A CNN report has given another haunting look into the danger of concussions in the NFL.
The report details the post-NFL life of Shane Dronett, a defensive lineman who spent 10 seasons in the NFL with the Broncos and Falcons and committed suicide in 2009 at the age of 38.
Scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy have been studying the brain tissue of former NFL players. They found that Dronett was suffering from a brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
Chris Nowinksi, the co-director of the center, said they have found evidence of CTE in the brains of 13 of 14 former NFL players.
The CNN report outlines Dronett's downward spiral that began in 2006. He displayed outrage and paranoia, just three years after retirement from the NFL. He was known to stay in games and play through concussions.
Former Bear Dave Duerson committed suicide in February and asked for his brain to be studied.
This season, the NFL has cracked down on concussions, requiring an independent physician to clear a player to return. Players missed more games for concussions in 2010 than they would have in the past. The league also came down on players for delivering hits to the head, handing out heavy fines and threatening suspensions for 2011.
In the next edition of the popular video game "Madden," players in the game who suffer concussions will not return to the game, and the announcers will explain the seriousness of head injuries in the background.
Source: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/04/02/scientists-link-another-former-players-suicide-to
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