFL. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Dorsett among the First Living Players to Receive Experimental CTE Diagnosis
“Outside the Lines” recently issued a report completed by researchers from UCLA and TauMark, a company established 10 months ago that purchased a license to the brain scan used to test for signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Tony Dorsett, now 59 years old, was among the group of volunteers tested. In addition, separate autopsies of former NFL players showed CTE in 47 out of 48 brains studied. Dorsett was among the very first living ex-players whose test results indicated a preliminary positive result for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
After receiving the news of a preliminary CTE diagnosis, Tony Dorsett agreed to an ESPN interview to speak out on his condition. He explained that he decided to participate in the UCLA study because he had been experiencing obvious symptoms of depression, memory loss, aggression and thoughts of suicide – symptoms he now knows are attributed to years of hard hits and concussions. Dorsett noted how he was most troubled by his explosive behavior towards his family. Overcome with emotion, he told ESPN correspondents:
“It’s painful, man, for my daughters to say they’re scared of me. It’s painful. My quality of living has changed drastically and it deteriorates every day.”
How Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Hurts and New Tools for Living Detection
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a likely cause of severe depression and other behavioral issues in those with a history of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). CTE is a progressive degenerative disease and has been linked to the terrible symptoms suffered by many former NFL players, including famous San Diego Chargers Linebacker and community role model, Junior Seau, who took his own life in May, 2012.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau. Patients who suffer from chronic trauma-related brain disease may develop symptom patterns in two distinct ways, either involving mood/behavioral disorders or by cognitive impairment.
Up until this point, CTE could only be confirmed post-mortem. However, we discussed the new pilot study conducted by UCLA researchers in one of our previous blogs. Part of the study uses a test to detect a buildup of Tau in the brains of living subjects. Large amounts of tau have been confirmed as a primary indicator of CTE’s presence in deceased players. This new study could be the first tool to detecting early onset of the condition before death, as the grim diagnosis was handed down to Tony Dorsett just a couple of weeks ago. TauMark is seeking FDA approval for widespread use of the test in hopes it will help other former players and athletes alike.
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