LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO 

FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART I & II) 

HEARINGS 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS 

OCTOBER 28, 2009 AND JANUARY 4, 2010 

Serial No. 111–82 

Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary 

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LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES 

(PART I & II) 

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53–092 PDF 2010

LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO 

FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART I & II) 

HEARINGS 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST AND SECOND SESSIONS 

OCTOBER 28, 2009 AND JANUARY 4, 2010 

Serial No. 111–82 

Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://judiciary.house.gov 

(II) 

COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY 

JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan, Chairman 

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California 

RICK BOUCHER, Virginia 

JERROLD NADLER, New York 

ROBERT C. ‘‘BOBBY’’ SCOTT, Virginia 

MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas 

MAXINE WATERS, California 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

STEVE COHEN, Tennessee 

HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., 

Georgia 

PEDRO PIERLUISI, Puerto Rico 

MIKE QUIGLEY, Illinois 

JUDY CHU, California 

LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, Illinois 

TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin 

CHARLES A. GONZALEZ, Texas 

ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York 

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California 

LINDA T. SA ́ NCHEZ, California 

DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Florida 

DANIEL MAFFEI, New York 

LAMAR SMITH, Texas 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

BOB GOODLATTE, Virginia 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia 

STEVE KING, Iowa 

TRENT FRANKS, Arizona 

LOUIE GOHMERT, Texas 

JIM JORDAN, Ohio 

TED POE, Texas 

JASON CHAFFETZ, Utah 

TOM ROONEY, Florida 

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi 

PERRY APELBAUM, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

SEAN MCLAUGHLIN, Minority Chief of Staff and General Counsel 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

HEARING DATES 

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 

LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART I) ...................... 1 

Monday, January 4, 2010 

LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART II) .................... 265 

(PART I) 

OCTOBER 28, 2009 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ..................... 1 

The Honorable Lamar Smith, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Texas, and Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary ......................... 3 

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Wisconsin, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ................................. 5 

The Honorable Daniel E. Lungren, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of California, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ....................... 16 

The Honorable Mike Quigley, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Illinois, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ....................................... 17 

The Honorable Darrell Issa, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of California, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ................................. 18 

The Honorable Henry C. ‘‘Hank’’ Johnson, a Representative in Congress from 

the State of Georgia, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ..................... 18 

The Honorable Bob Goodlatte, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Virginia, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary .................................... 19 

WITNESSES 

The Honorable Bill Pascrell, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of New Jersey 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 20 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 26 

Mr. Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National Football League 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 29 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 31 

Mr. DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director, NFL Players Association 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 37 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 39 

Dr. Gay Culverhouse, Ed.D., former President, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 44 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 46 

Dr. Andrew M. Tucker, M.D., Member, NFL Mild Traumatic Brain Injury 

Committee and Team Physician, Baltimore Ravens 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 59 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 62 

Dr. Robert C. Cantu, M.D., Chief of Neurosurgery Service, and Director, 

Sports Medicine, Emerson Hospital, Concord, MA 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 66 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 68 

Page

IV 

Dr. David R. Weir, Ph.D., Lead Author, NFL Player Care Foundation Study 

of Retired NFL Players 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 72 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 74 

Mr. George Martin, Executive Director, NFL Alumni Association 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 77 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 79 

Mr. Merril Hoge, Retired NFL Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 82 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 84 

Dr. Eleanor M. Perfetto, Ph.D., M.S., wife of Ralph Wenzel, former NFL 

Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 120 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 122 

Mr. Tiki Barber, Retired NFL Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 126 

Mr. Dick Benson, High School Football Safety Advocate 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 127 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 129 

Mr. Christopher Nowinski, Co-Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic 

Encephalopathy, Boston University School of Medicine 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 133 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 139 

Dr. Ann C. McKee, M.D., Associate Professor, Neurology and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 153 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 156 

Dr. Joseph Maroon, M.D., Vice Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 196 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 198 

Dr. Julian Bailes, M.D., Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, West Virginia University School of Medicine 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 211 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 214 

Dr. Joel Morgenlander, M.D., Professor of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 219 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 222 

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

Letter from the Institute for Social Research (ISR) to the New York Times, 

submitted by the Honorable Lamar Smith, a Representative in Congress 

from the State of Texas, and Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary ......................................................................................................................... 4 

Article from The New Yorker, submitted by the Honorable Tammy Baldwin, 

a Representative in Congress from the State of Wisconsin, and Member, 

Committee on the Judiciary ................................................................................ 7 

Letter from Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National Football League, submitted by the Honorable Bill Pascrell, a Representative in Congress from 

the State of New Jersey ....................................................................................... 23 

Phamphlet submitted by the Honorable Linda T. Sa ́nchez, a Representative 

in Congress from the State of California, and Member, Committee on the 

Judiciary ............................................................................................................... 114 

Information from the Sports Legacy Institute submitted by Christopher 

Nowinski, Co-Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, 

Boston University School of Medicine ................................................................ 135 

Paper entitled ‘‘Building the Enlightened Warrior,’’ submitted by Dick Benson, High School Football Safety Advocate ........................................................ 145 

Review Article entitled ‘‘Chronic Traumatic Encelphalopathy in Athletes: Progressive Tauopathy After Repetitive Head Injury,’’ submitted by Ann C. 

McKee, M.D., Associate Professor, Neurology and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine ........................................................................................ 169 

Article from The New York Times submitted by the Honorable John Conyers, 

Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ...................................................................... 241 

Page

V 

Prepared Statement of Brent Boyd, disabled retired player, concussion victim 

of the National Football League, submitted by the Honorable John Conyers, 

Jr., a Representative in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ...................................................................... 244 

(PART II) 

JANUARY 4, 2010 

OPENING STATEMENTS 

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary ..................... 265 

The Honorable Linda Sa ́nchez, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of California, Committee on the Judiciary ......................................................... 271 

The Honorable Steve Cohen, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Tennessee, Committee on the Judiciary ........................................................ 272 

WITNESSES 

Mr. DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director, NFL Players Association 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 275 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 277 

Dr. Joseph C. Maroon, M.D., Professor and Vice-Chairman, Department of 

Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 280 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 282 

Mr. David Klossner, Director, Health and Safety, NCAA 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 285 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 287 

Mr. Bob Colgate, Assistant Director, National Federation of State High School 

Associations 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 295 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 297 

Mr. Scott Hallenbeck, Executive DIrector of USA Football 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 304 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 306 

Mr. Lemuel Barney, Detroit Lions Hall of Fame Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 321 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 323 

Mr. Bennet I. Omalu, M.D., Co-Director, Brain Injury Research Institute, 

West Virginia University 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 325 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 327 

Dr. Ira R. Casson, M.D., former Co-Chairman, NFL Mild Traumatic Brain 

Injury Committee 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 334 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 336 

Mr. Dan Arment, Assistant Director, National Federation of State High 

School Associations 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 347 

Mr. P. David Halstead, Technical Director, Southern Impact Research Center 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 348 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 351 

Mr. Vincent R. Ferrara, Founder and CEO, Xenith, L.L.C. 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 354 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 356 

Dr. Randall R. Benson, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology, Wayne State 

University 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 382 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 388 

Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, M.D., Director, Michigan Neurosport 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 399 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 402 

Page

VI 

Mr. Christopher Nowinski, Co-Director for the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, Boston University School of Medicine, President 

and CEO, Sports Legacy Institute 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 410 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 413 

Mr. Kyle Turley, retired NFL Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 421 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 427 

Mr. Robert L. Schmidt, Chairman and Co-Founder, Vincent T. Lombardi 

Foundation 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 437 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 440 

Mr. George Martin, Executive Director, NFL Alumni Association 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 451 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 454 

Mr. Luther Campbell, trainer of professional athletes 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 457 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 463 

Mr. Bernie Parrish, retired NFL Player 

Oral Testimony ..................................................................................................... 468 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 472 

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

Prepared Statement of the the Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative 

in Congress from the State of Michigan, and Chairman, Committee on 

the Judiciary ......................................................................................................... 266 

(PART I) 

OCTOBER 28, 2009 

APPENDIX 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD

Prepared Statement of the Honorable James Moran, a Representative in 

Congress from the State of Virginia ................................................................... 481 

Material submitted by the Honorable Steve King, a Representative in Congress from the State of Iowa, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary ....... 482 

Response to Questions submitted to Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National 

Football League, by the Honorable Linda T. Sa ́nchez, a Representative 

in Congress from the State of California, and Member, Committee on the 

Judiciary ............................................................................................................... 486 

Follow-Up Material submitted by Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National 

Football League .................................................................................................... 490 

Post-Hearing Questions submitted to Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National 

Football League .................................................................................................... 492 

Letter from Roger Goodell, Commissioner, National Football League, to the 

Honorable Steve King, a Representative in Congress from the State of 

Iowa, and Member, Committee on the Judiciary .............................................. 493 

(1) 

LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO 

FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART I) 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2009 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in room 

2141, Rayburn House Office Building, the Honorable John Conyers, 

Jr. (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Conyers, Scott, Watt, Jackson Lee, Waters, Delahunt, Cohen, Johnson, Quigley, Weiner, Sa ́nchez, 

Wasserman Schultz, Smith, Coble, Goodlatte, Lungren, King, Jordan, Poe, and Rooney. 

Staff Present: (Majority) Eric Tamarkin, Counsel; Jason Everett, 

Counsel; Elizabeth Kendall, Counsel; Perry Apelbaum, Staff Director and Chief Counsel; Brandon Johns, Staff Assistant; Reuben 

Goetzl, Staff Assistant; (Minority) Daniel Flores, Counsel; and Sean 

McLaughlin, Chief of Staff and General Counsel. 

Mr. CONYERS. Good morning. The meeting will come to order. 

Everyone that plays football at any level knows it is a dangerous 

sport. In fact, everyone that watches it knows it is a dangerous 

sport. There should be no surprise when a football player separates 

his shoulder, twists an ankle, busts a knee. But over the past several years, an increasing number of retired players have developed 

long-term memory and cognitive diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). 

And it comes much later than after their careers end. As a matter 

of fact, sometimes it is not even detected until the autopsies, after 

they are dead. These are not the types of risks most players or 

their families ordinarily associate with the game of football. 

As the National Football League is a monopoly by way of congressional sanction in 1970, whose existence was legislatively sanctioned, the causes and pervasiveness of these football injuries warrant Federal scrutiny. I say this not because of the impact of these 

injuries on the 2,000 current players and 10,000 retirees associated 

with the football league and their families, I say it because of the 

effect on the millions of players at the college, high school, and 

youth levels. My 13-year-old-son plays a game at 4:30 at Cranbrook 

today. 

The questions before us are several. How serious is the problem? 

What can be done about it? And where do we go from here? 

There appears to be growing evidence that playing football may 

be linked to long-term brain damage. For example, a 2003 UniverVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
2 

sity of North Carolina study found that professional players who 

suffered multiple concussions were three times more likely to suffer 

clinical depression than the general population. A follow-up study 

in 2005 showed NFL players suffering concussions had five times 

the rate of cognitive impairment. And retired players were 37 percent more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s than the population as 

a whole. Earlier this year, the University of Michigan released a 

study that found that 6.1 percent of NFL players over 50 years of 

age reported they had received a dementia-related diagnosis—a 

statistic five times higher than the national average. Players age 

30 through 49 showed a rate of 1.9 percent of dementia-related diagnosis 19 times that of the national average. 

Last week, The New York Times prepared an analysis of the data 

from the NFL’s plan to reimburse retired players for dementia-related medical expenses, which found similar data. Medical researchers also cite autopsies performed on numerous former NFL 

players, who following their death, were diagnosed to be suffering 

from CTE brain disease. And some of these deceased players: we 

remember Mike Webster, a 50-year-old, nine-time Pro Bowl center 

for the Pittsburgh Steelers who died regrettably a penniless recluse, sleeping on the floor of a Pittsburgh train station. Terry Long, 

45-year-old ex-Steeler who died after drinking antifreeze. Andre 

Waters, a 44-year-old former safety with the Philadelphia Eagles, 

who suffered from chronic pain and depression and later shot himself in the mouth. 

Today Dr. McKee will testify that former Detroit lions offensive 

lineman Lou Creekmur was tormented by CTE so much that in his 

final years he lost the ability to speak, and frequently turned violent. Lou was a player who was not the victim of multiple concussions, and he reportedly never missed a game during his 10-year 

career. 

The National Football League is performing its own long-term 

study, and has largely sought to discredit these reports or some of 

the conclusions drawn from some of these reports. The football 

league described the reports as flawed. 

Dr. Ira Casson, the co-chair of the NFL’s Mild Traumatic Brain 

Injury Committee, denied the linkage on six separate occasions. 

When asked whether there was any linkage between playing football and CTE, Dr. Casson stated that it has never been scientifically, validly documented. The league said the recent University of 

Michigan study was flawed and that further study was necessary. 

The New York Times data released last week, was, they said, for 

self-promotional and lobbying purposes of the union. Given there is 

no consensus between the league and its players and the medical 

community about the causes of these cognitive disorders, it should 

come as no surprise there is little agreement about how to respond. 

Former players believe it is unconscionable that the current disability plans only permit a full disability award for conditions developed within 15 years of retirement. Such a limit, they argue, 

makes no sense for diseases that frequently take more than 15 

years to manifest themselves. 

Player advocates also ask why there has not been more done to 

limit the likelihood of long-term brain injury. For example, giving 

the Players Association input in the selection of team doctors and 

3 

trainers, granting players unlimited access to their medical records, 

requiring that all injuries be reported to the league and the Players 

Association, and limiting the frequency of full contact drills to cite 

some of the possibilities that exist. 

The NFL responds that it has set up a no-fault compensation 

scheme, paying ex-players with dementia up to $88,000 a year, and 

has instituted rule changes to limit serious injuries and develop 

standards for concussion management. However, when it comes to 

making further changes in its disability plan to account for longterm injuries, the NFL asserts that that is a subject for collective 

bargaining. Now, the answer to how to resolve these differences 

and where we go from here is the realization that we need an expeditious, independent review of the data. 

And so I am asking all parties and their personnel to make their 

records available to us to permit such review and analysis. The request goes to the NFL, NFLPA, relevant medical researchers, 

NCAA, and the National Federation of State High School Associations. 

Now, when it comes to public health issues, I do not believe it 

is adequate for the league or the Players Association to hide behind 

a collective bargaining agreement. Surely, an $8 billion a year industry can find it within its budget to make sure players are adequately protected and that any victims of long-term brain disease 

are fairly compensated. The serious issues presented in today’s 

hearing are life and death issues. They go to the heart of our Nation’s most popular sport. And equally importantly, they affect millions of players of all ages and their families. 

I would like now to invite our distinguished Ranking minority 

Member, Lamar Smith, for his opening remarks. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, 

the recently released University of Michigan study of retired NFL 

players indicates that overall, retired professional football players 

are, in fact, in good health. The New York Times has suggested 

that the study also points to higher than normal rates of dementia 

or other memory-related problems among former players. But the 

study does not support that view. And prior studies have been argued to point both ways. While we need to take this issue seriously, 

we should not jump to any conclusions. As the lead author of the 

Michigan study has stated, ‘‘The study did not conclude that football causes dementia.’’ Highly publicized claims that the study supports a link between football and dementia stem largely from The 

New York Times misreporting on the content of the study. The 

study’s authors have drawn this misreporting to The New York 

Times’ attention. 

The authors stressed that they do not believe ‘‘Any responsible 

scientist would conclude from the study that retired football players had higher rates of dementia than any other group,’’ which was 

alleged by The New York Times. Mr. Chairman, I would like unanimous consent to put a letter to The New York Times from the 

study’s authors—— 

Mr. CONYERS. Without objection, so ordered. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

4 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS [continuing]. Into the record. Thank you, 

Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the authors also underscore that 

‘‘The comparison study used for dementia dramatically understates 

the true rates of dementia in the American population.’’ In other 

words, according to the authors themselves, the rates of dementia 

for retired NFL players ‘‘are likely comparable to the American 

population in general.’’ So we need to be careful about what conclusions regarding dementia and other memory problems we draw 

from the most recent look at retired players’ health. 


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5 

Professional football is the most popular spectator sport in America. It is important that the league and its players take every effort 

to make pro football as safe as reasonably possible. The NFL 

should continue to study the potential long-term effects of head injuries on player health. The league should also study whether 

equipment improvements or stricter rules enforcement could help 

to reduce any long-term impacts of head injuries. And, of course, 

college and high school officials should do the same. But Congress 

should not attempt to influence the upcoming collective bargaining 

process the NFL and its players union are about to undertake. We 

should also avoid the temptation to legislate in this area. Football, 

like soccer, rugby, and even basketball and baseball, involves contact that can produce injuries. We cannot legislate the elimination 

of injuries from the games without eliminating the games themselves. 

The retired players study concludes, ‘‘The study finds retired 

players to be in very good stead overall. Their history of physical 

fitness shows up in lower rates of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Playing in the NFL was a very positive experience for most 

retired players.’’ Congress can highlight the potential long-term 

consequences of playing professional football through hearings like 

this one, but the NFL does not need Congress to referee this issue. 

While many of us would say that we are fans of football, Monday 

morning quarterbacking does not necessarily qualify us as experts. 

Both teams are at the table here today, or will be shortly, and we 

should work together to find a solution where both the players and 

the league win. 

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the witnesses’ testimony, and 

hope that this hearing will result in neither in exaggerating the 

problem of injuries, nor in downplaying the need to look for ways 

to reduce injuries. Mr. Chairman, thank you, and I will yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Smith. Did Jim Brown 

of Cleveland come in yet? 

Out of the natural generosity of my heart, I am going to allow 

three people to make 2-minute statements. Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 

Quigley, and Hank Johnson. If you agree to that, you will be recognized. So we will start off with Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Thank you, Chairman Conyers. I want to thank 

you for holding this important hearing, as well as extend my 

thanks to our many witnesses who have taken the time to be with 

us this morning. I also want to acknowledge the presence of Mr. 

Willie Wood, a retired NFL player from the Green Bay Packers. As 

a proud Packer fan, I would like to boast for a moment or two 

about Mr. Wood. He made the All Pro team nine times in his 12- 

year career, and played in both Super Bowl I in 1967 and Super 

Bowl II the following year. Thanks in no small part to Mr. Wood’s 

impressive work as a starting free safety for the Packers, Green 

Bay won both of those inaugural Super Bowls. He finished his 12 

NFL seasons with 48 interceptions, which he returned for 699 

yards and two touchdowns. Mr. Wood was inducted into the Pro 

Football Hall of Fame in 1989. 

Mr. Chairman, I know that Wisconsinites and Packer fans across 

the country are grateful to Mr. Wood for an incredible career. 

While we all know what an outstanding player he was during his 

6 

seasons with the NFL, I think there is less awareness or understanding of the hardships that players like Mr. Wood endure later 

in life because of a lack of health care coverage. Mr. Wood is currently living in an assisted care facility, and his NFL pension of a 

little over $1,100 per month is not enough to pay all of his bills. 

Although he is the beneficiary of what is known as the 88 Plan, 

these funds are often not enough to cover his monthly medical care. 

So Mr. Wood relies on the charity of others. 

These situations are unfortunately not uncommon among former 

NFL players suffering from disabilities, and even dementia. We 

have lots of questions, and that is why we are having this hearing 

today. I look forward to learning more about the issue from our expert witnesses. Mr. Chairman, I do ask unanimous consent to submit for the record an article called Offensive Play that appeared in 

The New Yorker. 

Mr. CONYERS. We will be happy to introduce that into the record. 

Ms. BALDWIN. Thank you. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

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Mr. CONYERS. Dan Lungren, California. 

Mr. LUNGREN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just make 

several points. Number one, I appreciate this hearing, although I 

am surprised that this hearing takes precedence over us reconsidering the major elements of the PATRIOT Act which have to be determined in our effort on the war on terror before they expire. Secondly, I must say that I had the good fortune of getting to know 


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17 

John Mackey through Jack Kemp, and have seen the deterioration 

of that great man, a leader in the NFL and the players union, and 

believe that an investigation of the kind of injuries suffered in the 

NFL and other levels of football is appropriate. 

And third, I hope that beyond everything we are dealing with 

here, that the greatest thing that can come out of this is serious 

studies as to the impact of the use of equipment, the head as a 

weapon in football, and the rules to protect players that will not 

only affect the NFL, college, but high school as well. Too often I 

hear on television commentators talking about the great hit. And 

you examine the hit, and it is often a hit used with the head or 

not an enforced rule against head hits, both on the pro, the college, 

and the high school level. And if there is any one thing we could 

do, it would be to show that it is not a game to destroy people’s 

brains with respect to the misuse of helmets and the misuse of the 

head during football. 

I love football, I grew up loving football, I happened to go to 

Notre Dame, I know a good number of guys who played in the 

NFL, but we ought to face facts. Football is a great game, but using 

the head in the way it has developed, with the protection of the 

helmet, people don’t understand you don’t have to worry about 

breaking teeth any more and breaking jaws, but because we have 

that comfort, too often the helmet encasing the head allows players 

to believe they are invulnerable because we can’t see the injury. 

The injury is impactful, the injury is long lasting, and we ought 

to at least get as much information as we can so we can be honest 

about the decisions we make. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Mr. Lungren. Mike Quigley of Illinois. 

Mr. QUIGLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Well then, let me try 

to focus this on a broader scale. If our concern is that perhaps we 

should be dealing with the PATRIOT Act or other matters of perhaps greater importance, let me try to put it on a broader scale. 

The NFL is the role model for high school players. It is important 

to understand the extent of the risk these athletes take when they 

step on the field each week. And it is natural to center our attention on the professionals who fill our Sunday afternoons. But I 

think it is absolutely critical that in addition to focusing on the 

athletes who play in front of season ticket holders, that we remember the ones who play in front of their family, friends and peers 

on Friday nights. 

The norms of the NFL, for better or worse, become the norms of 

high school football players. While contact and collision are inherent to the game, so too is a certain code that comes to the game 

that you go back to the huddle no matter how badly you are hurt, 

that you play no matter how badly you are hurt, that full contact 

drills all the time are okay, that you don’t need water in a sufficient basis when you prepare. So what I guess I am getting to here 

is whatever we address and deal with the NFL goes beyond the 

concerns that we have with NFL players. It goes to those young 

people who play on Friday nights throughout our country. And 

while we can’t do everything to change the dangerous nature of the 

game, we want to ensure that the NFL is doing everything in its 

power not only to provide for the well-being of its players, but to 

18 

set the right example for the millions of high school football players 

who follow their lead. Very, very few of them will become NFL 

players. But they still can be hurt and still can have long-lasting 

injuries as a result of their play and what they follow on Sunday 

afternoons. So I hope that one of the benefits of today’s discussion 

is that it serves as a launching point to broaden the discussion on 

the precautions that can be taken to increase player safety at all 

levels. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you. Darrell Issa of California. 

Mr. ISSA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And as a Member both of 

this Committee and the committee on steroids next door, I want to 

thank you for taking up this issue. I believe that when Government 

Oversight and Reform began looking at steroids with a bent toward 

a union negotiation that had failed, I believe that we didn’t realize 

at that time that we could be as successful as we were in getting 

professional baseball to get steroids out, to have testing, and for 

that to fall down into college and high school ball, where today I 

believe that we have done a better job of eliminating that on our 

young athletes. 

I believe that at its best, that is what we are going to do here. 

We are going to cause the ongoing union negotiations to focus on 

prevention, on dealing with changes in officiating, and we are obviously going to see behind closed doors the NFL deal with the question of how much do you pay up front and how much do you hold 

back for the long-term care of athletes. I believe that it is appropriate that we not judge those negotiations, because ultimately 

there is only so many dollars, and those dollars have to be allocated by a form of negotiation in which we are not participants. 

But when it comes to changes in the tolerance at professional and 

collegiate level of, if you will, head butting and other techniques 

that are growing and growing in their use, and as a result, leading 

to unnecessary head injuries, I think your leadership will be long 

appreciated for the fact that if we make it an issue here in Congress, it becomes an issue at the bargaining table. It ultimately will 

make a difference in the next USC-Notre Dame game, which 

means a lot to my colleague, and I am sure to all of us. I thank 

you and yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Issa. The last one on 

our side is Hank Johnson. Last one on the other side is Bob Goodlatte. Hank Johnson of Atlanta, Georgia. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this important hearing. I am glad this Committee is taking the opportunity 

to look at how football head injuries have the potential to affect 

one’s quality of life. Today we will hear testimony from several witnesses who will discuss the necessity of independent research as 

well as the importance of incorporating any findings linking concussions and cognitive damage into preventive practices. Failing to 

have research that is independent could easily mislead the public 

into underestimating the serious impact of football head injuries. 

In the long run, the old mantra of perseverance has the dangerous trickle-down effect of influencing over a million children 

who play high school football and the thousands who are injured 

every year. ‘‘Walking off the pain,’’ as it is called, in an NFL game 

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dren are, often encouraged by parents and coaches, attempt to imitate what they view as the noble behavior of their football heroes 

and gladiators. This behavior is clearly dangerous. And a refusal 

to recognize and respond to this danger is reckless and irresponsible. 

Not only are the direct impacts of these head injuries dangerous, 

the trickle-down effects on high school and college players are very 

real and can be fatal, as we will hear today. I look forward to hearing the witnesses’ testimony on this very important and urgent necessity to conduct an independent study on the cognitive impact of 

football head injuries and the legal ramifications of this brain damage. I thank the Chairman again for allowing me to make an opening and yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Mr. Johnson. A senior Member of the 

Judiciary Committee from Virginia, Bob Goodlatte. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing. I want to take the opportunity to welcome Tiki Barber, a great 

star of the New York Giants, now retired, who hails from my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, and who will be testifying on the second 

panel, I believe, and can share a lot with us. He and his brother 

Ronde not only were great stars in the NFL, but also at the University of Virginia, and prior to that in the City of Roanoke in football played there, in high school. 

So they can share this perspective with us at each level of competition. I also want to note the great work that he has done in 

promoting football and recreation and athletics in general. He and 

his brother have sponsored camps and other activities, and I have 

seen firsthand their great passion for our young people. 

I also want to associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from California and as well the Ranking Member. I share 

the concern about some of the practices that take place in football, 

and I think this is a great opportunity for us to learn more and 

to shine a spotlight on this issue. But I also associate myself with 

the remarks of Mr. Smith in saying that while we do want to pay 

close attention to what is going on here, I do not think the Congress should inject itself into the negotiations between the NFL 

and its players. Nor do I think that, as some have proposed here 

in the Congress, the Congress should engage in legislation that 

would allow or prohibit certain types of plays from taking place in 

high school or college or major league athletics. 

Quite frankly, that is something that should be left to other people who are in better places and better positions around the country to make those decisions. And we here, the amateur quarterbacks on the House Judiciary Committee, should not take up that 

kind of micromanagement of American athletics. So I thank you, 

Mr. Chairman, for having this hearing today and allowing us to 

learn more about this issue. 

Mr. CONYERS. Of course, we would never do anything like that. 

We have a distinguished Member of Congress, the founder and 

chair of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, Bill Pascrell. 

He has been at all our hearings. He sometimes thinks he is a Member of the Judiciary Committee. And we would like him to begin 

this discussion today. We welcome you back again to the Committee, Mr. Pascrell. All other Members that have an opening 

20 

statement, we will take it into the record. And we welcome you 

again before us. 

TESTIMONY OF THE HONORABLE BILL PASCRELL, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY 

Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you, Chairman Conyers and Ranking 

Member Smith, Members of the Committee, for having me here to 

speak on a very important topic of brain injury. It has become part 

of my life, literally. 

Mr. Chairman, you have done a great job in bringing together a 

wide array of experts to discuss what can be a difficult and very 

controversial topic. These wounds may be invisible, but the consequences are very real. You have taken a stand to ensure that 

these consequences are addressed. As cofounder and co-chair of the 

Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, which is comprised of over 

130 Congressional Members from both sides of the aisle, since its 

founding in 2001, it has been the task force mission to expand the 

understanding and public awareness of brain injury. Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, educating members and the general 

population has been the most difficult effort of this task force. In 

recent years, the task force has taken a greater focus on brain injuries that have become the signature injury of the Iraq and Afghanistan war. 

It is estimated that as many as 20 percent of soldiers returning 

from Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained a brain injury. The 

brain injuries of our soldiers have spurred Congress to make unprecedented investments in brain injury research, research that 

will benefit soldiers and civilians alike for years to come. And we 

have done this in a bipartisan fashion. The same way that we have 

gained greater understanding in research from the brain injuries 

from our soldiers, we should also take this opportunity to learn 

from the injuries of professional athletes. 

In recent months, the task force has placed considerable attention on the issue of so-called mild brain injuries, specifically on concussions, which affect everyone from our soldiers in the battlefield 

to our children who play on various sports fields. In fact, the task 

force held a panel discussion that featured two of your witnesses 

today, Dr. Tucker, who is the team physician of the Baltimore 

Ravens, Mr. Nowinski, who is director for the Center for the Study 

of Traumatic Encephalopathy. These discussions and the growing 

number of studies, like the one commissioned by the National Football League, open our eyes to the implications of head injuries. Unfortunately, these consequences hit close to home. On October the 

16th, 2008, Ryne Dougherty, a 16-year-old from Montclair, New 

Jersey, tragically died from a brain hemorrhage after returning to 

play football without fully recovering from a concussion sustained 

earlier in the season. I hope you understand what I am laying before this Committee. 

In the later panel, you will hear the story of the untimely death 

of another young athlete, Will Benson. Please listen carefully so 

that we can work together and do something about preventing 

these things from happening. These stories are not unique to these 

young men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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vention, as many as 3.8 million concussions related to sports and 

recreation are estimated to occur each year. After sustaining one 

concussion, an athlete becomes as much as four to six times more 

likely to sustain a second concussion. I also want to point out that 

recent studies show that girls may be at higher risk for concussions 

and face longer recovery times. Clearly, this is a problem that can 

impact all children. 

In fact, Mr. Chairman, it is startling to see the numbers within 

a sport that we usually don’t associate with problems of brain injury, soccer. And I have never seen a soccer game with anybody 

wearing any kind of protective head gear. I want to point out that 

recent studies show that girls may be at higher risk. I repeat that 

because study after study shows this. This is not something that 

is picked off a shelf. These are scientific studies. A recent study 

from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, also found that as many as 41 

percent of concussed high school athletes may be returning to play 

too soon. 

And I would suspect that when we look into this further, when 

the NFL does its studies, that that will be the centerpiece of whatever we are going to do in the future. Many colleges and professional athletic associations, including the NFL, have all adopted 

guidelines for the management of concussions. 

However, much of this information has not made its way to our 

local middle schools or high schools. I think that is imperative. 

This is serious business when you see how many of these concussions are taking place and how many children are in jeopardy of 

losing their lives. In response to the growing problem, last November I introduced the Concussion Treatment and Care Tools Act, 

better known as the ConTACT Act, with Todd Platts, who is the 

leading Republican in the task force. He is co-chair with me. Early 

in 2010, we expect that this bill will be heard. The ConTACT Act 

is designed to provide our schools and coaches with the tools they 

need to ensure that student athletes receive the proper care for 

concussions regardless of the sport that they play. Because varied 

and conflicting concussion management guidelines have caused 

confusion, the ConTACT Act provides for the establishment of a 

consensus set of guidelines that work for schools by bringing together a wide range of experts. 

This bill also incentivizes the adoption of guidelines by schools to 

ensure that student athletes receive the proper care and are given 

adequate time to recuperate before they are returned to play. Need 

I say that it doesn’t matter how young or how old you are, or what 

sport you play, or whether you play professional football, this 

should be a guiding principle of our research. In 2006, I worked 

with the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey to provide grants 

to New Jersey schools for the purchase of these technologies that 

are available. The ConTACT Act provides funds for the adoption of 

these technologies in our Nation’s middle and high schools. If we 

are seeking the kinds of tangible long-term consequences of brain 

injuries as revealed by recent studies of NFL players, you have 

state of the art equipment and access to the best care available, 

then we have to consider what this means for our young athletes. 

Because damage to a maturing brain can be catastrophic, it is even 

22 

more important to ensure that we understand these consequences 

and that the proper care is provided to young athletes. I am happy 

to report this morning, and I just received it, that both the National Football League and the National Football League Players 

Association have endorsed the ConTACT Act. The letter is before 

me if anyone cares to read it. 

Mr. CONYERS. We will accept it into the record. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

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Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we are encouraging 

young people, I will be closing, to be healthy athletes who embrace 


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ideas like teamwork and doing their best, then this Congress must 

do everything it can to protect them as they participate in sports. 

That is what we call fair play. It is my hope that this hearing will 

generate a national conversation, spur innovation in equipment, 

lead to action regarding brain injury and the implications that 

these findings have for athletes of all ages, male and female in all 

sports. I thank you again, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Ranking Member, for holding this important hearing, and I would gladly answer 

any questions if there are any. 

Mr. CONYERS. There are plenty, but we are not going to go into 

it today. But we do welcome your coming with us again and the 

work that you and your caucus is doing in this regard. So we thank 

you so much, Bill Pascrell—— 

Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS [continuing]. For kicking us off. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Pascrell follows:] 

26 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE BILL PASCRELL, JR., 

A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY


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Mr. CONYERS. The first panel consists of Merrill Hoge, George 

Martin, Dr. David Weir, Dr. Robert Cantu, Dr. Andrew Tucker, Dr. 

Gay Culverhouse, Mr. DeMaurice Smith, and the Commissioner of 

the National Football League, Roger Goodell. 


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We welcome you all, urge you to take your seats. The current 

Commissioner of the National Football League is also the son of 

Senator Charles Goodell, who was both a Member of Congress and 

a United States Senator. Roger Goodell played football himself in 

college, and he has been with the National Football League for 

many years. We appreciate his good work, his cooperative spirit 

that he brings to these hearings. And we will accept all of your 

written testimony into the record and invite you—we welcome you 

all and invite you, Mr. Goodell, Commissioner, to begin our discussion. 

TESTIMONY OF ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER, 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 

Mr. GOODELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Ranking Member 

Smith, Members of the Committee, I submitted a full statement 

and would ask it be included in your record. Since becoming Commissioner of the National Football League a little more than 3 

years, I can think of no issue to which I have devoted more time 

and attention than the well-being of NFL players, and particularly 

our retired players. I want to review what we have done in the past 

3 years and make clear that we are not finished. Our initiatives 

generally for retired players include the following: Since I became 

Commissioner, we have made a wide range of improvements in 

both the benefits and the administration of the disability plan. We 

have doubled the minimum benefit and lengthened the time within 

which players can apply for benefits. We have retained a new independent medical director. We have reduced red tape. We have simplified the process for applicants and their families and sped disability determinations. Each of these changes was made at our initiative. As we proceed with the current round of collective bargaining, we look forward to making further improvements in this 

plan. Apart from the disability plan in 2006, we created the 88 

Plan, which provides up to 88,000 per year for any former player 

and his family who has dementia or Alzheimer’s. Those players do 

not need to show that their condition is related to football. We have 

developed and funded new medical benefits for retirees, including 

programs for joint replacement surgery, cardiovascular and prostate cancer screening, spinal care, assisted living arrangements, 

and a discount card for prescription drugs. Retirees are eligible for 

these benefits at no cost to themselves. In each successive collective 

bargaining agreement since 1993, we have increased pension benefits and done so retroactively. We want that to continue. 

And as we negotiate with the NFLPA for a new agreement, the 

clubs have again identified retired player pensions as a specific priority, and look forward to discussing our proposals with the union. 

Through these and other benefits, retired players will receive more 

than $100 million in 2009. And I have committed to our retirees, 

and I will repeat that commitment today, that we will not reduce 

or eliminate funding for these benefits based on the status of our 

collective bargaining agreement, and we will continue to accept 

new applications for disability or 88 Plan benefits. 

We have also tried to understand the needs of our retirees and 

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vey that Dr. Weir will discuss. We learned a good deal from the report, and are actively following up with the 56 players who report 

memory problems. I know that a specific matter of interest is concussions and their effects. We know that concussions are a serious 

matter, and that they will require special attention and treatment. 

And in this area, I have been clear. Medical considerations must 

always come first. 

Decisions regarding treatment of players with concussions and 

when they can resume play must be made by doctors and doctors 

alone. We are changing the culture of our game for the better. 

Again, it is important to look at what we have done. In addition 

to research that has led to better equipment, we have made numerous rule changes to sharply limit the kinds of hits that lead to concussions. We have also emphasized proper care and education. 

Prior to 2007, we took a number of steps, with the active participation of the NFLPA and its medical director. 

We held an open medical conference on concussions. Many of the 

doctors here today participated and shared their findings. We developed new educational materials for players and their families, 

and the doctors developed new guidelines for management of concussions that have reinforced a clear trend toward increasingly conservative care. The NFLPA and I jointly communicated these initiatives to all players, owners, head coaches, doctors, and trainers, 

and they were of course widely publicized. So we welcome the 

union’s interest in this subject and look forward to continued collaboration. Just 2 weeks ago I met with Dr. Cantu in Boston. 

Based on that discussion, I have asked John Madden, who is now 

a special adviser to me, to work with a group of coaches to identify 

new practice techniques, or practice techniques that have been 

used in the past, that could reduce the risk of head trauma outside 

of the games themselves. 

We must continue to learn from and base our decisions on 

science, but we cannot stand by while research continues. So we 

will continue to have a singular focus on player safety and do all 

we can through equipment changes, rules, education, and medical 

care to make the game as safe as possible. We will also support all 

manner of ongoing research. One other outcome of my discussion 

with Dr. Cantu is I expect shortly to be able to announce the NFL 

support for ongoing research into CTE. We recognize that our example extends to young athletes who play football. Accordingly, 

through USAFootball we have distributed material on concussions 

developed by HHS and the CDC to 9,000 youth programs across 

the country. And the USAFootball Web site, visited by as many as 

200,000 people each month, contains a wealth of information on 

concussions and other health and safety issues. We will continue 

to do more to disseminate information and to emphasize safe and 

fair play. 

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, our goal will continue to be to 

make our game as safe as possible for those who love to play it, 

and to give our retirees the support and respect they deserve. 

Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Commissioner. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Goodell follows:] 

31 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ROGER GOODELL


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Mr. CONYERS. Our next witness is Attorney DeMaurice Smith, 

who did his thing in varsity track and field, went on to law school, 

University of Virginia Law School, worked in the U.S. Attorney’s 

office, served under Eric Holder when he was a Deputy Attorney 

General, as a trial lawyer, was President of the Assistant United 

States Attorneys Association, and has received many awards. And 

we welcome you. We have your statement. And we encourage you 

to expound on it in the time that you have. 

TESTIMONY OF DeMAURICE SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION 

Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, Ranking 

Member Smith, Members of Congress, Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, 

and others. Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify this 

morning. I would also like to take the time to welcome and thank 

Ms. Sylvia Mackey, wife of John Mackey, as well as Mr. Wood. 

Other former players are also in attendance. Mr. Brent Boyd and 

I welcome each and every one of them, and thank them for their 

attendance today. As executive director, my number one priority is 

to protect those who play and have played this game. There is no 

interest greater than their health and their safety. Let me say this 

again. The safety of our players is paramount. Mr. Chairman, you 

and this Committee deserve immense credit and appreciation for 

consistently bringing this issue of concussions, brain trauma, 

health and safety in the sport of football to the forefront. This Committee and this hearing will be a turning point on this issue. My 

hope is that this day will serve as a marker denoting the day that 

we are committing ourselves to finding the right answer. It will influence not only this game at the professional level, but the one 

that so many of us love for our players in college, high school, and 

in youth football. 

I have one simple declaration on behalf of those who play and 

those who played this game. We are committed to getting the right 

answers, to work with everyone who has the goal of protecting our 

players, and to serve as a model for football at every level. Given 

that commitment, I acknowledge that the players union in the past 

has not done its best. We will do better. To men like John Mackey, 

to men like Brent Boyd, to men like Mr. Wood, and to families of 

Mr. Mike Webster and to Andre Waters, and to those organizations 

like the Gridiron Greats that stand with us, I commit and we commit this as our primary mission. We will not fail them. I will not 

fail them. Both myself and the current retired players of the National Football League are committed to getting this answer right. 

I was elected by the board of player reps in March of this year. 

Since that time, we have taken the following steps to address this 

issue. In May of 2009, we created the NFL Players Concussion and 

Traumatic Brain Injury Committee to address two critical issues, 

the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of concussions and TBI in 

active players, and second, the long-term cumulative effects of TBI 

in NFL players as patients, to analyze and study this issue of NFL 

players as patients, and how these effects can be reduced or eliminated. 

This Committee, funded by the players, will act as a superconductor of current and future studies, and is charged with one 

38 

overarching goal, to get the answer right. Two weeks ago I met 

with all of the chapter presidents and steering committee members 

who represent the retired players of the National Football League. 

This 40-person Congress of former players that represent and make 

up the NFL Retired Players Association is an organization with 

over 25 years of history. At that meeting, they all embraced the 

creation of this committee and joined our call to have the National 

Football League release all aggregate medical information that has 

been collected over the years to benefit both current and retired 

players. 

Third, several players have dedicated their bodies to medical 

science in the effort to provide researchers with the best information to aid those who will play this game in the future. This body 

of retired players also had several players who are willing to do the 

same thing. Not only to help the players who are playing this game 

today, but as they have done in the past, to stand up for the people 

who will play this game tomorrow. Because they know that it will 

be their sons, it will be their daughters who are playing sports that 

will benefit from this research. For the first time ever, the Players 

Association medical director, Dr. Thom Mayer, is present at every 

meeting, including collective bargaining meetings that deal with 

player health and safety. He will chair the Players Traumatic 

Brain Injury Committee. 

Finally, Mr. Chairman, to everyone here, to the retired players, 

to those who are watching us across the country, the players of the 

National Football League will not bargain for medical care. We will 

not bargain for health and safety. We will not bargain for basic 

provisions of the law as patients. We will continue to work with the 

league, but medical care is not and will never be just a collective 

bargaining issue. While all players understand that professional 

football is a violent game, we must do our best to keep them informed of the game’s potential consequences. Yes, it is true that 

professional football players are the best, most well conditioned 

athletes in the world, but even those blessed with tremendous athletic gifts are vulnerable to severe injuries. We must know and embrace all of the medical data to prevent, treat, and manage the 

long-lasting effects of these injuries. Mr. Chairman, I welcome any 

questions, am prepared to submit any other information that you 

may request, and am happy to be here today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:] 

39 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DEMAURICE SMITH


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Attorney Smith. 

Our next witness is the daughter of the late Hugh Culverhouse, 

the first owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dr. Gay 

Culverhouse. She has an MA and a doctorate in education from 

Teachers College, Columbia University. 


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While her father was owner of the Buccaneers, she served in administrative roles within the team and eventually became its president. She is in the process of concluding her work on a book entitled, Violence: The Underbelly of the National Football League, 

which was prompted by learning about the deteriorating health of 

her former players who suffered from concussions. 

She has received many other degrees and honors, and I am very 

happy to have her before us here today. 

Welcome. 

TESTIMONY OF GAY CULVERHOUSE, Ed.D., 

FORMER PRESIDENT, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Thank you us, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, 

Committee, for giving me the opportunity to address you today. It 

is a great honor for us. 

Mr. CONYERS. Pull it closer. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. I will just yell. 

In 1974, my father was awarded the expansion team in Tampa, 

Florida. And, from that point on, I have been intimately involved 

in football. Prior to that, I did go to the University of Florida. The 

years I was there, Steve Spurrier was the Heisman Trophy Award 

winner. 

Yes, I am a grandmother of six children, and I feel like these 

people’s grandmother here because I have been involved in football 

for so long. 

The one thing that I would like to bring to your attention that 

I think that I can have a unique perspective on is—Mr. Goodell 

spoke to the medical aspects and having the doctors make these decisions. 

One of the things you, as a Committee, need to understand very 

clearly is the fact that the team doctor is hired by the coach and 

paid by the front office. This team doctor is not a medical advocate 

for the players. This team doctor’s role is to get that player back 

on the field, even if that means injecting the player on the field. 

I have seen a wall of players surround a player, a particular 

player, and seen his knees injected, seen his hip injected between 

plays and him back on the field. This is inexcusable. And I want 

you to understand the role that the medical community has in facilitating these concussions. 

The players get to a point where they refuse to tell the team doctor that they have suffered a concussion, as well. They do not selfreport because they know there is a backup player sitting on the 

bench ready to take their position. Most of their contracts are backend loaded with performance bonuses. They need those extra yards 

and those interceptions in order to make their salaries. 

The team doctor goes to the combine, where he goes over the 

medical records and helps the team coach choose the incoming 

players for the next season. He is involved in the draft process because he evaluates how severe that knee injury was in college, or 

that concussion. He is part of the selection process. So he has a 

very vested interest in that player’s success on the field. 

The team doctor dresses as a coach on the sidelines, and he acts 

in many ways as a coach on the sidelines. He is not an independent 

advocate for the player. If a player chooses independent medical 

45 

counsel, he is considered to be not a team player. He becomes a pariah to the team. We have to stop that. 

We also need to have at every game an independent neurologist 

or neurosurgeon on the sidelines who takes care of either side in 

the game, who is not prejudiced, who is independent, who can 

make an independent judgment if he sees a player in a huddle 

throwing up. 

Something needs to be done about this medical care. You cannot 

leave it in the hands of the team physician to make these decisions. 

And the players are at the point now where they will not self-report because they need the money. They are a disposable commodity. There is a draft coming up every April, and these players 

fight to hold on to their jobs. And they welcome shots and anything 

else that will keep them on the field. This is, in my idea, inhumane. 

And I have watched it since the early 1970’s, and I will tell you 

that it has not changed. Do not be fooled that, since I left the game 

in 1994, that this game has changed. You can see the discussions 

on whether Tim Tebow of the University of Florida should play 

against LSU. My grandson is 9 years old. Tim Tebow is his idol. 

You better believe my grandson is going rush back out there and 

play. We need an independent doctor on the sidelines to tell my 

grandson ‘‘no.’’ 

I appreciate the opportunity to address you. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Culverhouse follows:] 

46 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF GAY CULVERHOUSE


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Dr. Culverhouse. 

Dr. Andrew Tucker, medical director of the Union Memorial 

Sports Medicine Program in Baltimore; fifteen years’ experience 

providing primary medical care to professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational athletes; head team physician for the Baltimore Ravens, and serves on a number of advisory committees focused on performance-enhancing agents, mild traumatic brain injury, and cardiovascular health. And, as I understand it, is currently the president of the National Football League Physicians Society. 

He has written chapters on various subjects, sport health topics, 

including concussions. And I will put the rest of his resume, which 

is pretty long, into the record, as I will with all of the other panelists. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

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Mr. CONYERS. Dr. Tucker, we are very pleased that you could be 

with us today. 


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TESTIMONY OF ANDREW M. TUCKER, M.D., MEMBER, NFL 

MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY COMMITTEE AND TEAM 

PHYSICIAN, BALTIMORE RAVENS 

Dr. TUCKER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

I will correct one piece of information. I am past president of the 

NFL Physicians Society, immediate past president. 

I have been a team physician in the NFL since 1991 and a member of the NFL Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury since 

its inception in 1994. From both perspectives, I have seen positive 

changes both in the science and in the culture related to the injury 

of concussion in the NFL and would like to summarize these for 

you now. 

First, from the perspective of the concussion committee member. 

In 1994, when Commissioner Paul Tagliabue requested that a committee be formed to determine what was known about concussions 

in sports and to study every facet of the injury as it related to the 

game of football, it revealed a stark reality: We did not have much 

scientific data on sports-related concussions. 

Evaluation and treatment guidelines were well-intentioned but 

not based on solid science. Major helmet manufacturers told us 

that their products had not changed substantially in many years. 

Their products were adequately protecting players from catastrophic brain injuries, but there was no stimulus for innovation to 

decrease the risk of concussion. 

The first several years of the committee activity concentrated on 

understanding the very basic epidemiology, the who, what, why, 

where, when of the injury. And that study continues even today. 

In parallel work, the committee enlisted the help of highly respected biomechanical people from academic communities in the 

United States and Canada to study concussions in professional 

football in new and creative ways. 

Game videotape of actual concussive injury on the field of play 

was studied and analyzed. Researchers were able to recreate laboratory reconstructions of collisions of helmeted test dummies that 

accurately represented what was happening to players on the field. 

In effect, this had never been done before. 

Research breakthroughs resulted in many tangible benefits, 

which are listed in your statement, and I will just highlight a few. 

Number one, helmet design. The information that we shared 

with helmet manufacturers was a critical stimulus to the first substantive changes in helmet design in many years and provides us 

with some optimism that the risk for concussion in players at all 

levels—not elimination, but the risk of concussion in players of all 

ages might decrease with these improved designs. 

Secondly, helmet testing. Because we have a valid laboratory 

protocol for recreating the conditions that result in concussion on 

the field, this laboratory set-up can be used to evaluate the new 

products that I just spoke about. 

Thirdly, the interaction with NOCSAE, also part of helmet testing. NOCSAE, as you may know, is the committee that establishes 

safety standards for sports equipment, including helmets, the same 

helmets that our players wear, the same helmets that our children 

wear. The biomechanical research allowed us to understand that 

the speeds and forces associated with injury and concussion in the 

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NFL were quite a lot different from what they were using to test 

helmets. Thus, our open dialogue with NOCSAE has resulted in 

modifications in how helmets are tested for efficacy. 

And as the commissioner reminded us, number four: rules 

changes. A greater understanding of how concussions occur on the 

field has been shared with the National Football League and provides the Competition Committee with valuable, objective information to make rule changes to protect players and make the game 

safer. 

I would like to also take a couple of moments to talk about 

neuropsychological testing and, also, the study of retired players. 

Neuropsychological testing has been utilized in the study of neurological patients for over half a century. Our colleagues in Pittsburgh and other academic centers were leaders in developing 

neuropsych testing for the evaluation of brain injury in athletes in 

the early 1990’s. The test has evolved into a valid and reliable evaluation and management tool for sports-related concussion. 

Our committee was instrumental in supporting the use of this 

technology across all NFL teams in the mid to late 1990’s. Today, 

its use is mandated for all NFL clubs. The committee’s support of 

this tool was also instrumental in promoting the use of the evaluation and treatment of athletes at all levels of competition. 

Retired players: The study of retired players remains probably 

the most concentrated focus of our committee’s activities today. 

While other researchers have published findings from survey and 

questionnaire data that suggest that recurrent concussions may increase the risk for chronic changes in brain function in retired 

players, our committee has noted this, we regard it as valuable, we 

regard it as concerning, and we regard it as not yet definitive. 

These are due to limitations in research methods, which will be 

spoken about. 

The committee is supervising a study of retired players that involves comprehensive neurological testing and imaging with a control group of men who have played college football in order to more 

definitely ascertain whether playing professional football is associated with increased risk of brain dysfunction in the retired athlete. 

The issue of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in former players 

has been and will be a most vigorously examined, debated, and 

scrutinized topic among experts inside and outside our committee. 

Some experts believe autopsy findings of former football players are 

due solely to the effects of trauma, while other experts feel repetitive head trauma and repetitive concussions are only a piece of the 

puzzle of a very complicated issue. The committee has hosted scientific exchanges on this topic as recently as May and will have another meeting next month. 

Lastly, education: Education of our own medical staffs, players, 

coaches, and team administrators has been a priority of our committee since its inception. The first educational symposium was 

soon after the committee started in the mid 1990’s. The most recent one was in Chicago in 2007, and another is being planned for 

2010. 

Ongoing concussion education is regularly a part of our scientific 

interchanges at the combine in Indianapolis on an annual basis. 

And we have shared our knowledge and experiences with our colVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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leagues in sports medicine through our biannual NFL team physician meetings. 

Clearly, the last 15 years has been a time for important advances 

in concussion research and clinical care. While our committee has 

published 17 articles from our research, we hardly admit that we 

have all the answers. Our charge remains overseeing quality research for the benefit of our active and retired players and to advance the science of sports-related concussion. 

My last perspective is that of a team physician. There are many 

challenges to evaluating and treating concussions in athletes of all 

ages. While the injury is easy to diagnose in some cases, there are 

other situations in which—many situations, actually, in which an 

athlete who has sustained a concussion is difficult to diagnose. 

With concussion, as with any other medical issue, the medical 

staff is dependent on the athlete giving us accurate information to 

help us make a diagnosis and properly care for the player. 

Team physicians and athletic trainers have long observed two 

primary barriers to this important exchange: First, the athlete for 

too long has thought that being dinged or mildly concussed is simply part of the game and not important information to share with 

their medical staff. Secondly, athletes want to compete and they 

want to play, and they tend not to give us information that might 

result in restriction to play. 

I feel strongly that, not only in NFL players but, as well, my 

high school and college athletes, these barriers of, number one, lack 

of patient education and, number two, a conscious reluctance to 

share information are much less imposing now than they were 10 

or 15 years ago. 

Finally, as a team physician at all levels of competition, I certainly evaluate and manage concussions differently today than I 

did 15 years ago. While we try to understand the potential effects 

of head injury on our currently retired players, I don’t think it is 

wise to indict the care being provided today’s players based on reports treated a generation or more ago. I am truly optimistic the 

care being rendered to today’s athletes will prove very beneficial to 

the retired athletes of tomorrow. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Tucker follows:] 

62 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ANDREW M. TUCKER


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Mr. CONYERS. Dr. Tucker, we thank you for your statement. 

I am now pleased to recognize Dr. Robert Cantu, clinical professor of neurosurgery, Boston University School of Medicine; author of over 300 scientific publications, including 21 books on neurosurgery, sports medicine, and lots of chapters on peer-reviewed 

papers and others of the like. 


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He has served as associate editor of Medicine & Science in Sports 

& Exercise. He is still doing a lot of health things himself. And we 

will put this very extensive resume into the record. 

[The information referred to follows:] 


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Mr. CONYERS. And I welcome you to the Committee. We are 

pleased and honored to have you here. 

TESTIMONY OF ROBERT C. CANTU, M.D., CHIEF OF NEUROSURGERY SERVICE, AND DIRECTOR, SPORTS MEDICINE, 

EMERSON HOSPITAL, CONCORD, MA 

Dr. CANTU. Thank you, sir. 

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Judiciary Committee, I am honored to be here today, and thank you for allowing me to provide 

this testimony. 

I am a neurosurgeon who has spent the past 30 years of my career focusing on issues pertaining to sports-related concussion. As 

the author of the first return-to-play guidelines after a football concussion nearly 30 years ago, I have been fortunate to be able to 

participate in the development of and be a coauthor of numerous 

international—Vienna, Prague, and Zurich—as well as national— 

the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American College of Sports Medicine—return-to-play guidelines for athletes following a concussion. 

We are here today because there is a growing awareness of the 

public health crisis we are facing due to long-term consequences of 

football-related brain trauma. Over the past several years, there 

has been growing and convincing evidence that repetitive concussive and subconcussive blows to the head in NFL players lead to 

a progressive neurogenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE. 

This Judiciary Committee hearing was scheduled soon after a 

newspaper report of an NFL-funded research study of 1,063 former 

NFL players who were given a lengthy telephone survey, which 

concluded, among other questions, that the incidence of dementia 

and memory-related diseases was 19 times higher than the national average in the 30-to-49-year-old age group and nearly six 

times higher in the over-50-year-old age group. 

While this comes as no surprise to those of us at the Center for 

the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at BU, as we have found 

all brains studied so far of NFL players who played after the age 

of 25 to have full blown CTE, the question remains, was this survey and their findings accurate? And I am sure we are going to 

hear more of that shortly. 

Unfortunately, the diagnosis of dementia cannot be made on a 

phone survey, and the term ‘‘memory-related diseases’’ is not a precise medical term. Thus, this study design is highly flawed. But 

even though it is flawed, it has had a positive effect of increasing 

the public awareness of this important issue. 

I am not here to debate the merits of this study but to point out 

that we have, in my opinion, a serious public health problem today 

resulting from repetitive head trauma too often experienced by 

NFL players. But the problem is much bigger than the NFL. It affects football players at all levels, including college, high school, 

and youth leagues. And it is not just football. It is all sports at high 

risk of brain injury, especially hockey, soccer, lacrosse, among others, that is at risk for CTE. 

The brain does not know what caused it to be violently shaken 

inside the skull: a football helmet-to-helmet hit, a left hook to the 

67 

jaw, a check against the boards, or even a blast injury in military 

combat. The response in all may be the conversion of a naturally 

occurring brain protein, tau, T-A-U, into a hyperphosphorylated 

form that is toxic to nerve cells and their connections and causes 

death of nerve cells and disruption of their connections. 

While our research shows that this abnormal accumulation of tau 

is widespread throughout the brains of individuals with CTE, it is 

especially concentrated in the medial temporal lobe structures, as 

Dr. Ann McKee will point out for you, and thus leads to a clinical 

triad of recent memory failure progressive in extreme cases to dementia, depression, and lack of impulse control. 

While CTE has been mostly reported in the world’s literature in 

boxers and for the longest period of time, over 80 years, nearly 20 

cases in the last several years have been reported from individuals 

that formally played in the NFL. In our group, we have recently 

reported a case of CTE in a man who only played football at the 

college level. So, obviously, some of these individuals have entered 

the NFL already with incipient, if not full-blown, CTE. Our group 

has even found the beginning of CTE in an 18-year-old high school 

athlete who died of rugby-related head trauma. 

Now that we are aggressively looking for CTE, there has been a 

40 percent increase in the recognized cases in just the last 2 years 

alone. And we believe this is but the tip of the iceberg. 

Thus, I believe we have a serious public health problem and a 

massive underappreciation of what head trauma, especially multiple head traumas, at both the concussive and subconcussive levels, can lead to. There is no doubt that these injuries do lead to 

an incurable neurodegenerative brain disease called CTE, which 

causes serious progressive impairments in cognition, emotion, and 

behavior control, even full-blown dementia. 

Obviously, not every athlete who experiences head trauma develops this disease. Future research will reveal additional important 

factors that make some athletes more prone than others to developing CTE. 

But the public health crisis is already here, and we cannot afford 

to wait any longer to make changes to the way we play sports, especially sports like football that is today being played in a way far 

different than it was initially conceived. Blows to the head, as we 

have heard earlier, need to be minimized through rule and technique changes, especially in those sports such as football. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Cantu follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF ROBERT C. CANTU


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. 

We now turn to Dr. David Weir, who is currently a research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, 

specializing in research on the measurement of health-related quality of life, the use of cost-effectiveness measures in health policy 


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and medical decision-making, the role of supplemental health insurance in the Medicare population, and has had recent research 

projects commissioned by the NFL Player Care Foundation. 

He was awarded the Cole Prize for best paper in the Journal of 

Economic History twice, in 1984 and 1995, and the Alfred P. Sloan 

Research Fellowship. 

I presume, Dr. Weir, that you are not connected with the University of Michigan Injury Institute recently formed there. 

Mr. WEIR. No. 

Mr. CONYERS. All right. We welcome you, and we look forward 

to your testimony. 

TESTIMONY OF DAVID R. WEIR, Ph.D., LEAD AUTHOR, NFL 

PLAYER CARE FOUNDATION STUDY OF RETIRED NFL PLAYERS 

Mr. WEIR. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, for inviting me here today. 

The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan 

is committed to the use of social science survey research to serve 

the public interest. And we are always ready to respond to you, as 

representatives of the public interest. 

I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight on our 

study of retired NFL players. Faced with the aging of the U.S. population, we are all looking for policies and programs to serve the 

needs of people after a lifetime of hard work. This unique population of retired football players is an intriguing place to look for 

challenges and solutions. 

Our study had two broad goals: The first, at the request of the 

NFL, was to describe the population of retired players across a 

wide range of topics, from marriage and family life to health, to 

economic circumstances. In an environment of sensationalized 

press accounts, they sought some basic facts on which to create or 

improve programs to serve the needs of retired players. 

The second goal, at our suggestion, was to lay the foundation for 

future research that could follow up on specific health problems or 

other areas of need. I am pleased to say that the NFL agrees with 

us that further research on the dementia issue is warranted, and 

we are now actively planning that follow-up effort. 

Our initial telephone survey found that retired professional football players are, to put it mildly, a diverse and fascinating group. 

On average, they are highly accomplished, productive members of 

their communities, churches, and families. They suffer from aches 

and pains in shoulders, knees, backs, and necks that make difficult 

activities that many of us take for granted. Most are in comfortable 

financial circumstances, though many report having received bad 

financial advice somewhere along the way. Most have health insurance and are able to get the health care they need. They are proud 

of their achievements and of their time as professional athletes. 

For every such generalization, there are individual exceptions. 

There are retired players in poverty or without health insurance. 

Some don’t particularly like the NFL. There are some who claim 

their knees don’t hurt. 

This diversity is particularly true for the issue of cognitive impairment and dementia that is the focus of the hearing today. In 

73 

our telephone interviews, 96 percent of NFL retirees report that 

they do not have such problems. But 4 percent do, and, in some 

cases, the disability and the need is profound. 

Depending on the severity of the problems, which our study could 

not assess, those numbers may or may not indicate an elevated 

risk from a career playing football. We can’t draw a conclusion, and 

no responsible scientist would do so. 

Those who assert that the rates reported by former players definitively show a higher risk do so by greatly underestimating the 

extent of dementia and cognitive impairment in the general population. I wish it were rare, but it is not. It is a major public health 

challenge facing the country. 

The follow-up study will address the major limitations of the 

telephone study with regard to the measurement of dementia and 

cognitive impairment. It will utilize the design and methods similar 

to ones we have used in a much larger study known as the ‘‘Health 

and Retirement Study,’’ which I have the privilege to direct at the 

University of Michigan with funding from the National Institute on 

Aging. 

The methods and results of this approach to diagnosis of impairment and dementia have been published in peer-reviewed scientific 

journals. It is done in the home by trained professionals and does 

not require travel or visits to clinics that might exclude some participants. 

With respect to individuals in the NFL study who did report a 

memory-related illness, it will be important to distinguish between 

the more severely disabling condition of dementia and the more 

common but less disabling mild cognitive impairment. The needs of 

these two groups are very different, and we will assess the extent 

to which the 88 Plan created by the league and the Players Association is meeting those needs. 

With respect to individuals who did not report any memory-related illness, we will seek to determine whether there is any significant dementia or impairment in a sample of cases. By comparison to studies using the same methods in the general population, 

we would be able to say to what extent retired professional football 

players differ in their rates of impairment and dementia. 

I understand the intense interest in this issue and the impatience to have definitive answers. I have many friends who are parents of teenage athletes, and I know how much it worries them. We 

will not delay, but getting it right is more important than getting 

it fast. 

To those retired players who we will ask to participate in the 

next stage of this research, I make the promise that we will protect 

your privacy and we will report the truth. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Weir follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF DAVID R. WEIR


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Doctor. We appreciate that. 

Our next witness is George Martin, who is the National Football 

League’s all-time leader in touchdowns. And it goes on from there, 

for quite a long time here. 

Are you still playing? 

Mr. MARTIN. No, sir. 

Mr. CONYERS. Last year, George Martin walked across the country to raise money for medical care for the first responders to the 


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September 11, 2001, terrorist attack. He raised close to $3 million 

for the families. 

And, just this month, he was elected to be executive director of 

the National Football League Alumni Association. 

And we will put all of your resume into the record. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

Mr. CONYERS. And we welcome you on that note. We are very 

proud to have you here, sir. 


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TESTIMONY OF GEORGE MARTIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

NFL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Mr. MARTIN. Thank you, sir. 

Chairman Conyers, distinguished Members of the House Judiciary Committee, my fellow colleagues, Commissioner Roger Goodell 

and Executive Director DeMaur Smith, I sincerely consider my 

presence here today to be both a privilege and an honor: a privilege 

in the fact that, for a moment, I have a respected platform on 

which to bring a rather alarming issue to light from an extremely 

unique perspective; and honored by the fact that I represent a constituency that will be observing the outcome of these hearings from 

more than a casual perspective. Therefore, I applaud these proceedings, and hopefully they will represent the impetus and serve 

as the catalyst to effect greater and even more meaningful responses to an ever-growing medical phenomenon. 

As executive director of the NFL Alumni Association, the recent 

medical findings surrounding head trauma in the NFL in general, 

and concussions more specifically, though admittedly inconclusive, 

has sparked sharp debate and generated considerable interest 

within this industry. 

While we, as concerned representatives of the Alumni Association, find the initial medical research alarming, to say the least, 

unlike my other esteemed colleagues here today—and with all due 

respect, I am the only one here that can give direct and actual 

firsthand accounts of the violence and the often injurious aftermath 

of professional athletics, which, in some cases, leads to an accelerated diminishing physical and mental capacity and sometimes fatal 

human collateral. 

As a former defensive lineman in the NFL for the last 14 years, 

I have had the unenviable experience of enduring life in what is 

commonly referred to as the ‘‘NFL trenches.’’ And, unfortunately, 

during that era, when violent tactical maneuvers such as head 

slaps, forearm shivers, clothesline tackles, and violent head-butts 

were commonplace among all facets of football, although most have 

since then been eliminated, the resulting severity of these combative interactions were oftentimes trivialized and minimized by 

the powers that be, usually referring to such incidents as simply 

‘‘getting your bell rung,’’ ‘‘getting your clock cleaned,’’ or ‘‘having 

cobwebs in your bonnet.’’ 

You may ask the obvious question as to why: Why refer to such 

antiquated and archaic behavior that has long since been banned 

from use in professional athletics? The answer is rather simple. 

Though the practice of such brutality has long since vanished, the 

resulting delayed consequences remain present and are feared to be 

more prevalent and widespread among our aging NFL alumni population than any of us dared realize. 

Today we acknowledge that such blunt force trauma is inherently dangerous and, according to several recent studies, most notably the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, 

CSTE, of Boston University’s School of Medicine, is that such incidents can perhaps lead to premature death among athletes. 

The sum total of such medical afflictions such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE, cannot be accurately measured merely 

by commissioning a single study, as the all-encompassing illness 

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adversely affects each and every family member who happens to be 

associated with the victim or the patient. 

I reluctantly highlight this point by betraying a confidence of a 

very personal friend who, over the course of a professional lifetime, 

has meant the world to me as a mentor, a teammate, a business 

associate. 

After 10 seasons in the NFL as a highly respected running back, 

this gentleman retired, seemingly to be the picture of health. He 

diligently maintained a rigorous regiment of athletic activities, 

while playing competitive tennis for at least 3 days a week. He also 

maintained a healthy diet, and he never varied five pounds above 

or below his optimum weight. 

Additionally, he owns a string of fast-food franchises consisting 

of more than 40 stores throughout the Northeast region. Business 

travel, both domestically and internationally, was a necessity and 

frequent occurrence. To say that he maintained an active lifestyle 

would have been an understatement. 

There were no overt signs of diminished capacity in his lifestyle 

except for, one fateful day, after returning from a business trip, he 

simply forgot where he parked his car. Upon sharing the story with 

his friends, we all had an amusing laugh at his expense and naively chalked it up to simple happenstance. He himself would jokingly say on numerous occasions, ‘‘George, I guess I got hit too 

many times in the head.’’ 

This incident happened only 2 short years ago. However, within 

the span of 24 months, this once vibrant, hyperactive individual 

has been reduced to a mere shell of his former self, who is now confined to self-imposed house arrest and, with each passing day, slips 

further and further away from the dynamic personality that we all 

once knew him to be. 

The shame, the embarrassment, the degradation are but the tip 

of the iceberg that he and his family are painfully enduring each 

and every passing day. This unfortunate scenario rings as a far too 

familiar refrain among many NFL alumni. 

If my presence here today and my very public betrayal of this 

deeply confidential situation of my former NFL colleagues results 

in illuminating this potential catastrophic medical calamity, then I 

would conclude that neither have been in vain. 

The general consensus among most NFL alumni centers around 

four primary concerns: First and foremost, prevention, so that the 

perpetual cycle of reoccurrence of these situations in sports itself 

is severely diminished or, better yet, totally eliminated through innovative rule changes and enhanced protective equipment. 

Secondly, proper diagnosis and effective medical treatment without laborious and agonizing red tape that oftentimes become a 

painful prelude that is discouraging and is completely exacerbating 

an already dire situation. 

Thirdly, that such medical treatment not result in a financial 

catastrophic tsunami which predominantly wreaks havoc, financial 

havoc, on the surviving family. 

Finally, a more comprehensive study which should include a 

veritable cross-section of alumni in order to accurately determine 

the full extent of the problem among retirees who may be predisposed to this insidious, debilitating medical situation. 

79 

On behalf of the NFL alumni, we greatly appreciate this forum 

in which to state our position on this vital manner. Thank you, Mr. 

Chairman. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Martin follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF GEORGE MARTIN


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Mr. CONYERS. That was very moving, and I am glad that you 

were here to tell it. 

Mr. MARTIN. Thank you, sir. 

Mr. CONYERS. Merril Hoge, former Pittsburgh Steelers, was the 

team’s starting running back for six seasons. He set the team 


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record for the most receptions by a running back, totaling 50 in 

1988. But he suffered his first concussion with the Bears during 

the 1994 season, in a game in Kansas City, and he was back playing 5 days later. 

But when he suffered his second concussion 6 weeks later, it 

ended his career. He had to relearn how to read. Sometimes get 

lost coming home from a restaurant that he had frequented for 

years. He is now an analyst for ESPN national—an NFL analyst. 

And even, sometimes, things can trigger problems about concentration, and so forth. 

We are very proud to have you with us. We realize because of 

time constraints, and we received the concurrence of the Ranking 

Member, to take you from the second panel and put you on the 

first panel. And we are very pleased that you are here to talk with 

us today. 

TESTIMONY OF MERRIL HOGE, RETIRED NFL PLAYER 

Mr. HOGE. Thank you, Chairman Conyers. I appreciate that. 

And, Ranking Member Smith and Committee Members, it is an 

honor to be here. 

As mentioned, I played 8 years in the National Football League: 

7 for the Pittsburgh Steelers and 1 for the Chicago Bears. In the 

prime of my career, a series of concussions cost me my career and 

nearly took my life. 

After my second concussion, I was escorted into the training 

room, where I flat-lined. As they started to resuscitate me, I 

popped back up, and they rushed me to the emergency room, where 

I lay in ICU for 2 days. In the first 24 hours, I could not recall my 

wife, my daughter, or my brother, who were there at the time. 

I was confined at home for weeks, where I couldn’t leave unless 

somebody went with me. I had to learn how to read again. I went 

through depression. And these major symptoms took nearly 2 years 

to recovery from. 

Two things went wrong from my first concussion on a Monday 

night game in Kansas City: First, I never saw a neurological doctor. Second of all, I was cleared 5 days later to play the game of 

football over the phone by a family practitioner. 

Now, due to contrary testimony already, I will say this. There 

has been significant changes in the National Football League based 

on the NFL and the NFLPA. What happened to me would not happen in the National Football League today. That does not mean we 

are all the way there. We are on our way. 

Something that is also extremely important that we all understand, and that is why we are here: The brain is the most vital and 

sensitive organ in our bodies. Without it, we do not function, we 

do not operate. 

That is why I am going to kind of broaden the scope, Mr. Chairman, and ask that you help us establish a national standard. Part 

of that national standard—and this is where it can be somewhat 

of a calming and a soothing approach to this—is that the standard 

be a part—part of the standard being that a neurological doctor is 

always part of the evaluation of head trauma, somebody who is 

trained for that. Secondly, within this national standard, that a 

player, he or she, does not return to play their particular sport 

83 

until they are asymptomatic for 7 consecutive days at exertion and 

at rest after they have cleared. If we established just those standards with all football, we would have less tragic stories than we 

have to this point. 

Now, as I broaden the scope just a little further, let me include 

our youth programs. Youth football from ages 6 to 14, we have over 

3 million kids playing football. That is twice as many that exist in 

high school, college, or the NFL combined. And we cannot forget 

them. 

The reason I am somewhat adamant about this at this point, I 

am a youth coach; I am active in youth football and other sports. 

I am the head coach, I am the trainer, I am the equipment manager, I am the cheerleader, I am the psychologist all in one and especially in the early moments of injuries. My experiences have 

truly helped me in critical moments in these programs, but oftentimes I watch the sidelines with uneducated parents dealing with 

our youth. And it is a grave concern. 

Within that standard that I am trying to propose is because I 

have never been a part of a program where there is a standard or 

a protocol to head injuries; that if we were better educated in that 

fashion, we would have less tragedies. So I am asking you to help 

us with that. Help us create better standards, better requirements, 

and better education. 

And that we don’t overreact, that we promote athletics, we promote activity. What is one of the biggest concerns that we have in 

our youth today within our society? It is obesity, the health care 

issues that exist with that. So we cannot say because of head trauma and concussions we must eliminate sports. We must educate, 

we must properly evaluate and properly take care of those athletes. 

If we do that and create a safety, that will encourage more youth 

to be involved in our sports, that we are properly taking care of 

them and educating them. 

Now, I have met many times with Roger Goodell. My words have 

not fallen on deaf ears. He has been genuine, sincere, and committed to this issue and the health and benefit issues of our former 

players. I have also met with DeMaur Smith many times. My 

words have not fallen on deaf ears. He is also genuine, sincere, and 

committed to helping this issue and our former players. 

And I address them for just a second. They are the people that 

we cannot forget. They are the ones that created the stage that I 

was fortunate enough to play on. I was part of building a stage 

that the current player is playing on. And the current player is 

continually building the stage in the National Football League that 

future players will build on. 

But, eventually, all will be retired players. And, too many times, 

the NFL and the NFLPA has made it too difficult on our retired 

players to get the proper care that they deserve. Being here today 

gives me great hope that we may bridge the gap, not only on this 

particular subject with brain trauma, but the health care and the 

health issues that exist in the NFL. 

Commissioner Conyers, I want to thank you for having me here, 

and the rest of the Committee. Thank you for your time. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Hoge follows:] 

84 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MERRIL HOGE

Mr. CONYERS. Well, thank you very much. 

I have three questions. But you referenced the uneducated parent. And I am not a very sensitive person, but would you describe 

that uneducated parent with a little more specificity? 

Mr. HOGE. Chairman Conyers, I actually would, and it is a great 

question. And I have a great example that just happened several 

weeks ago. And may I broaden the scope a little bit from the 


Hoge.eps
85 

uneducated parent to the uneducated coach that works our youth 

sideline? 

I had a young kid named Griffin who got up from a collision and 

he was a little woozy. So he had sustained some type of head trauma. As I pulled him to the side, ironically, his older brother Jake 

helps coach. He is 25 years old. Now, Jake obviously knows Griffin 

much better than I, although I know Griffin very well. I wanted to 

address what was going on with Griffin. I wanted to talk, I wanted 

to address a lot of cognitive things that I am aware of now, from 

retrograde to anterograde, to his name, to what play we just ran, 

to find out where his senses were, looking at his pupils—some of 

the things I know. Then I asked Jake to sit there and talk to him 

and make sure that these didn’t elevate from sickness to dizziness. 

Well, after 5 minutes, Jake ran up to me, and he said, ‘‘Grif is 

ready to go back in.’’ And I am like, ‘‘No. Grif is done playing.’’ I 

just wanted to make sure that the symptoms did not elevate so 

that we could get him to the hospital, then after the game talk to 

his parents about monitoring him and taking him to the doctor if 

necessary. 

The caution and concern that I have there is Jake could very easily be a head coach in our youth program, and he was willing to 

put his own brother back on the football field, purely out of ignorance. And I understand that because me being 25 years old and 

being Jake and the lack of experience I had at that time, I probably 

would have done the same thing. 

And that is why I think standards and education would help mistakes being made like that. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you so much. 

My three questions are these. 

Commissioner Goodell, is there a link between playing professional football and the likelihood of contracting a brain-related injury such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, depression, or CTE? And I also 

may ask Dr. Cantu to comment on it. 

My second question is, Commissioner Goodell and Executive Director Smith, will you agree today to open up your books, records, 

files, personnel of the league’s, its teams, so that we may conduct 

an independent examination concerning brain-related diseases? 

And, Madam Dr. Culverhouse, how does it make you feel to see 

your former players suffering from the repercussions of poor 

choices made to prematurely put players back into the game after 

injuries? 

Mr. GOODELL. Chairman, let me address your first question. 

You are obviously seeing a lot of data and a lot of information 

that our committees and others have presented, with respect to the 

linkage. And the medical experts should be the one to be able to 

continue that debate. 

But our bottom line is, we are not waiting for that debate to continue. We want to make sure our game is safe, and we are doing 

everything we possibly can for our players now. And that is why 

we have engaged aggressively in making changes to our game. We 

have done some of the things that have been discussed here on a 

variety of levels. 

Let’s start with the fact that we have made significant rule 

changes to our game. Five rule changes this year alone have been 

86 

made that I think are improving the safety and welfare of our players. They have had a positive impact in the short term that they 

have been in place. And we will continue, as we have done every 

year, to evaluate rule changes to make our game safer. 

Many of those changes this year were specific to head injuries 

and making sure that we take certain techniques out of the game 

that can be unsafe for our players, both in the short term and potentially in the long term. 

We have also engaged very aggressively on education. We have 

worked with the Players Association, with our medical doctors to 

create information that we can share with our players and also 

with players at other levels. It is a very important responsibility 

to set the right—— 

Mr. CONYERS. Well, you have testified to that. But I just asked 

you a simple question. What is the answer? 

Mr. GOODELL. The answer is, the medical experts would know 

better than I would with respect to that. But we are not treating 

that in any way in delaying anything that we do. We are reenforcing our commitment to make sure we make the safest possible deal for our—— 

Mr. CONYERS. All right. Okay. I have heard it. 

Dr. Cantu? 

Dr. CANTU. Sir, in the world’s literature, the majority of chronic 

traumatic encephalopathy has been reported in boxers, and it is reported at a younger age in boxers because they probably take more 

head trauma than any other sport. But it is not confined to boxers. 

Obviously, we are here today because of this same entity due to 

head trauma in the NFL, but it has been reported in a soccer player, it has been reported in rugby. It has been reported in individuals that have head-banging disorders. It has been reported in a 

clown that got shot out of a cannon in a circus, and every time he 

got shot out of the cannon it was like being concussed. 

So, as I indicated, yes, I think there is cause and effect. It is not 

unique to the NFL, though. 

Mr. CONYERS. Of course. 

Commissioner Goodell and Director Smith, will you let us see the 

records? 

Mr. GOODELL. The answer to that question is absolutely yes. We 

first discussed this between the NFL and the NFLPA back last 

spring. We are going to make all medical records available to them. 

And we, of course, will do that for the Committee. 

Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir, of course we will. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you. 

Dr. Culverhouse? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Yes. As one could imagine, my children were 

involved in football early on. I have a child born in 1972, 1973, and 

1974. So they went with me to games, and they developed favorite 

players, players that took the time to give a handshake to my son 

or give my daughter a ride on his shoulders. 

In January, I learned that one of those players who had stayed 

in Tampa, Tom McHale, and started a successful business, was 

dead. 

87 

Batman Wood, my son’s favorite player because he wore bats on 

his shoulders and his elbows and his knees and my son could pick 

him out, was getting lost trying to drive home from Starbucks. 

And I met with Batman and heard about his story and asked 

him about another player that we had really liked, Jerry Eckwood. 

And he said, ‘‘Gay, Eckwood is really bad. He is really bad.’’ And 

I said, ‘‘I have to find him, because I need to help him.’’ 

Same thing with Scott Brantley, a former Gator—I am big on 

Gators—but a former Gator. And Scott Brantley is in—Scott 

Brantley is in big trouble now. And he said to me this morning as 

I was coming over here, he said, ‘‘Gay, you have always been a 

rebel, but you are a rebel with a cause. Make them hear that we 

are hurt. Make them hear that we can’t fill out all of their forms. 

We can’t do it. Our mental capacity isn’t there to answer the questions on the phone and fill out the forms. They are missing those 

of us that are severely disabled.’’ 

And so what I am doing with Randy Grimes and a number of my 

players is I am filling out the forms, I am going through the networks for them to access the benefits that they may be entitled 

to—which are not enough to sustain them monetarily. They are not 

enough. Five thousand dollars for a hip replacement is not enough. 

I just had my knee done; I can tell you that for a big fact. 

But we have to get proactive for these players. So I am going to 

Little Rock, Arkansas, to find Jerry Eckwood to take him to the 

doctors myself and fill out the forms to get this man the help he 

needs. I don’t want to read about another one of my players that 

is dead. I don’t want to have to tell my children their favorite 

gentle giant is dead. This isn’t working for me. 

Mr. CONYERS. Our Ranking Member, Lamar Smith. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I would like to address my first question to Mr. 

Goodell, Dr. Tucker, and Mr. Martin. And I know you all will come 

at the answer from different perspectives. 

Mr. Goodell, you may want to address ways that you and the 

Players Association can cooperate or new rules that might come up. 

Dr. Tucker, you might address equipment. 

Mr. Martin, you might have some comments from your own personal experience. 

My question is this. We have discussed a lot today about the 

problems. We have discussed a lot about past actions that have 

been taken. My question is, what future actions should we take? 

What are the next steps to advance our understanding of the problem of head injuries, to try to improve treatment and to try to increase prevention of these head injuries? 

So, even though you have different perspectives, if you will talk 

about the future as opposed to the present or the past. 

Mr. Goodell? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, let me try to address that as concisely as I 

can without repeating a lot of the testimony. 

The first thing we have to do is continue to support this research 

and make sure we put more and more into this research so that 

we can find out what exactly are the medical facts. That is first, 

and we will continue to do that. 

88 

The second thing we are going to have to do is to continue to prevent these injuries in the best way we can. That is rule changes 

that we have instituted that are making a difference. Second is we 

made some—because of the research we have done, made some 

very important changes to the equipment, particularly in the helmets and the chin straps. 

And these are important changes for us in making the game 

safer. 

The other issue that I would say is the education. I think the big 

issue for us and for every player at every level and in every sport, 

as was pointed out here, is to make sure they are aware of the 

issues that come when you have a concussion. And it is a serious 

injury, and you have to take it seriously and get medical care. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Goodell. 

Dr. Tucker? 

Dr. TUCKER. At the risk of repeating some of the testimony, I will 

speak a little bit more specifically to equipment. 

We have made mention that research has shown that at least 

concussions that occur in the NFL frequently occur in blows to the 

side of the head and to the facemask. This information was given 

to the helmet manufacturers, and they responded with change—the 

first changes in many, many years. 

The new helmets that have been rolled out in the last handful 

of years at least test better in the laboratory. So we are optimistic 

that the forces being imparted to the brain are showing that they 

are decreased compared to the older helmets. It won’t eliminate 

concussions, but if we can decrease the risk we will feel good about 

that. 

It will take more time and more study and more meticulous 

tracking of these injuries, which we have been doing for a lot of 

years, to figure out whether the new helmets actually decrease risk 

of concussion or the actual occurrence of concussion in the National 

Football League. 

Interestingly, over the last one to two seasons, the number of 

concussions diagnosed and recorded have actually dropped slightly, 

but I wouldn’t make too much of that. I think it is premature to 

say. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Okay. Thank you, Dr. Tucker. 

Mr. Martin, any practical advice you have for us? 

Mr. MARTIN. Yes, sir, I would like to add this, that I am optimistic that, in this new spirit of cooperation, that we can all come 

together with a unique plan to address many of these serious 

issues. 

But the three points that I am concerned about, particularly as 

it relates to a lot of the so-called heroes or our constituents, is that 

we must make sure that we determine and identify where they are. 

Because a lot of them, you know, they value their anonymity. And 

we want to make certain that we have identified them and embrace 

them in this new era. 

Secondly, we want to make sure that all of the splinter or faction 

groups that currently exist out there are working off of the same 

goal, to make sure that these are not isolated incidents and we can 

address them collectively. 

89 

So I am very optimistic about this new era and this new platform 

that we have of recognizing the severity of this. And that is the 

message I am going to take from here. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Okay. Thank you. 

I have to ask you a quick question. How much touchdowns did 

you score on the interceptions or fumbles? 

Mr. MARTIN. I have a total—and I will speak to Mr. Goodell 

about this. I held the record for most touchdowns by a defensive 

lineman, which was seven. However, I have one touchdown as an 

offensive lineman, which would make it eight. So I don’t know how 

you—— 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. We will correct the record. 

Mr. MARTIN. So it is eight, sir. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Thank you. 

Dr. Weir, my last question is for you, and that is in regard to 

the University of Michigan study by the Institute for Social Research. How was your study misrepresented, and what impact has 

that had on the discussion and debate? 

Mr. WEIR. I believe, as I said in my testimony, it has been misrepresented to the extent that it is asserted there is a certainty 

that there is an elevated risk demonstrated by our study, which I 

don’t believe there is. 

What is the harm in that? To the extent it focuses us on safety, 

who is going to be against that? My concern, and I think Mr. Hoge 

raised this very well, we have an epidemic of obesity among children. Do we want to tell prospective junior athletes there is a 19- 

to-one risk of dementia if you participate in sports? I think that is 

a very damaging kind of thing to have out there without really 

good scientific support for making it. 

So that would be my main concern, is that we are possibly frightening people away from healthy participation in things they should 

be in. 

Mr. SMITH OF TEXAS. Thank you, Dr. Weir. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Mel Watt, North Carolina, distinguished Member 

of the Committee. 

Mr. WATT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And let me thank the 

Chairman for convening this hearing. It has been very enlightening. 

And I especially want to express my thanks to the last two witnesses, the former players in the NFL, for the very balanced approach that they brought to their testimony. 

Maybe I could get Mr. Smith to cut his microphone off over 

there. Thank you. 

I am also a big NFL football fan, and certainly observed the 

change that has taken place in attitude about this issue. I am a 

big Carolina Panthers fan and observed the Dante Wesley hit that 

got him suspended and knew in my own mind that, several years 

ago, the response to that would have been a 15-yard penalty and 

that would have been the end of it. So I understand that there is 

a change of attitude taking place here. 

And the one thing that I try to discern out of these hearings of 

this kind is what kind of public policy direction we might take. So 

I am extremely appreciative to the last two witnesses for their balVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00097 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
90 

ance on that. Because, after all these years, we still haven’t taken 

any steps to outlaw or ban boxing. And I don’t think we are likely 

to take any steps to outlaw or ban football. So we have to look at 

what the possible adjustments are, short of that, that may be made 

either within the sport or from a public policy perspective. 

The one thing that I kept wondering about throughout the testimony, particularly Mr. Goodell, Dr. Culverhouse, Mr. Martin in 

particular, there seem to be financial incentives that discourage 

athletes from being honest about their own condition, even if they 

are capable of discerning their own condition. All of the 

counterpressures are there for them to get back into the game and 

be able to perform because there are financial incentives associated 

with that. 

Is there a policy in place already in the NFL, or is there some 

kind of policy that you all might be able to think of, that would 

minimize or eliminate that financial incentive by assuring that a 

person who is diagnosed with a concussion and has to miss a game 

as a result of the standards that I think Mr. Martin or Merrill 

Hoge outlined—is there some way to build a contract necessity that 

would shield those players against the consequences of the medical 

conditions that they incur? 

Mr. Goodell, Ms. Culverhouse, I would be particularly interested, 

and Mr. Martin, in your response to that. 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, I would be happy to start. 

First off, you do identify an issue. Self-reporting of concussions 

has been an issue. And we have, I think by the education that we 

have jointly done with the Players Association and with the Player 

Advisory Committee, I think—— 

Mr. WATT. You are evading the question again, Mr. Goodell. I 

asked you about contracts. 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, let me address that directly then, on the contracts. If a player misses a game because of a concussion, he is still 

paid. So the athlete still gets paid. 

Mr. WATT. But there are financial consequences at the end of the 

contract, the incentive compensation for games played, for—that 

there are economic consequences that flow from that. Is there a 

way to protect against that? 

Mr. GOODELL. There may be some incentive contracts that would 

be hindered by that, depending on the length of time the player 

was out. It would be something we would have to discuss with the 

Players Association and try to see if there is a way to address that. 

Mr. WATT. Mr. Martin? Dr. Culverhouse? And my time has expired. So I just won’t interrupt you in your response. 

Mr. MARTIN. I will take a stab at it. I am not quite sure I have 

the answer to it, Mr. Watt, but I appreciate the question. 

I am not quite certain if you can disincent an athlete because of 

his predisposition to want to go out and perform. I am not sure 

how you protect both his financial incentive to want to go out and 

perform in light of being injured versus disincenting him to protect 

him from the injury. That is a difficult question, and I am afraid 

I don’t have the answer. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. I can say that it would be very difficult for 

the NFL to mandate to the owners how to structure their contracts. 

That would be a difficult thing, as I can tell you that owners are 

91 

like a bunch of mavericks, and it would be very difficult to mandate to them how to have their players paid. Because incentive bonuses are the way you get those players back in the game and you 

win. 

They don’t molly-coddle. This is a business. It is a blanking cutthroat business. The bottom line is making money. And if their 

player ain’t playing and the team is losing, that is the bottom line. 

Mr. WATT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I went over. I yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Senior Member Bob Goodlatte. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I would like to direct my questions primarily to 

Mr. Goodell and also to Mr. Smith. And it regards, first of all, the 

problem that has been very, very well-described by everyone on 

this panel today in terms of the risk of these head injuries and the 

fact that this is something that starts becoming a problem at a 

very young age, in junior high school, high school, on up through 

college, and long before they get to the NFL. 

There are a number of good ideas that have been expressed. Mr. 

Hoge had some very good ideas regarding neurological examinations and with regard to 7 days, staying away from the football 

field until they are asymptomatic for at least 7 days. And I am sure 

there are a number of very good ideas that medical experts and 

coaches and others could offer in this regard. 

But one of the problems is getting the information out. I am not 

sure that, given the wide variety and changing opinions, that this 

is suitable for legislation from the Congress. 

But I am wondering, does the NFL during games use public service announcements, for example, to educate young people and their 

parents about the risks of head injuries and things that could be 

done on a practical basis to avoid them in Little League play and 

in high school and so on? 

Mr. GOODELL. The answer to that question is, I believe we have 

used public service time. We could probably use more on this. 

But I would tell you that the most important thing is, we set the 

example on the NFL field. We saw just this past Monday night 

when we had Brian Westbrook, a player, go down in a game with 

a concussion. He was taken off the field. He did not come back to 

the game. And it was done in a very cautionary and conservative 

way. 

And I think that is the message we need to send to people. And 

we will look at the idea of whether we can give more public service 

time—— 

Mr. GOODLATTE. I missed that play. Did it involve a play that required a penalty or some other action on the part of the referees 

to indicate that this injury was sustained because of inappropriate 

activity, or was it simply—— 

Mr. GOODELL. It wasn’t an inappropriate activity. It was actually 

just a knee that hit to the back of a player, which happens in our 

game and in other sports. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Well, I mean, I wonder if you would review the 

policy you have. I see many public service announcements that promote various things on the broadcasts of professional sports. And 

you could work with the broadcast companies to promote greater 

information, just promoting the very ideas that Mr. Hoge promoted. 

92 

And, Mr. Smith, I wonder what you think about that but also 

what involvement the Players Association has in promoting getting 

that kind of information out to young people and their parents. Do 

you favor having greater contractual requirements for the players 

to actually get out and, whether voluntarily or as a part of their 

contract, be more engaged in communities around the country to 

promote this kind of safety? 

Mr. SMITH. Congressman, our players are doing that right now. 

And I think, to answer your question succinctly, I think there are 

four or five things that we can actually do and, I am proud to say, 

we are doing. 

Our players in the National Football League, I believe, should be 

the model. I think that Commissioner Goodell is right, we have an 

obligation to set the standard. That standard is the standard that 

will be followed in college, it will be followed in high school, and 

it will be a role model for youth football. Both of us are vitally involved in the USA Football movement. We use that vehicle not only 

to encourage youngsters to play football but to do it safely. 

Third, our players are also a number of the individuals who end 

up being coaches, not only in the National Football League, but 

coaches on the college level, coaches on the high school level, and, 

as Merrill indicated earlier, coaches on the youth football level. So 

having our players understand and embrace all of the information 

to make safe choices is yet another way, in addition to PSAs, that 

we can get the message out. 

Lastly, we do a tremendous amount of work on the Players Association to get players to appreciate the best and the right helmets 

to wear. We believe that if we advise the players and give them all 

of the information, the most up-to-date information, urge them to 

wear specific helmets, that is yet another way that we serve to set 

the right example and to get the information out to the people that 

you mentioned. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you. 

It sounds like both of you are very committed to trying to reduce 

these injuries, not only within the NFL, but in the sport of football 

at large. And I think getting that information down particularly to 

parents and coaches at the high school level and college level is 

very, very important. 

And I think you could both use more resources than are devoted 

to it now to play a major role in that, since you are the ultimate 

beneficiaries of that entire system that finds and recruits the finest 

football players, gets them into the NFL, and gives them the opportunities that they have and that all Americans have to enjoy professional football. 

Wouldn’t it be the best path forward for the problems in the NFL 

itself for the private parties to come up with the best solutions? Are 

either of you arguing that the Congress should be making this decision? And, if so, why? 

Mr. GOODELL. We are not arguing that. We think that we have 

pushed research, we have pushed education. We have made 

changes to our game, to the equipment. 

We have made significant changes, which I am happy to put into 

the record, with respect to the management of concussions. I think 

we are doing a terrific job and a much better job, much improved 

93 

job of conservatively treating concussions and managing them 

when they occur so we don’t have incidents like Merrill Hoge spoke 

about before. 

So I think that we are doing a job that is important because 

these are serious injuries, and we need to continue to make advances. 

Mr. SMITH. Congressman, we don’t believe that legislation is the 

only answer. One thing that we all know, just by all of us being 

brought here today, is this great body not only can spark public debate and serve to inform, to better the lives of everybody through 

legislation, but also by having these hearings. 

We have talked a lot today about a University of Michigan study. 

But one of the things that will be entered into the record is the fact 

that, over the last 10 years, there have been hundreds of studies 

on this issue that have talked about the links between on-field 

head trauma and the early onset of a number of mental illnesses. 

So while we are here, perhaps, because of the recent articles and 

the news that has come out about a number of players, the reality 

is, over the last 10 years, there has been study after study after 

study after study. 

And I do believe, to go back to your earlier point, how can we 

do a better job? That is to understand and embrace these studies 

as being game-changers and player safety and getting that information out to all of the—not only the kids who will play football 

from youth football going forward, but to the coaches and to the 

parents who gladly have their kids be involved in physical activity. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. 

Before I recognize Maxine Waters, we are pleased to appreciate 

the presence of Jim Brown of the Cleveland Browns in the room. 

Thank you for joining us, Jim. 

Mr. BROWN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. The distinguished gentlelady from California, 

Maxine Waters. 

Ms. WATERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and Members. 

Before I raise a few questions, I would like to submit for the 

record full disclosure of my husband’s affiliation with the National 

Football League, having previously played for at least three teams: 

the Cleveland Browns with the great Mr. Jim Brown; Pittsburgh; 

and the Washington Redskins. 

And so I do have intimate knowledge, based on my interaction 

with a number of players and owners, about the NFL. Georgia 

Frontiere was a very close friend. And John Shaw, who was president of the Rams, and Chip, the new owner, are friends. 

However, having said that, I remain extremely concerned about 

the plight of football players, particularly some of the older ones 

who worked and played when times were even a lot more difficult 

for players. 

Let me just ask Mr. Goodell: in the October 2009 issue of GQ, 

we were told the story of Mike Webster, legendary center for the 

Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974 to 1988. At the height of his career, 

Mike Webster was publicly revered as an unstoppable titan and 

94 

formidable force in the league. And yet, shortly before his death in 

2002 at the age of 50, Mike Webster spent his latter years homeless, suffering from dementia, while in a contentious legal battle 

with the very organization that made him a legend. 

The GQ article called the legal dispute a battle against a multibillion dollar industry that seemed to have used Mike Webster, allowed him to become destroyed, and then threw him away like a 

rotten piece of meat. 

I bring his case because he had dementia, which obviously was 

associated with the years that he played. Why could he not get 

taken care of by the NFL? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, Congresswoman, this was before my time as 

the commissioner. I will say, and I am happy to say, in our current 

state right now, he would be eligible to participate in our 88 Plan 

and would get the benefits of the 88 Plan, regardless of whether 

that was caused by playing in the game. 

Ms. WATERS. How many players do you have out there who are 

suffering now, or have suffered from, dementia, or from other injuries related to playing football that have not been taken care of because of your benefits packages of the past? 

For example, I think you changed it, but I don’t know, those people who took early retirement were not eligible for disability. Did 

you change that? 

Mr. GOODELL. Yes, we did. What we did was we opened a window to allow them to come in and to get those benefits. So we 

opened that window for about a 6-month period. 

Ms. WATERS. We know that the NFL and the NFL Players Association are currently renegotiating their collective bargaining 

agreements. What are you doing in this bargaining that you are involved in now that will deal with the very issue that we are talking 

about, related to brain injuries and dementia and Alzheimer’s and 

all those other things related to these kinds of injuries? What are 

you negotiating that will better recognize the injuries and how you 

are going to take care of them, and their families? 

Mr. GOODELL. Let me take the first start at it, and De can contribute to that. 

I think both of us have identified that the plight of our retired 

players is a priority in the—— 

Ms. WATERS. I can’t hear you. 

Mr. GOODELL. Both of us have identified in the collective bargaining process that this is a priority for the owners and for the 

players, to take better care of our retired players. 

One of the reasons we conducted the survey that may have been 

one of the impetuses for this hearing was to identify the priorities 

that our players need to have addressed. There are multiple issues 

that need to be addressed, as you point out some of them. Some 

of them are medical. Some of them are financial—— 

Ms. WATERS. If you would excuse me, I would like to take back 

my time. I appreciate where you are going. 

We have heard from the NFL time and time again. You are always studying, you are always trying, you are hopeful. I want to 

know, what are you doing in the negotiations that are going on now 

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ries that football players obtain, and its impact on their health 

later on? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, again, we are at the very early stages of negotiations. But I believe that we will be addressing these matters 

in a responsible fashion, that we will be able to come back before 

you at some point in time and say that we have addressed these 

in a way that is responsible. 

In the meantime—— 

Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity for the 

hearing. 

I know my time is drawing to a close, but let me just say this 

to Mr. Goodell and everybody who is here today, that I think it is 

time for the Congress of the United States to take a look at your 

antitrust exemption. I think that you are a, what, $8 billion organization who have not taken seriously your responsibility to the players. 

The fact of the matter is, yes, people want to play. The fact of 

the matter is they are going to be injured. And we know, no matter 

what kind of helmet you build, no matter what kind of equipment 

that you have, it is a dangerous sport and people are going to be 

injured. 

The only question is, what are you going to do? Are you going 

to pay for it? Are you going to pay the injured players and their 

families for the injuries that they have received in helping you to 

be a multibillion-dollar operation? That is the only question. 

And I know that you do everything that you possibly can to hold 

on to those profits. But I think the responsibility of this Congress 

is to take a look at that antitrust exemption that you have and, in 

my estimation, take it away. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. CONYERS. I thank the gentlewoman for her modest suggestions. 

The Chair recognizes Howard Coble, North Carolina. 

Mr. COBLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

And thank you all for your testimony. 

Mr. Martin, Dr. Culverhouse, and Mr. Hoge mentioned this in 

their testimony. What does the alumni association have to say to 

active pro, college, and high school players about the importance of 

early and completely presenting to team physicians any symptoms 

that may have been caused by concussions, knowing full well, as 

has been pointed out, players are plenty reluctant to do it for fear 

of maybe losing a college scholarship or losing a lucrative pro contract? 

What do you say to that, Mr. Martin? 

Mr. MARTIN. Thank you very much for the question, sir. 

First of all, I would say that one of the major activities that 

alumni athletes have is to going back in the community and giving 

back. And we ourselves position ourselves as examples, both pro 

and con, both good and bad. And we have a platform that we take 

very seriously. And it is my job and it will be my responsibility to 

make sure that that is enhanced, particularly as we are addressing 

these very serious issues. 

The problem and the challenge that we have is disseminating 

this information among a wide grouping of constituents and that 

96 

a lot of our members don’t have this information. I think it is vital 

that they receive it. And once we obtain that information, we have 

to then be ambassadors to go back, as I said in my earlier point, 

to make sure that there isn’t a propensity of these kinds of things 

happening down the line. And that will be our charge. 

Mr. COBLE. And I am glad to hear you say that. 

Mr. Smith, in a recent New York Times piece concerning concussions, a former quarterback was quoted as having said, quote, 

‘‘They are legislating hitting out of the game,’’ closed quote. We 

have had the same sort of comment from commentators, often retired players, echoing the same sentiment during television coverage of games. 

This suggests, it seems to me, that some of the retired players 

are concerned that the game is not tough enough anymore as a result of the rules changes made to hopefully protect players. How 

do you respond to that, Mr. Smith? 

Mr. SMITH. Congressman, last weekend, I met with the 40-person 

congress who represents retired players. They talk about the toughness of the game, but they also talk about the lifelong injuries that 

they sustained, the loss of their ability to keep a train of thought. 

When you talk to the Chair of the wives organization, they will tell 

you a story about players who are unable to move on Monday and 

Tuesdays. When I watched Brian Dawkins walk down the steps, 

who is a safety for the Denver Broncos, gingerly walk down the 

steps on a Monday afternoon—and while I shook his hand and 

went to embrace him he put up his hand and just said, ‘‘Hey.’’ 

Well, I don’t think there is anyone who plays football today who 

doesn’t believe that this is a very, very tough, tough game. 

No, we are not looking to legislate hitting out of the game. But, 

in the same way that this Congress has stepped in historically, 

whether it was the NCAA almost 40 years ago or whether it was 

other issues in professional sports, to ensure the safety of the players, this body works when you call a hearing like this, where you 

ask us tough questions, where we put forth information. 

But I do believe that this Congress, this body does have a role 

in making sure that the people who play this game on the professional level all the way down to the peewee football level are doing 

so safely. 

Mr. COBLE. I thank you, Mr. Smith. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Mr. COBLE. Dr. Weir, as your second study proceeds, what other 

research would you like to see performed to help better understand 

why, if at all, football head injuries cause long-term neurological 

impairments in the players affected? 

Mr. WEIR. As best I understand it, the study under way, under 

the direction of Dr. Ira Casson, should shed interesting light on the 

progression of head injury cases. 

I think it is actually of great importance to compare college athletes and professional athletes to those who did not participate, to 

look at the risks at each of those levels independently. That will 

probably require a larger study than that one is. 

I know there have been some criticisms of that study because it 

is being conducted directly under the auspices of the league. I 

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toring board that could come in and review those protocols, perhaps 

offer some advice on it. 

It would be a shame if that research ended up having no value 

because it was simply not considered credible. I suspect it will have 

great value. And that is the kind of study we need, is long-term 

follow-up of people, where we know what happened to them and we 

follow them afterward. 

Mr. COBLE. Thank you, Dr. Weir. 

Mr. Chairman, I see the red light has illuminated, so I yield 

back. And I thank the panel again. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, sir. 

The Chair recognizes the distinguished gentlewoman from Houston, Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I 

thank you and the Ranking Member for this brilliant hearing. 

Actually, I would like to acknowledge, Roger, that both you and 

DeMaurice make a very good pair. And I think you should look at 

yourselves as part of the 21st-century NFL. 

I wanted to make mention, as I begin my questioning, of a meeting that I had this morning with NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. 

And we talked about the value of the NFL, the value of the players, particularly today. We talked about the raging violence among 

our communities and young men. 

DeMaurice, you know you have been with me, and we have addressed this question. We have acknowledged the fact that the NFL 

is respected and admired. The young men that are a part of this 

great family that you have can be wonderful role models. And, of 

course, Mr. Brown is aware of the dire need of mentorship and 

manhood training. He is in the room today. 

And we talked about the idea that I shared with the Attorney 

General recently that tracks Mr. Brown’s program, but it is to 

build a partnership with the NFL and our government on this 

whole question of violence and, in particular, young African American men, young men, to create a new revolution in mentoring, to 

have NFL players out across America in these schools and addressing the question of manhood and how do you be, in essence, a 

manned-up man but also a compassionate, caring person that does 

not take up the gun. 

Our young people admire all of you. And I want to, myself, pay 

tribute to Jim Brown, who stayed, so that I could thank him for 

his genius on the idea of reaching out to young people. 

And I am going to, frankly, ask a very quick question to Mr. 

Goodell. Would you work with us to implement a program that I 

would like to start with the DOJ and others on this question of violence among our young people? 

Mr. GOODELL. Congresswoman, yes, we would. As I said earlier 

in the testimony, we believe that we set the standard on the NFL 

level, that our players do, both on and off the field. I have spoken 

to Mr. Brown about the work that he is doing, and I encourage it. 

And we would welcome the opportunity. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Well, I would look forward to it. And I do full 

disclosure that this separates from the questioning, but this would 

be something in addition to what you traditionally do, and I do appreciate the fact. 

98 

Mr. Smith, would we be able to work with you on this issue? 

Mr. SMITH. Absolutely. And you know that I am always happy 

to work with the Attorney General and to work with you, as we 

have done in the past. We have challenged our players to not only 

be good players but to be good men in their communities. So we 

would love to partner with you. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. This would be not an existing program, but 

we are talking about a whole new approach. 

Mr. SMITH. Absolutely. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And so I look forward to that issue. 

And this leads me to why I am here questioning today, because 

I want these young men to have completely vibrant lives into their 

middle ages and into their older ages. 

I thank Jim Brown for staying in the room. And we acknowledge 

and thank you for sharing your great leadership. Thank you so 

very much. 

Mr. BROWN. Thank you very much. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. My questioning is in his name, but also in the 

name of Earl Campbell, my champion, my Tyler Rose, among many 

others that have come out of the great colleges in Texas. And let 

me just continue to say, keep on coming. 

But I do believe it is important—and my colleague made a very 

important point: We do not do this in anger. We do not do this in 

the need to undermine an organization that, frankly, there are 

many who will say you are America’s pastime. The great interest 

of who bought the St. Louis Rams was not about trying to deny 

capitalism; it was to have you have the right image, the right attitude. That is why some of us expressed our opposition to who 

might be buying the Rams. 

So I would simply say to you, these are my questions, Mr. Goodell in particular. How does a former NFL player qualify for the 

league’s pension plan and disability benefit plan? 

It is my understanding that a football player does not qualify for 

the pension plan until they have played for four seasons. However, 

the average span of a NFL career is 3.6 years. Considering these 

figures, it appears that the substantial amount of players are not 

eligible for the benefits that the league does offer. 

Does the disability benefits plan operate under the same framework? So, is it not that they have to play 4 years, sir? 

Mr. GOODELL. It is 3 years. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. They have to play 3 years. 

And they only stay for about 3.6. So we can imagine—Mr. Smith, 

would you imagine that there could be injuries prior to 3 years? 

Mr. SMITH. There are. There are people who do suffer those injuries. There are people who suffer significant injuries prior to their 

third year, second game. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So, in actuality, this legislation, as we look at 

it, and the idea of the antitrust exemption which many of us are 

looking to consider as to whether or not that is a way of helping 

the NFL, are you suggesting that this kind of effort is very important to saving lives and saving future quality of life? 

Mr. SMITH. I think anything that we can do to take a look at all 

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formation so that we can aid more players who play this game, I 

think any step in that direction is positive. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Ms. Culverhouse, could you just tell me again 

what you saw when NFL players had to fill out forms that had 

been so damaged? Could you just tell us again? 

I, frankly, believe this is like the robust public option: sick people 

who need help. 

Could you just give us that detail again, please? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Yes. You can imagine—I have suffered a concussion. I actually had a brain shear and could not access words 

for 2 years. Now, that was one concussion. You can imagine players 

who have sustained repeated concussions. They are now in their 

late 40’s or 50’s. 

And you look at reams of paperwork. The print is so small, I 

have trouble with my glasses. They look at it, and they say, ‘‘Gay, 

I don’t remember what year, what game, what date. I don’t remember that.’’ And then they look at all of it, and they say, ‘‘Is it worth 

it? What am I going to get? What am I going to get at the end of 

all of this?’’ And they would much rather go home, take a pain pill, 

and lay on the sofa. 

It is daunting. And there are no advocates to help them fill this 

paperwork out. It is almost as though, if you have the intelligence 

to jump through those hoops, you are not disabled. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, as I see the red light, let me 

just simply say this, Mr. Chairman. We are the help in this room. 

We are not the punishers, but we are the helpers. 

And, frankly, if we do need this extra hammer, which sounds 

negative, sounds punitive, I believe these young men and I believe 

the NFL for what it has become to America warrants the involvement of this congressional body, warrants a review, whether it is 

legislation before us, whether it is a question of the antitrust issue. 

Mr. Goodell, we are friends, but we must save lives. And these 

young people have so much to give America, that we must do that 

now. 

Mr. Chairman, I count myself as part of a friend of this great 

sport. I am from Texas, and, boy, are we wedded to you. But we 

want our young people to be able to live in a good quality of life, 

come back after the NFL, and share their stories, fighting against 

youth violence. And I look forward to being in touch with both of 

your offices on this issue. 

Mr. Chairman, you have been very kind. Thank you. I yield back 

to you. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you. 

The Chair recognizes the distinguished gentleman from California, Dan Lungren. 

Mr. LUNGREN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

And let’s not fool ourselves, football is controlled violence. That 

is the nature of the game. 

You don’t have to play in the NFL to get hurt. I have five knee 

surgeries, a new hip and everything, and I didn’t even play varsity 

at Notre Dame, for goodness sakes. But the question is, is the violence controlled? 

Teddy Roosevelt saved the game of football at the beginning of 

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lowed and players died. And the question was whether they were 

going to outlaw this game in the United States. And Teddy Roosevelt brought the leaders of universities to Washington, D.C., 

without legislation and said, ‘‘Get your act together.’’ So we don’t 

always have to have legislation here. And I think this hearing does 

serve a very, very good purpose. 

I would like to just concentrate on two things. One is education, 

and the other is on-the-field enforcement. 

Players have a responsibility to be educated and to do the right 

thing. And we had a quarterback for the Redskins not too many 

years ago who head-butted a wall before a game and gave himself 

a concussion. We see players head-butting one another in celebration today. That is just nuts. 

There is peer pressure that needs to be utilized, with information 

that the commissioner’s office and the owners and the Players Association can give to—I mean, it is not macho to be head-butting 

one another before the game, for goodness sakes. 

So, education is extremely important based on scientific information. I have no doubt about that. 

But part of that is this: And in a briefing we had with the NFL 

a little bit earlier, a couple days ago, I asked, do you have any control over your commentators? And the answer I got was ‘‘no.’’ But 

do you educate your commentators so that they don’t make stupid 

statements about some of the plays on the field that will encourage 

that kind of conduct, maybe not by the players in the NFL, but by 

the kids watching? 

So I would hope education would be an important part of whatever you do, both the players and the commissioner’s office and the 

owners. 

The other thing is on-the-field enforcement. We have had 

changes in rules. I am old enough to remember Jack Tatum. I am 

old enough to remember the cover story of Sports Illustrated where 

he was called ‘‘the assassin’’ and when he talked about trying to 

hit a player hard enough in the head that he hoped that he would 

drool as he was lying there on the field. And nobody really spoke 

out against that, in those days. That was considered, if not the 

norm, that was the bar that you wanted to achieve. And I know 

we have gone in a different direction since then, but we need to go 

even further. 

Tim Tebow, probably the most famous college football player 

there is today, suffered a major concussion evidently—it sure 

looked like it—and he was playing the next week. I don’t think that 

met Merrill Hoge’s standard of 7 days. I wonder what the story is 

there. I know there were doctors that were involved, but. 

And I attended a game at my alma mater just 2 weeks ago, and 

I saw a head hunter on the field that tore a helmet off a player, 

and he was left dazed. No penalty. The next week, that team 

played in the LA Coliseum; that same player did the same thing 

to a guy, I think, from it was either Oregon or Oregon State. No 

penalty. No penalty. He tore his helmet off. He is the second guy 

hitting him 2 weeks in a row. No penalty. And what the Pac 10 

has just done is suspended the official for not calling a penalty. No 

penalty on the player. 

101 

Now, I realize that is college, not pro. But I would say, without 

talking about that particular instance, Mr. Martin, what message 

would that send to the team or to the players if, 2 weeks in a row— 

and I will take it away from that particular circumstance—but, 2 

weeks in a row, a player did something which really went after a 

defenseless player and no call is made on that player 2 weeks in 

a row? What message does that deliver to the team and to the players? 

Mr. MARTIN. Well, first of all, from my humble opinion—and 

thank you for the question, sir—I think it sends the wrong message, not only from the player himself, but also the coaching staff 

and the institution which they both represent. And I know that the 

safeguards, at least from a structured point of view in the NFL, 

those situations would not happen. 

But I think that there has to be a point where the player, themselves, through education, I which I think is vitally important, has 

to realize it is incumbent upon him to conduct himself as part of 

that organization. 

And that is why I am proudly old-school and proudly one of those 

that are from the yesterdays period of the NFL, because I have 

taken my responsibility of giving back to the community and my 

obligation to my teammates very seriously. And I think that is one 

of the reasons that I now head this post. And I would like to see 

more of that self-conscientiousness happen throughout all the 

sports. 

Mr. LUNGREN. Mr. Goodell, I just have to say that, when that 

play has been shown, the ones that I referred to, the commentators 

almost always say, ‘‘And this person will be a first-round draft 

choice of the NFL because he is the kind of guy they are looking 

for.’’ 

I just want to tell you, I know it is not your responsibility, but 

that message seeps down to kids. And kids see that. And these are 

their heroes. And if that message gets out, that that is allowed on 

the playing field, frankly, you will have more assassins out there, 

and you will have more kids hurt. 

And I don’t think we can stand to allow that to occur with the 

knowledge we now have gained from the medical community, 

which we just didn’t have before, just did not have before. 

So I am taking in good faith what you have said, what Mr. Smith 

has said, what the doctors have said here. I mean, I truly hope you 

are taking this more seriously. Because the tragedy of the NFL 

players that have suffered dementia is a tragedy—or any player 

who has—but I am thinking about the kids coming up. And I hope 

that you folks are genuine in what you are telling us here today. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thanks, Dan Lungren. 

We have two Judiciary suspension bills on the floor right now, 

which requires that we declare a recess, lunch, et cetera. And we 

will resume after a series of votes as early as we can, which will 

be probably 45 minutes to an hour. 

The Committee stands in recess. 

[Recess.] 

[2:20 p.m.] 

102 

Mr. CONYERS. The Committee will come to order. The Chair recognizes Bill Delahunt, the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts, to continue in the discussion. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I had made some notes and now I am fumbling 

for them. This has been a very informative hearing. Do we have— 

I thought I saw Dr. Cantu. Is he still with us? I take it he has left. 

Well, maybe somebody on the panel can answer this question. It 

is a medical question, I presume. The term CTE, in what I have 

read, has—the information from the research done has come 

from—as a result of autopsies. Is there a technology now that exists that allows for the diagnosis or determination of CTE in a 

young male that is alive? I don’t see anyone that knows the answer 

to the question. 

Mr. GOODELL. I am not qualified. 

Dr. TUCKER. Everybody is looking at me. I am not a neurosurgeon or a neuropathologist. So Dr. McKee, Dr. Maroon, Dr. 

Morgenlander will be able to answer that better. The quick answer 

from my perspective as a team physician is no. It is not—it is not 

easy or simple to make a diagnosis of CTE from an imaging study 

right now. Now, certainly there are MRI changes associated with 

dementia related diseases. But specifically to the question you ask, 

my answer would be no, but I would defer to the—— 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Right. I understand there is a second panel. But 

the purpose of the question I tell you what concerns me is obviously the league itself is the standard in terms of where young people—this hearing is not just about the NFL, by the way. It goes beyond that. I think there was testimony earlier, I forget from whom, 

that there are some 3 million participants in youth football today, 

presumably that excludes the universe of young men that are playing in college and even playing at the high school level. 

So what we have at risk here aren’t just players in the NFL, but 

thousands, hundreds of thousands of young males participating in 

football in this country, probably the most popular sport because of 

the popularity of the NFL. And I guess my question is, if there 

were to be a technology that could serve as—there was a diagnostic 

test to determine whether CTE was present in young people as 

they were playing the sport, it would serve as an early warning of 

a potential problem and inform those personnel who are coaches, 

who are athletic directors, that this young man should not be participating in a sport where there is the potential for a concussion. 

And if that diagnostic tool does not exist, it might be incumbent 

on Congress working with the Administration to examine the feasibility providing funding through NIH or through some other appropriate relevant agency to do some real serious work to develop that 

so that we don’t have young people out there playing when they 

shouldn’t be playing and where I think as parents they could feel 

much more comfortable, because obviously the stories that have 

been related to the Committee by this panel are truly heartwrenching. And as a parent, and your testimony, Ms. Culverhouse, 

was very poignant in your concern and affection for your players, 

that I am sure you consider as part of your extended family. 

Multiplying your feelings times literally thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of, sets of parents really demands 

an answer about this issue. It is not just about the NFL. The NFL 

103 

is here today because this Committee has antitrust jurisdiction. 

But it is an issue that really I think, working together, needs to 

be responded to. But that was—that was my main question. And 

why don’t I conclude with that and yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. This will be gone in further in the second panel. 

The distinguished gentleman from Iowa, the Ranking Member of 

immigration, Steve King. 

Mr. KING. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank the witnesses for your testimony today. And one of the things that came 

out of it for me was to be in the same room with George Martin 

and Willie Wood and Jim Brown. To see them all on the same field 

together, I didn’t think I would ever actually see that. So I appreciate that. And I want to remind the folks here that just as I 

watched on Saturday night an Iowa-Michigan State game, there 

were two injuries that resulted in players being carried off the field 

and they were both helmet to helmet contact. So it comes in a particularly timely fashion. However, as I listen to the Members of 

this Committee discuss this and we have covered a lot of the territory, I note that Sheila Jackson Lee said that she is concerned that 

owners need the right image and her opposition to who might be 

buying the St. Louis Rams or her reason for that is owners that 

might not have the right image. 

She wasn’t any more specific than that, but we know who she is 

talking about, and that is Rush Limbaugh. But I would ask Commissioner Goodell this question: Your position on owners having 

the right image—and I would direct it to your statement on the 

13th of October where you said I think it is divisive comments are 

not what the NFL is all about. I would not want to see those kinds 

of comments from people who are in responsible positions within 

the NFL, no, absolutely not. Now, I take you as a man of your 

word, but I would point out that you have a couple of owners that 

have performed lyrics in songs that are far more offensive. In fact, 

I don’t think anything that Rush Limbaugh said was offensive. But 

with Fergie and with JLo, they have between the two of them alleged that the CIA are terrorists and liars. They promoted sexual 

abuse of women. 

They have used the N word, verbal pornography, recreational 

drug use, et cetera and they are owners of the Dolphins. And it is 

also ironic that Fergie was approved as an owner on the very day 

that you made your statement against Rush Limbaugh. And I 

would point out for the Committee the statement that Rush 

Limbaugh made is this, that seems to be the one that survives the 

criticism. And that is, I think what we have had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a 

Black quarterback do well. They are interested in Black coaches 

and Black quarterbacks doing well. McNabb got a lot of credit for 

the performance of the team that he really didn’t deserve, closed 

quote. Now, I have scoured this quote to try to find something that 

can be implied as racism on the part of Rush Limbaugh and I cannot find it. 

There is an implication of racism on the part of the media. That 

is the only quote that seems to survive the scrutiny of Chase checking back original sources in at least nine quotes that were alleged 

to Rush Limbaugh. And by the way, of those, eight are complete 

104 

fabrications, they are not based on anything, they are not a misquote, they are not a distortion. They are complete fabrication. And 

the one that remains stands true and shines the light against the 

media, not against Rush Limbaugh. 

So if you are concerned about this, Mr. Goodell, then I would ask 

you are you prepared to level the same charges against Fergie and 

JLo or are you prepared to apologize to Rush Limbaugh today? 

Mr. GOODELL. Let me try to take this in a couple of different directions. First off, my comments at the annual meeting were directed about specific comments he made about Donovan McNabb. 

And I made the point—and I will make it again here today—that 

the NFL is about bringing people together, it is about unity and 

that we do not move toward divisive actions. And, in fact, our 

teams, I think, have demonstrated that both on and off the field. 

Nothing brings a team and a community together better than the 

NFL. 

Mr. KING. Mr. Goodell, were you considering those other quotes 

that I referenced when you made your statement or were you considering the one that was true, the one that I have read to you and 

the one that doesn’t shine a negative light on Rush Limbaugh but 

on the media? 

Mr. GOODELL. I am not shedding any kind of light on Rush 

Limbaugh here. I am not an expert on all of his quotes and I would 

try to reinforce something to you I said at the time. He was not 

even under active consideration as an NFL owner. This is—I stated 

this several times before, that we had not started a process to review ownership groups. They had not even determined to sell the 

St. Louis Rams. And it is something—— 

Mr. KING. You were speaking directly of Rush Limbaugh. You 

said the comments that Rush made specifically about Donovan I 

disagree with very strongly. 

Mr. GOODELL. I do. Because I think Donovan McNabb is an outstanding young man. He is an outstanding quarterback and it has 

nothing to do with the color of his skin. 

Mr. KING. I will just close with this. Here are Rush Limbaugh’s— 

his position. And after 20 years on the radio, there is nothing there 

that would undermine this. He says my racial views? Do you mean 

my belief in a colorblind society where every individual is treated 

as a precious human being without regard to his race. And I will 

close with that, Mr. Goodell. And I would ask you to go back and 

take a look at the owners of the Dolphins and the language that 

is in the public venue, the songs that they have recorded, review 

those lyrics and I will provide some of those lyrics to you. And I 

will ask you to come back and respond to that question after the 

hearing as to whether you will put the same scrutiny on those owners who have really shined a negative light on the NFL as opposed 

to somebody that the NFL apparently just doesn’t agree with his 

politics. I yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. The Chair now turns to the gentleman from New 

York, Mr. Weiner—oh. We will defer, we will hold our Member— 

our only Member whose athletic prowess was recently displayed 

just a few days ago. But I will now turn to Mr. Steve Cohen. Who 

is a Subcommittee Chairman and the gentleman from Memphis, 

Tennessee is recognized. 

105 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I thank the gentleman from New York. The game Monday night, that was here in 

the D.C. area, that, there was a running back for the Eagles, Brian 

Westbrook that was injured. He, as I understand it, had a grade 

3 concussion, which is the max grade. The coach has reportedly 

said that he is ‘‘counting on Westbrook to be back on the field Sunday against the Giants.’’ From what I hear, that doesn’t necessarily 

sound like he is looking out for the most careful approach to Mr. 

Westbrook’s concussion. Mr. Goodell, do you think that Coach 

Reid’s comments were appropriate that ‘‘he is counting on him,’’ 

which sounds like he is putting a burden on him to rise to the occasion of play after he has had a concussion just 6 days later? 

Mr. GOODELL. As you say, I have not seen the quote, but I know 

Coach Reid. He has heard me repeatedly say these are medical decision, they must be made by medical professionals. My presumption would be that he has gotten medical advice of how he has responded to the injury and that he is continuing to be under very 

strict and very careful medical attention, and the doctors have 

given him the indication that he should be able to play. 

Mr. COHEN. Let me ask you this, because Dr. Culverhouse made 

clear that the doctors are the teams’ doctors. They are counting on 

him. They have got to get 3 yards. It is third and goal, and he is 

the guy. Well, when he is 60 years old, he might not have felt that 

it was good to be there on third and goal. Shouldn’t there be some 

independent doctor that makes a decision when you are going to 

play, or possibly play, 6 days after a grade 3 concussion? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, I would offer to you that I believe our doctors did not work for the coaches. In many cases, in most cases do 

not actually work for the team. They work for other institutions, 

highly respected well, known medical institutions. They are doing 

this as part of their either representation of that institution. Or 

they are doing this because this is in addition to their other private 

practice. 

Mr. COHEN. I am sure they do and they have got a Hippocratic 

oath, and all that stuff. But nevertheless, somebody signs the check 

and chooses among all those fine firms who they are going to pick. 

And still—just like Cesar’s wife in the be beyond reproach, and also 

to be sure the player is being looked after, don’t you think it would 

be nice to have an independent panel in these circumstances where 

there is a player looking to play within 6 days or 7 days or some 

limit? 

Mr. GOODELL. I would say as long as it is made by medical professionals, I would support it. 

Mr. COHEN. Medical professionals kind of, probably, okayed Muhammad Ali to fight Larry Holmes, which was a serious mistake. 

He did it for the money. There are medical professionals that send 

the boxer in the ring and send the football player on the field and 

they have—I just think you have to look after the players. 

Dr. Culverhouse is to be commended. She obviously—I read 

about her last name on The Times on the Web. She has a great 

love for her players. Dr. Culverhouse, what do you think? Do you 

think a player like that should be sent into action with a doctor? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Absolutely not. Thank you. Absolutely, 100 

percent not, no. There is no way. I have suffered a concussion, I 

106 

have watched my players suffer concussions, I have talked to my 

players about their concussions and there is no way that that player should be back on the field within 7 days of that kind of stage 

3 hit, there is absolutely no way. 

Mr. COHEN. Do you think there could be a system where there 

could be a 3-member group of physicians, or just some independent 

doctor, that could be created that the AMA would work with here, 

or some neuro—— 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Absolutely. That is what I had mentioned 

earlier. I think that if you have an independent neurologist and 

you only really need one per game because they would work for 

both teams as independent evaluator. But these players—we grew 

up with Marcus Welby. We trusted our doctors. Even when they 

said something, we didn’t want to hear, we trusted Dr. Welby. 

These players go into the NFL and they trust their college doc, 

they trust their team doc. And then all of a sudden, their team doc 

is shooting them up in the locker room before they go out to play 

so that they can make the score, so that they can block. And then 

at half-time they are putting cuffs around their arm to IV them for 

the fluid loss. Cuffs are not best medical practice for IV’ing a player. The player is not being looked after by Dr. Marcus Welby. He 

is being looked after by a coach’s ally whose goal is to get the player back on the field and make that score. 

Mr. COHEN. Barbaro has better independent advisor, did. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Yeah, I liked that horse. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah, I did too. And there was—okay, Mr. Chairman, if I could ask one last question. Doctor, where are the other 

owners? Are there other owners that have the same feelings that 

you about their players, and have spoken out on these issues? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Not to my knowledge. I am a rebel with a 

cause. Not to my knowledge. You have to understand also that Mr. 

Goodell works alternate the pleasure of the owners, so actually he 

is representing here every owner in the NFL because if he was not 

saying what they wanted him to say, he would be replaced. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. The Chair is pleased to recognize Judge Louie 

Gohmert of Texas. 

Mr. GOHMERT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I do appreciate all 

the witnesses being here, your patience with us particularly. And, 

Mr. Smith, congratulations on being executive director of the NFL 

players. I know something about your background. And I understood one of the benefits that was deemed to have someone with 

your prestige from Patton Boggs that does some lobbying, was the 

contacts that you had had with Congress. Was there something in 

mind that you had and have that Congress might do to help the 

NFL? 

Mr. SMITH. The NFL players? 

Mr. GOHMERT. The NFL player—you don’t want to help the NFL, 

you just want to help the players? Because I took it you would 

want to help the whole NFL? 

Mr. SMITH. I think it is right to look at both the NFL and the 

players. I think that holding this hearing today is both in this instance and historically one of this great body’s major roles, to shine 

not only the light that comes from asking tough questions of people 

107 

who are brought before this Committee, but also serving in your 

role to bring it—to bring it out to the public in general. So I think 

when Congress asks tough questions, when we are asked to come 

forward and present information, I think that is a good thing for 

the National Football League. I know it is a good thing for the 

players of the National Football League. 

Mr. GOHMERT. When I say NFL as an outsider, I always think 

of the players, everybody, owners, managers, coaches, all of that 

within the NFL. That is what somebody like me sees when we see 

the NFL. So it is nice when you work better together than Congress does. But, Dr. Culverhouse, I really appreciate your compassion for the players and all. I am curious, do you see Congress 

needing to do something to step in and start telling owners and 

players in the NFL what they need to do? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Absolutely. You are the only body that can 

tell the NFL what to do. 

Mr. GOHMERT. I see. Well—okay. What if we decide we don’t 

want you as an owner anymore? I mean that kind of thing. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Fine with me. Get somebody honest, straightforward, who cares about the players in there instead. 

Mr. GOHMERT. What we find here in Washington is that it just 

seems to depend on who is in office. Currently we know for example, from the insurance industry that when the White House or 

leaders in Congress get upset with an industry and threaten them 

and say we may yank your antitrust exemption, that they are willing to retaliate and do something like that. So there is a message 

there. Some of us think it is important to make sure that everybody plays fair and there is a level playing field and then make 

sure that in the case of the NFL you have got the players and the 

owners who have a level playing field on which to meet and work 

things out for the benefit of the entire NFL. But when Congress 

steps in, it seems like invariably we don’t make things better, we 

create more problems. 

Look at our track record. And in fact—in view of the way things 

have gone here lately, it seems like perhaps the solution that some 

here in Congress might come up with to fix the NFL would to be 

give people more choices, give them a Federal-public option. We 

know Green Bay has a city option, but give them a public option 

where we start having government teams because I think if we 

truly had some government run teams, that perhaps Tampa Bay, 

St. Louis, Tennessee would not be undefeated. They would have 

some wins under their belt if we had some government teams right 

now. So they would have somebody they could beat up on. But that 

is my concern. And Mr. Goodell. That is my concern. So often when 

we come in and weigh in to an issue, sometimes we muck it up 

even worse. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. You know, I have more trust in you than 

that. 

Mr. GOHMERT. You haven’t been in Congress obviously. 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. Hope springs eternal in my world. 

Mr. GOHMERT. It springs eternal in mine and that is why I am 

still here. But I still think the role of government is not to be a 

player, but to be a referee and make sure that everybody is playing 

fairly and that is the only time that we should step in, but if we 

108 

get too involved in the intricacies of any industry—ask the car 

dealers. Good grief. So I have just dealt with so many people that 

said if I had known what you were going to do with our knee by 

the time it got to the floor and got voted on, I would never have 

asked Congress to do anything. So please keep that in mind when 

you ask for anything, it may come out as something you never 

dreamed that makes things worse. But I appreciate all of your patience. I appreciate the pleasure that you have brought to so many. 

We do want to make sure that people stay as healthy as possible 

in such a tough game. Thank you very much. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Judge Gohmert. The Chair recognizes 

Linda Sa ́nchez of California—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I believe Mr. Weiner is ahead of me in line. 

Mr. CONYERS. Two interceptions, plenty of respect. What are you 

talking about? I am very delighted to recognize the starring player 

representing the Congress, Mr. Weiner from New York. 

Mr. WEINER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to recognize 

someone who lived up to his storied family name, Tom Rooney from 

Florida, who played a remarkable job at tight end and, from time 

to time, did that thankless of all jobs, offensive line, who did a 

great job in the game as well. I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman 

and Ms. Sa ́nchez. I just want to establish for the record, Commissioner, who is Dr. Irv Casson? 

Mr. GOODELL. I believe you mean Ira Casson? 

Mr. WEINER. Do I mean Ira? Ira Casson. 

Mr. GOODELL. Yes. He is a doctor that serves on our MTBI committee as co-chair. 

Mr. WEINER. Isn’t it a fact that the Committee asked for his 

presence here today and he is an employee of yours, is that fair to 

say? Do you sign some element of his paycheck? 

Mr. GOODELL. He is not an employee of the NFL. 

Mr. WEINER. Does he represent you? 

Mr. GOODELL. He represents the MTBI committee as co-chair. 

Mr. WEINER. We asked him to participate in this hearing. He 

was unavailable and we asked for your help in having him appear 

here. Can you just clarify the record, did you ask him to be here 

and he said no? 

Mr. GOODELL. I did not get involved in that, no. 

Mr. WEINER. If you could, while I am asking my question, members of your staff can find that out. I also—I think the record 

should show beyond any work of any Member of Congress, even 

you, Mr. Chairman, you, Ms. Sa ́nchez, Alan Schwarz of The Times 

has been driving this issue with some of the reporting and we probably wouldn’t even be here today if it were not for some of the stories that he has written both at the college level and the pro level 

about this problem. In a recent expose that he published, frankly 

went into the questions of credibility about the study that the 

league is currently undertaking. 

And basically three points of contention emerge from his reporting. And the first is the notion that any of the NFL supported and 

funded research would lack a basic level of independence. That 

some of the statements that have been made on behalf of the NFL 

put a cloud over whatever research might show. 

109 

A second concern that was raised by experts not associated with 

this debate but associated with just research is the relative paucity 

of subjects that are being studied for the purpose of trying to clear 

some of the dust around this issue and get down to the brass tacks 

which is what every Member of the Committee has testified what 

they would like to do. 

And third has been the role of this Dr. Casson who has taken 

some rather high profile positions, pooh-poohing some of the research that has been done and basically driving a fairly hard line 

that in fact the saying, going as far as to say, to question and being 

a little dismissive of the notion that multiple concussions actually 

do lead to problems later on in life. Wouldn’t it be, for the purpose 

of this conversation, getting back onto a more even keel where is 

not seen. We had a member of the NFL staff refer to the research 

that had come—that reinforced dementia links as phantom. Bad 

use of language. I think everyone would agree that shouldn’t have 

been language that was used. 

But let me give you the context of that quote to give you a sense 

of why I think this debate is not going in the right direction. ‘‘I say 

phantom says this’’—says Joe Brown, NFL spokesman, ‘‘because we 

have not seen this analysis in our office. If it was done, it was obviously written for the NFL players union on self-promotional lobbying purposes in anticipation of next week’s congressional hearing.’’ That is this one. Putting aside that lines have been drawn 

here, for the purpose of really allowing the public to have confidence in the end product and given that this has been characterized as a political issue between the players and the league and 

given that there are experts who can give sound advice on this, 

wouldn’t it be perhaps most wise to put the breaks on the study 

that is going on, the ADA plan that has raised so many questions 

about its impartiality, whether it has enough subject, whether or 

not the people supervising it have not already formed opinions, and 

say let us try to error on the side of absolute impartiality by saying, let us try to find somebody separate and apart from this whole 

debate, but someone who is good at this kind of stuff, that both 

sides of the debate at this table and all sides of the debate in public 

can take a look at that information and say we have absolute confidence in because for those of us for whom this—this is a worker 

safety issue for a lot of us. 

I mean, putting aside whether or not we like your product, and 

I do, this is a worker safety thing, no different than if someone was 

coming off the assembly line at a production plant and 20 years 

later they all had—they all had arthritis in their right knee. We 

would look at it the exact same way, I would think. 

So if you can give me the answer to that question, about why it 

might not just be better for your own purposes to say let’s take this 

out of the existing structure, where so many questions have been 

raised about it, and do something truly independent, stop this 

where it is, something truly independent, something that the 

league, Congress, everyone agrees is independent, and start from 

scratch to try to get this right? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, the answer to your question is that we want 

you to have confidence in the studies. That is one of the reasons, 

for the 15 years that we have been involved in this issue, we have 

110 

published every piece of data that we have ever done. We have 

published it publicly, we have given it to medical journals, and it 

is part of peer review. 

So I think when you talk about Dr. Casson and others, we don’t 

control those doctors. They are medical professionals, they are scientists, they do this for a living. They look at these issues independently. They draw conclusions. We have obviously debates—— 

Mr. WEINER. Let me stop you. Are you confident of that today as 

we sit here, that Dr. Casson is an independent viewer of this, given 

some of the statements he has made? I mean, do you believe that? 

Mr. GOODELL. Independent of what? Independent of my views? 

Mr. WEINER. No, independent of a position here. It seems to me 

that he arrives at this debate with certain notions. I mean look, the 

NFL has said research has not shown any connection to long-term 

problems in NFL players. I mean obviously that is—I mean today 

I doubt you would say that multiple concussions don’t create longterm problems today knowing what you do now. The question is 

the confidence in this report has been seriously undermined. 

I mean, you read Mr. Schwarz’s reporting. He went around and 

called academics and physicians, and they asked him a couple of 

questions, and they said in these important areas already today before a single bit of—I shouldn’t say that—at this early stage of the 

research there are already so many questions, why continue going 

down this path? Why not try to address the structural problems in 

the research, you know, that we don’t have the classic garbage in, 

garbage out. I mean not to be too harsh and not to question anyone. Just the appearance is clearly that this research is stacked 

and is lacking in credibility. And it is also clear that the parties 

involved have developed—I mean I think you would agree with 

this—have developed a sense of loggerheads about this issue that 

I don’t think serve most of the public. I mean most members of the 

public are not partisans for the players or for the union. We basically want to try to get this policy right and try to make sure that 

people are protected. So wouldn’t it be better to start, get a fresh 

start with a fresh report? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, we want Congress, we want the medical 

community, we want everyone involved to have confidence in the 

work that is being done, and that is why we have medical professionals involved. That is why we put it up for peer review and why 

they choose that. If this Committee believes there are ways in 

which we can improve that by making it more independent in some 

fashion, I would be happy to work with the Committee to do that. 

We want you to have confidence in the work that we are doing. 

We have led the way. Many people have taken our research and 

used it, including, it was mentioned earlier this morning, the Department of Defense. We have met with them and shared our research. 

Mr. WEINER. Well, I appreciate your willingness to assess this as 

we go along. And did you find out an answer to the question 

whether a member of your staff made any effort to secure Dr. 

Casson for this Committee? 

Mr. GOODELL. I am just reading this to you as I get it. Our office 

was not asked to help get Dr. Casson to testify. 

Mr. WEINER. Thank you. 

111 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. I am pleased to recognize 

Judge Ted Poe of Texas. 

Mr. POE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank all of you 

all for being here all day and your testimony. As the Chairman 

mentioned, I am from Texas. And when you talk about football, we 

believe we are the best, you know. And I have two favorite college 

teams, University of Texas and anybody that plays Oklahoma. My 

brother-in-law played for the New York Giants for 5 years. Everybody plays football, wants to, I think. My son started at 9 years 

of age and went all the way through college, played college ball, 

never missed a football game. 

So football, as all of you all know, is something that we do. And 

this report and your testimony about this report is I think important for us to be aware of injuries that can occur. But I am really 

not clear as to what Congress ought to be doing involved in professional football. I mean if Congress gets involved, it would seem to 

me it would be the end of football as we know it. We would all be 

playing touch football out there on these football fields, whether it 

is pros or college or high school or peewee league. 

People know when you play football there is a chance that you 

are going to get hurt. Parents know that, players know that, and 

all of you all know it better than anybody. 

My question really is what do you want Congress to do about the 

information that all of you all have testified about and the report? 

What is it you want us to do? 

Commissioner, I will start with you on this end if you don’t mind. 

Mr. GOODELL. Congressman, as I stated in my opening remarks, 

we are not waiting to see where the medical research goes. We are 

taking steps now to improve our game, prevent injuries, make sure 

when injuries do occur that they are treated properly, conservatively, and safely, and that we are caring for our athletes. We 

have to do a better job of that. We must continue to push this research. 

I think the exposure and the issue that is raising this is a public 

issue, a public health issue. And the debate that goes on within the 

medical community is healthy because it does put on a spotlight to 

something that can affect millions of people. Alzheimer’s itself is 

projected to be affecting over a hundred million people in the very 

foreseeable future on a global basis. 

This is a significant issue. So we want to be part of the solution. 

We want to be able to share our data, share our information, and 

continue to make progress in this area that will affect thousands 

of people that are not playing football, that are playing other 

sports, or may not even be involved with sports. So if our data can 

be helpful to that, we would like to be part of that. 

Mr. POE. Well, I understand what you have said. And the research has been passed on to not only other sports, but to health 

professionals as well, the research that has been done. But that 

doesn’t really answer my question. What do you want Congress to 

do? Do you want more research funds from Congress to the private 

sector? 

Mr. GOODELL. No, with all due respect, I was asked to come here. 

So I am not asking Congress to do anything. 

112 

Mr. POE. Well, that might be a first. But let’s just go on down 

the row if we have got time. Mr. Smith, thank you. 

Mr. SMITH. Yes, sir. I think two things. One, I think Congress 

should ensure or seek to ensure that there is the disclosure of the 

aggregate medical data that is being collected on NFL players. I 

think that is one. And number two, to take up your point earlier, 

I think it is Congress’s role to make sure that the business playing 

field or the other playing fields that businesses engage in is fair, 

is equal. 

So when Congress assures itself that it has done everything it 

can do in order to protect the safety of the people who play this 

game on the professional level, on the college level, on the youth 

level, I think that is Congress serving its role. 

Mr. POE. All right. Thank you. I am about out of time. I will just 

let anybody else weigh in on the last minute that I have. Anybody 

else want to weigh in on that? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. I would like you to help me keep my grandson from being damaged. 

Mr. POE. And how would you expect Congress to do that? 

Ms. CULVERHOUSE. I think Congress is very creative. I believe in 

Congress. I believe in the United States. Don’t get me started on 

that. But I believe you have power that others of us don’t, and that 

is why we elect you to this office. 

As a constituent with six grandchildren, I am asking you to 

please help the youth of our day now and the future football players of tomorrow to stay safe. Call it an OSHA deal, call it anything 

you want, but they go from being our youth in America to our employees. And we have, I believe, as Americans an obligation to 

make this a safer sport. 

Mr. POE. I appreciate that. 

Last comment. Mr. Chairman, as I mentioned, you are not the 

only person with grandchildren. I have got seven and a half and 

four kids, and I think it is a parent’s role to at the very early age 

to take care of the safety of their children. I certainly don’t think 

the Federal Government has a role to intervene in that. But Congress may have a role in making sure that there may be some 

funds for research and development. But getting involved in the everyday operation of an NFL football team, Congress is not qualified 

to do that. Maybe we should stick to what we know best. 

With that, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will yield back the remaining portion of my time. 

Mr. WEINER. What is that? What do we do best? 

Mr. POE. We discuss things, debate. 

Mr. CONYERS. The Chair is pleased now to recognize our former 

Subcommittee Chair, Linda Sa ́nchez of California. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to start by making a comment first on some of the testimony before I move on to 

the questions that I have. And I want to start with something that 

Mr. Goodell said. 

You were quick to mention some improvements that the league 

has made in the last 2 years to try to minimize some of the red 

tape and some of the hurdles for NFL retirees who are applying for 

disability benefits, and I just wanted to point out to the skeptics 

on this dais that the changes that the league made were very much 

113 

in keeping with some of the suggestions that came out of the Subcommittee’s hearing on this very issue in June of 2007, which is 

about 2 years ago. So for those of you that think that Congress is 

ineffective, I think the congressional scrutiny might have had a little something to do with some of those positive changes. 

Now before I get to my questioning, I want to first show a brief 

clip that is courtesy of HBO’s Real Sports. 

[Video shown.] 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. And Mr. Goodell, you are about to be handed a copy of a pamphlet that I believe is currently distributed to 

NFL players. And I would ask you to please read the highlighted 

portion of the pamphlet. And if I may ask unanimous consent to 

also enter it into the record, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Certainly. Without objection it will be. 

[The information referred to follows:] 

114 


D-1.eps
115 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Mr. Goodell? 

Mr. GOODELL. Yes, I read it. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Yes, please. Where it starts, ‘‘If I have had more 

than one concussion’’—— 

Mr. GOODELL. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Can you read that out loud, please? 

Mr. GOODELL. Oh, I am sorry. ‘‘Current research with professional athletes’’—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Pardon me, can you back up and read the question 

and then the answer that is in the pamphlet? 


D-2.eps
116 

Mr. GOODELL. ‘‘If I have had more than one concussion, am I at 

increased risks for another injury? Answer: Current research with 

professional athletes has not shown that having more than one or 

two concussions leads to permanent problems if each injury is managed properly. It is important to understand that there is no magic 

number for how many concussions is too many.’’ 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. Thank you. Now, the question that I have 

for you is, I am a little concerned, and I hear the concern expressed 

by some of the witnesses on the panel today, that the NFL sort of 

has this kind of blanket denial or minimizing of the fact that there 

may be this, you know, link. And it sort of reminds me of the tobacco companies pre-1990’s when they kept saying no, there is no 

link between smoking and damage to your health or ill health effects. And they were forced to admit that that was incorrect 

through a spate of litigation in the 1990’s. And my question to you 

is wouldn’t the league be better off legally, and wouldn’t high 

school and college football players be better off, if instead of trying 

to minimize this issue, the league took the opposite perspective and 

said, look, even if there is a risk, however minuscule, that there 

may be this link, so we really need to jump on top of it and make 

kids and parents aware of this so that there isn’t this sort of sense 

that the NFL is really just slow walking the issue to death by saying, well, we have been studying the issue for 15 years, we are 

going to maybe study it another 15 more years, when there is already non-NFL paid for research that suggests that there is this 

very high correlation with cognitive impairment? Don’t you think 

the league, you know, would be better off legally, and that our 

youth might be a little bit better off in terms of knowledge, if you 

guys just embraced that there is research that suggests this and 

admitted to it? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, Congresswoman, I do believe that we have 

embraced the research, the medical study of this issue. As you 

point out—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. You are talking about one study, and that is the 

NFL’s study. You are not talking about the independent studies 

that have been conducted by other researchers. Am I correct in 

stating that? 

Mr. GOODELL. I am not sure of your question. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. There are other studies, research in dementia and 

CTE that show that there is a link. But again the league seems to 

downplay that and say, well, you know, we are conducting our own 

study and, you know, when we have that study completed then we 

will know. 

Mr. GOODELL. No, I think what we are doing is because we have 

to a large extent driven this issue by making sure that we have 

medical professionals studying this issue. I am not a medical professional. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand that. And I understand that Dr. Ira 

Casson is, who unfortunately is not here to testify today, because 

there are a number of really great questions I would have loved to 

have asked him. And I would think that, as the person who is 

spearheading the research and the one who is individually examining the players who will participate in the study, I think it would 

have been really important for him to be here today. And I hope 

117 

that in the future—maybe you didn’t get asked to have him here 

today—but I think in the future it would be really appreciated by 

the Congress if you could ask him to come so that we could put 

specific medical questions to him. Because you know, without him 

here I am not going to get medical answers out of you, and that 

is very clear to me. 

But I just want to briefly go through one of the big issues with 

respect to the research that is currently underway by the NFL. 

There are other professionals who have looked at the methodology. 

And some of the concerns have been already raised, but I just want 

to kind of go through them again. One of the criticisms of the study 

is that the statistical comparison is going to be between professional football players and people who played football in college. 

That is sort of like comparing two-pack-a-day smokers with onepack-a-day smokers to see what the differences are, instead of twopack-a-day smokers with the general population to see whether 

there is an increased risk of the activity that they are participating 

in to their health. So that has been an issue that I think merits 

your going back and talking to the doctors who are conducting this 

study about trying to tweak in the study. 

The second thing that really troubles me is that the subjects are 

sort of self-selected. You sent out phone calls and letters and asked 

for people to participate. Well, homeless people don’t typically have 

addresses where you can send letters. And people with cognitive 

impairment, some of the effects of which are slurred speech, trouble focusing, memory loss, physical incapacity, they are going to be 

unlikely to really respond to a phone call or to a letter or to physically, many of the worst cases, be able to travel to New York to 

be examined by Dr. Casson. So I think you guys need to go back 

and rethink how you are selecting the participants in this so-called 

unbiased study. 

And third, and this is probably the most troubling, as was exhibited by the clip, it appears that Dr. Casson, who is the only one 

again who is going to be examining these former players, has already made up a determination of what the conclusion of the study 

is going to be. 

So my question is why are you even going through, you know, 

the charade of presenting the final analysis of going through this 

study if the determination, in my opinion, has already been made 

by Dr. Casson and, you know, is denied in the pamphlet that they 

hand out to NFL players? 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, first let me say I do not, and I think you 

stated that he is the only one examining these patients and the 

findings. That is not correct. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. He is not controlling the examinations or the findings? 

Mr. GOODELL. I would not say he is controlling that at all, no. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. He is participating in it, though. 

Mr. GOODELL. I do not know if he is participating in the examinations. I can find that out. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. And he has been a consultant to the NFL, is that 

correct? 

Mr. GOODELL. He has been on our MTBI committee for several 

years, yes. 

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Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. And some of the people who are participating in 

this study have other conflicts of interest. You know, one of the 

committee members on the concussion committee owns the company that makes and markets, mainly through its use by most of 

the NFL teams, the neuropsychological test that is used in the 

study. Isn’t that true? 

Mr. GOODELL. I don’t know the answer to that question, but I 

will find out for you. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. I am just concerned because there are several people that are part of this study that are NFL-related, either 

being paid by the NFL as consultants or actual employees of the 

payroll. 

Mr. GOODELL. Well, Congresswoman, I go back to something that 

I stated early on in my opening remarks. We had a medical conference in 2007. And you are correct to your point about the last 

hearing we had here was very helpful. And I will submit for the 

record about 20 changes that we made that are significant to our 

player benefits. And I will submit that. And so we do acknowledge 

that and we appreciate that. But I have also been Commissioner 

for 3 years. So I want to make sure that that is clear. You are also 

raising a very important point. I don’t control the doctors’ output. 

The doctors that we have involved with this, I do not judge whether they have a particular view going in or going out. This is a collective group that are tremendous professionals, that have studied 

this and other issues on a scientific basis, and this is part of medical debate. And I think it is clear today there is a significant medical debate about the impact, what that impact is, and at what 

point. As I say, we are trying to move past the medical debate on 

one level, which is control, what we can control and try to bring 

solutions. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. My suggestion would be, and my time has expired, 

but my suggestion would be that instead of having NFL-connected 

consultants and doctors, that perhaps the true findings of a truly 

unbiased study would be better conducted by people who have not 

been on the payroll or not been retained by the NFL in any capacity. 

And with that, I will thank the Chairman for his patience and 

yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. Tom Rooney, of recent amateur football fame, is now recognized, the gentleman from Florida. 

Mr. ROONEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank 

Representative Weiner for recognizing the people on the line of 

scrimmage who are allowing you to be heroic in getting the defensive game ball. I am going to recuse myself from asking questions 

specifically of the panel, though I do want to thank you all for 

being here and for your testimony today. 

I, like the Commissioner, played college football at Washington 

& Jefferson, and also on the other side of the table, although I see 

that he is gone now, I was roommates with Merrill Hoge for a year 

or so. I certainly empathize with both sides of this debate, although 

like some of my colleagues, I am not really sure what our role in 

Congress should be in getting involved with the National Football 

League. 

119 

You know, football is a very violent game. And certainly as one 

who played it and suffered concussions myself, I can say that those 

that choose to play football, those that involve themselves with the 

sport fully understand that. 

I will take the liberty, briefly, to say and to question the statement that was made earlier that pro football teams don’t care 

about their players beyond scoring touchdowns. I hope that is not 

true. I hope that that isn’t what was meant. And in fact I know 

that is not true. Beyond this hearing, but at least this hearing, I 

would say, Mr. Chairman, raises the serious issues of safety and 

head injuries, and that is a good thing. And I am confident that 

the NFL and the players union will continue to work together to 

make sure that they are doing everything that they can to improve 

the league and improve player safety for years to come. 

I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Rooney. And I thank 

the witnesses. 

Commissioner Goodell, in response to a question from the gentleman from New York, Mr. Weiner, you indicated that the Committee never requested that Dr. Ira Casson testify. I understand 

that you would like to clarify that response. 

Mr. GOODELL. I was handed a note to respond to the Congressman. And I have just been handed another note which I will read 

to you as I see it: ‘‘Tell them you will check further to get back to 

them in writing tomorrow. So I have not been contacted.’’ 

Mr. CONYERS. Okay. This record will be open for a while afterwards, so you can submit any—— 

Mr. GOODELL. I will check with our staff further. 

Mr. CONYERS. Well, I want to thank this panel. This has been 

surprisingly well-attended. The views are various. But I think 

there are some things that we can come to an agreement on about 

the serious nature of these injuries and the fact that there is still 

more that can be done about them. And for that reason, I am in 

your debt. 

I am sorry that we took so long to complete this first panel. I 

thank you very much, and you are now excused, or invited to stay 

and hear the second panel. Thank you very much. 

Now, our final panel is Bernie Parrish; Dr. Joel Morgenlander, 

neurology at Duke University; Dr. Julian Bailes, Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, West Virginia School of Medicine; Dr. 

Joseph Maroon, Vice Chair, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Ann McKee, Associate Professor, Neurology 

and Pathology, Boston University; Mr. Christopher Nowinski, CoDirector, Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy; Dr. 

Eleanor Perfetto, wife of Ralph Wenzel, former NFL player; Dick 

Benson, high school football safety advocate. And we will be starting off with—and Mr. Tiki Barber, retired NFL player. 

Because of time constraints involving Dr. Perfetto, we are going 

to invite her to testify first. She is the wife of the former San Diego 

Chargers lineman Ralph Wenzel, and currently serves as the Senior Director in the Pfizer Evidence-Based Strategies Group. She is 

the caregiver for her husband, who has early onset Alzheimer’s, 

and has been awarded the Advocacy Leadership Award by the New 

York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Welcome to our 

120 

second panel. And I am delighted, Dr. Perfetto, for you to begin our 

discussion. 

TESTIMONY OF ELEANOR M. PERFETTO, Ph.D., M.S., WIFE OF 

RALPH WENZEL, FORMER NFL PLAYER 

Ms. PERFETTO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Conyers 

and Committee Members, thank you for inviting me to speak 

today. My name is Dr. Eleanor Perfetto, and I am a pharmacist 

with a—— 

Mr. CONYERS. Pardon me, pull the mike up closer. 

Ms. PERFETTO. I am a pharmacist with a Ph.D. Degree in public 

health, concentrating in health policy and epidemiology, and I am 

employed by Pfizer. I tell you that because I wear two hats today, 

predominantly as a wife and caregiver, but also one as a health researcher. 

The topic of this hearing is very important to me, and it has been 

for almost 15 years. I want to tell you about my personal experience and provide suggestions about urgent actions that need to be 

taken by the NFL to help disabled retired players, current players, 

and children involved in sports today. 

My husband, Ralph Wenzel, played as an offensive guard in the 

NFL for 7 seasons, retiring in 1974. In 1995, over 20 years after 

retiring from the NFL, my husband began having vague disconnected symptoms, depression, uneasiness, anxiety, losing things. 

Today we recognize those symptoms as resulting from CTE. In the 

years following Ralph suffered obvious memory loss and confusion. 

And in the fall of 1999, 10 years ago, at the age of 56, Ralph was 

diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, which progressed to severe dementia. In the last 10 years, Ralph has lost his ability to 

work, drive, play golf, read, cook, and enjoy a glass of wine. He can 

no longer dress, bathe, or feed himself. He lost his sense of humor, 

he lost his personality, and he lost his dignity. He lost it all. 

Almost 3 years ago, I had to place Ralph in an assisted living facility for dementia patients, and he resides there today. Frankly, 

my husband no longer has a life, and he certainly does not have 

a life that he would want for himself. And he does not have a life 

that he and I would want for anyone else. 

In almost 15 years since our ordeal began, we have been through 

many ups and downs. You have a spouse who becomes aloof, disconnected, irresponsible, who may be hostile and you don’t know 

why. The diagnosis is frightening, but it is also a relief. You finally 

understand why these things are happening. It is not you, it is not 

him, it is an illness. 

I cared for Ralph at home for over 7 years and I learned: Living 

wills, power of attorney, guardianship, Social Security, home care, 

adult medical daycare, psychiatric admissions, long-term care, et 

cetera, et cetera. These experiences are similar to those of anyone 

caring for someone with dementia, but there are some nuances 

when caring for an NFL player. 

I also learned that our current infrastructure is based on providing services for your grandmother, not for a very large man. The 

staff at these facilities are afraid. They are intimidated. I had to 

buy a full-size bed for my husband because these facilities provide 

a twin bed that was much too small for him. My husband was 

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lucky in one way. He has a wife who is educated, who works in 

health care. She is the one who filled out all the forms. She has 

a good job with a company that offers excellent health care benefits, and she also happens to be one very pushy broad. So Ralph 

has fared well because he has had a very strong advocate. 

But there are many out there in the situation that Ralph and I 

have been in over the last 15 years, and they need help. I speak 

with family members regularly, and I help them find doctors and 

other services. Often I simply just talk to distraught women and 

help them get through it. They turn to me because they have no 

place to go and they are finding their way the way I did years ago. 

So what are my asks today? What do I want to see come out of 

this? I have four. The first is that the NFL must stop its denial 

of the relationship between brain trauma and brain disease and become a proactive leader that it should be. The evidence is there. 

The denial is disrespectful of the players and the families that are 

suffering, and it endangers current players and children. 

Second, the NFL must do more to protect current players and 

children so they are not faced with this travesty later in life. The 

NFL is in a prime position to educate on and advocate for prevention, and it is a moral imperative. 

My third ask is that the NFL go beyond the 88 Plan, which assists players diagnosed with dementia. Players and families suffer 

for many years before the diagnosis comes. The NFL must educate 

and find players with early signs and symptoms to provide support 

so their families can better manage the ordeal before them. This 

is not an academic exercise. This is something that the NFL should 

be doing for all of the players, not a handful or a group of players 

that participate in a study. For former players like Mike Webster, 

the diagnosis came too late. 

Lastly, I mentioned earlier that I wear a second hat as a researcher. My fourth ask is that you examine carefully the studies 

put before you. Some will tell you these studies should be disregarded or that they have been misreported or that they have 

been exaggerated. I encourage you to talk with third-party experts 

about the quality of these studies. There are different kinds of bias. 

There is the bias of an opinion. Of course I have a bias with my 

husband being where he is today. I have a bias about the studies. 

The NFL has its bias about the studies. But there is also other 

kinds of methodological bias, and I encourage you to listen to experts about those kinds of things and to listen to the experts about 

the issues of statistical power. 

And I provided more details about this and examples in my written testimony. I know that you are not doctors and I know that you 

are not scientists, but I know and I have the confidence that you 

are able to understand clear information that is provided to you in 

these studies, especially with the assistance of third-party methodologists who can make all of this very clear, and I thank you for 

letting me be here today. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Perfetto follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF ELEANOR M. PERFETTO


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Mr. CONYERS. We are grateful to you for your presentation and 

some relation of your experience, your very personal experience. 

The four asks we are going to take into careful consideration. And 

so I am going to excuse you now, because I know of your previous 

commitment. But thank you very much for joining us this afternoon. 

We now turn to the former running back for the New York Giants, Tiki Barber, who set virtually every career offensive record 

for the Giants. And being voted three times NFL Pro Bowl, all time 

records with the Giants for a number of things. And we are lucky 

to get this perspective, because here is a person that retired at a 

relatively young age, and he is now a correspondent for the Today 

Show. 

Welcome, Mr. Barber. 

TESTIMONY OF TIKI BARBER, RETIRED NFL PLAYER 

Mr. BARBER. Thank you, Chairman. I appreciate you being here. 

I appreciate being here. Mr. Goodell, it is good to see you as well. 

It is a privilege and an honor, and also a little bit of source of 

entertainment to hear some of the tangential conversations surrounding our discussion on brain injury. I have one ask of this 

Committee, and I will be brief. And I will get to it shortly. 

I played football for 10 years. I had exactly two concussions, both 

of which I came back from in the same game. I was not affected. 

As you mentioned, I retired really for a quality of life decision, so 

that I didn’t lose my knees, I didn’t lose my cognitive abilities, and 

I could live a productive life. 

My other hat that I wear, as you mentioned, is with the ‘‘Today 

Show’’ and ‘‘NBC News.’’ And a story that I have been working on 

recently involves new helmet technology and the troubles that high 

school kids have with concussions. In the course of our research 

and our studies, we met with Vin Ferrara, who is here. He is the 

creator of a new helmet called a Xenith. But what he told me most 

that troubled me about high school athletics is that less than half 

of high school teams have access to an athletic trainer. Now, you 

can all understand why that can be dangerous. 

In the National Football League, as much as you hear the anecdotal evidence, you hear the bile that comes from people who think 

that the NFL is not addressing this issue. At the end of the day, 

it is a player’s choice. When we get injured, when we break our 

arms, when we break our fingers, when we pull our hamstrings, 

when we get concussions, ultimately the doctors give us advice, but 

it is our choice to go back into the football game. At a high school 

level, it is not so much so because they do not have the advice. 

My ask of you is that you find a way to mandate that every high 

school athletic program has access to medical doctors who can diagnose, understand, and treat concussions so that kids who are trying 

to emulate and be like me and be like the current players in the 

National Football League know the dangers of playing the sport 

that we all love. 

I thank you for your time. 

Mr. CONYERS. That is a very important aspect that sort of blends 

into our next witness, Dick Benson, who as a result of the tragedy 

in his family has a Texas law named after his son. And it goes to 

127 

the same point that has been raised, the hundreds of teenagers 

who have been seriously injured, some killed, because of their lack 

of information about concussions. 

Welcome, Mr. Benson, to our hearing. And you may proceed. 

TESTIMONY OF DICK BENSON, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 

SAFETY ADVOCATE 

Mr. BENSON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the 

Committee for the honor to testify in front of you. I have a short 

story to tell about the untimely death of my 17-year-old son, excuse 

me, who died of a head injury he received in a football game. And 

this football team had trainers and had doctors and is an elite private school. It had generally the access to the best of everything, 

but it wasn’t effectively employed. We had a team doctor, for example, but as is common in Texas and maybe in the rest of the country, the team doctor was an orthopedic surgeon. And for all I know, 

he may have been the best orthopedic surgeon in Austin. But he 

admitted later under oath that he didn’t know how to diagnose a 

concussion, and yet he was a team doctor of our team. 

These kids die of head, neck, heart, heat, and asthma-related injuries. That is what kills them. They don’t die of orthopedic injuries. Now, if orthopedic doctors want to be team doctors, if it is a 

franchise that is commercially or morally valuable to them, I think 

that is great. I simply ask that they get the training in emergency 

sports medicine that will enable them to be qualified to handle 

these kind of injuries. 

Additionally, our law, called Will’s Bill, after my son, requires 

that the coaches, the trainers, the sponsors of any competitive activity in public schools in Texas get that training. That includes 

band directors. And the reason we have band directors is you know 

we have 105 and 100-degree days in Texas in August when the 

band is working out, and we have had heat-related injuries on the 

part of band members. So those band directors need to have the 

same kind of training for heat-related injuries. 

I think most importantly, what we have asked for, and frankly 

I am sorry to say that the most uncertain I am about the legal 

compliance, is the training for the kids. You know, we have a concept in our society called informed consent. And I don’t think anybody can make the argument that a 16 or 17-year-old kid, no matter how intelligent or no matter how emotionally mature, can give 

informed consent unless he has gotten the information. And we require that in Will’s Bill. And I am not completely sure it is being 

delivered. 

The gentleman on my left, Mr. Nowinski, has written an outstanding book about the issues of concussion and head injury called 

Head Games. I refer it to all of you. And I challenge you to read 

it and not come back with a moral sense of the necessity for action. 

Now, there has been some earlier objection that maybe the Congress shouldn’t be making these rules, maybe the NFL and the 

players union shouldn’t be making those rules—or should make 

them for themselves. Who speaks for the 2 million young people 

who benefit or suffer from those rules? Nobody in that setup. I 

think you should make some rules because you can. And if you 

128 

don’t want to, I would like to see your list of who you think is going 

to step in. 

Getting Will’s Bill passed in Texas was very difficult. It took 4 

years. It took two professional lobbyists. It took lots of money. It 

took lots of phone calls. It received virtually no public opposition 

and received massive private opposition from that huge slice of 

Texas culture that is concerned with football. I don’t know if you 

know or not, but in small town Texas, and I would include some 

pretty affluent suburbs of big towns in this particular definition, 

the most important man is the football coach. And if you are running for public office in Texas on a statewide basis, you make it 

your business to try to get every football coach you can to be an 

endorser of your campaign because they have so much to say about 

the future of the children. 

So football is part of Texas culture. And I must say, based on my 

observation beyond that, it is a cult as well. And like most Americans, you know, we all love not to be told what to do. Simultaneously, we love to tell other people what to do. And I am sure that 

describes me as well as it does the football culture. 

But finally, we made some progress frankly because we made a 

breakthrough with a male coach who was the head of the girls’ 

coaches association in Texas. And he came in and he persuaded the 

boys’ football coaches, and they persuaded our public entity, the 

University Interscholastic League that is responsible for all of this, 

and we finally achieved it, and we had broad bipartisan support, 

and it was signed by the Republican Governor of Texas, Governor 

Rick Perry, in 2007. 

So my one request is don’t let it happen again, please. Thank 

you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Benson follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF DICK BENSON


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very, very much, Mr. Benson. 

Chris Nowinski is the former World Wrestling Entertainment 

professional wrestler who turned his background as a Harvard football star into one of the most entertaining and probably hated characters on television. He debuted on the World Wrestling Entertainment flagship program in 2002, when he was named newcomer of 

the year, and was the youngest male hard core champion in history 

before his career was ended by a 2003 concussion. And he began 

a quest to better understand his condition. And his relentless effort 

has resulted in a lot of educational work. And he specializes in 


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commercial strategy and licensing. And if I am not mistaken, he 

has also published a book on the subject. 

We are very pleased to have you here, Mr. Nowinski. 

TESTIMONY OF CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI, CO-DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY, 

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member 

Smith, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to testify today on an issue that has become my life’s work. 

My name is Chris Nowinski, and I am a Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, and also Co-Founder, President and CEO 

of the nonprofit Sports Legacy Institute, which is dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis, as well as a member of the board 

of directors of the Brain Injury Association of America. But when 

it comes to my personal identity, I will always see myself as a 

former Harvard football player. And I hope to provide a unique perspective as a former player, current brain trauma researcher, and 

post-concussion syndrome survivor. 

When I learned I was following Merrill Hoge, whose story he 

shared with me for my book Head Games, I realized that you don’t 

need to hear my personal story. You only need to know that I also 

lost my career as a professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment and then lost the next 5 years of my life to post-concussion syndrome all because I ignorantly tried to push through 

concussions. 

After the damage was done, I was lucky enough to find Dr. Robert Cantu. He taught me for the first time that repetitive brain 

trauma can lead to cumulative damage. Second, he told me that 

had I rested any of the concussions I had received, I would have 

limited that damage. But it seemed very strange to me that I was 

a 24-year-old with a Harvard degree and over 11 years of brain 

trauma under my belt, and I had no idea the risk I was taking or 

how to protect myself. When I began asking around with the men 

I played with, I learned that no one had told them either. And that 

is when, 6 years ago, I decided to dedicate my life to this issue. But 

while 6 years ago I had a notion that something was wrong with 

football and other contact sports, now when led to the diagnosis of 

CTE by Dr. McKee and others, and the diseased and battered 

brains of ex-football players, combined with the lack of awareness 

of the consequences of brain trauma, I am certain that radical 

measures are needed for football to continue safely. 

CTE is an ugly disease that slowly kills brain cells and connections. I don’t know if I have CTE inside my head right now because 

today we cannot diagnose it while someone is alive. But it doesn’t 

matter if I know, because we cannot treat it and we cannot cure 

it. Today we can only prevent it. 

But to do this, we have to dig deep and find the will. Because 

this Friday night in towns across America you can be sure we are 

creating it. This Friday night over a million kids will take to the 

football field, one in eight boys in America. One in eight boys plays 

football at the high school level. And thousands will suffer concussions. 

134 

One, a fictional boy we will call Mike, will take a hit to the head 

number 1,000 this season. But this one will make him feel stunned 

and confused. And he will see double and forget where he is for a 

few moments. He will begin walking toward the wrong sideline, a 

clear indication he is concussed. And his coach, who is a good guy, 

but was never trained on the dangers of concussions, will see it and 

think, oh, he just got a little dinged. The referee will notice, but 

he won’t know if it is his place to say something. Sometimes an 

athletic trainer might notice, but Mike’s high school is one of the 

58 percent without one. So Mike won’t know to say something because Mike’s brain isn’t functioning correctly. So a teammate will 

grab Mike by the jersey and pull him back into the huddle. Mike’s 

parents will notice from the stands, but they don’t understand. All 

10 other guys in the huddle will see that Mike’s concussed, but 

that happens all the time. So instead of calling time out, they just 

keep telling him the play over and over when he forgets while 

walking to the line of scrimmage. The teammates don’t know that 

by playing, Mike is exposing himself to further brain damage or 

sudden death from second impact syndrome. After a few more 

plays, Mike appears better, although he has a raging headache he 

doesn’t tell anyone about. The concussion is never diagnosed. 

What happens to Mike? I don’t know. He might be fine or he 

might be laying the groundwork for CTE, or next week he might 

get another concussion, and if that doesn’t kill him, the post-concussion syndrome might be so bad that he can’t focus in class, his 

grades slip, and he becomes unmotivated, and his promising life becomes permanently derailed. While the discussion of the concussion 

crisis has primarily been focused on the professional game, the 

focus needs to be on youth football. 

As we now think of how to solve this crisis, remember that 95 

percent of the players are under the age of 18 and under the age 

of consent, as Mr. Benson said. So the idea that we know what we 

are getting into is erroneous. The fact is we aren’t even giving 

these kids a chance to protect themselves. In fact, for most kids, 

the only source of this information would be the great work that 

is coming out of the New York Times, because there is no formal 

education for kids. 

So when I think of the immense scope of the problem, I am reminded that football has not always been played as it is today. In 

1905, the game was so dangerous that President Theodore Roosevelt summoned leaders to Washington for a summit on how to 

make the game safer. He threatened to take action in the absence 

of significant reform, and he got it. 

Today it is important to realize that football has evolved into 

something it was never intended to be. I believe the CTE research 

has shown us that it is time for a new change, and maybe even a 

new committee like Roosevelt’s. Except this time I think it is a 

committee to save football, because we cannot in good conscience 

allow this scenario to continue. 

If we agree that the game is broken and needs to be fixed, we 

can develop a solution, and that solution may be easier than we 

think. Today the members of the Sports Legacy Institute, including 

doctors and ex-NFL players, posted a 10-point plan on how to save 

135 

football at our Web site at sportslegacy.org, which I would like to 

enter into the record. 

Mr. CONYERS. Without objection, it will be. 

[The information referred to follows:] 


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Mr. NOWINSKI. Thank you. 

The document highlights 10 different proposals to create a safer 

game. And everything is on the table, from rule changes to mandatory education. The first proposal, to reevaluate how we practice, 

could cut the number of blows to the head in half. Imagine if we 

only allowed hitting 1 day a week. The plan as a whole could easily 

eliminate 75 percent of brain trauma and concussions without fundamentally changing football. It is simply a question of leadership. 

So much of this crisis has mirrored big tobacco and the link between smoking and lung cancer. And I ask you if you were able to 

create all the smoking laws and awareness we have today back in 

the 1950’s when the first conclusive pathological research was done 

linking smoking to lung cancer, would you save those millions of 

people who smoked without understanding the risks? 

As you listen to Dr. McKee next describe these diseased and battered brains of former football players, think of it as if you are 

hearing the first cases of pathologically described lung cancer from 

smoking. But in this case remember that the choice these men 

made to play football was made when they were just children. And 

then think about what you are willing to do to ensure this doesn’t 

happen to future generations. Although there has been progress, 

the NFL has not been eager to take this on. So maybe it is time 

for another committee, a committee to save football. Let’s not let 

this opportunity pass us by. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Nowinski follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI


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Mr. CONYERS. Thanks, Mr. Nowinski. 

Mr. Benson? 

Mr. BENSON. I am sorry, Mr. Chairman, but I forgot, I have a 

paper written by Vin Ferrara, who invented the Xenith football helmet technology. He is the CEO. It is a very well considered, carefully thought out paper, much like the one that Mr. Nowinski is 


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talking about. And with your permission, I would like to introduce 

it into evidence. 

Mr. CONYERS. We would be happy to accept that paper, and 

thank you. 

Mr. BENSON. Thank you, sir. 

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Mr. CONYERS. Dr. Ann McKee has a lot of experience, medical experience. She was Assistant Professor of Nuclear Pathology at Harvard Medical School, and then became Associate Professor of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, has served as the 

Director of the Neuropathology Corps of Boston University. She has 

conducted groundbreaking research on CTE. She is the chief 

neuropathologist at Framingham Heart Study. She also has the 

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Centers and for the Sports Legacy Institute. And we are so pleased 

that you could join us this afternoon. 

TESTIMONY OF ANN C. McKEE, M.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, 

NEUROLOGY AND PATHOLOGY, BOSTON UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

Dr. MCKEE. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of the 

Committee. It is a pleasure to be here. And I am glad to speak on 

an issue that I think is extremely important. 

My name is Dr. Ann McKee, and I am an Associate Professor of 

Neurology and Pathology at Boston University Medical School. I received my medical degree in 1979, and I am board certified in both 

neurology and neuropathology. 

I come at this issue with a slightly different perspective. I examine the brains of individuals after death. And for the past 23 years, 

I have examined the brains of thousands of people, brains from 

people from all walks of life, and from individuals who lived to be 

well over the age of 100. 

Through Chris Nowinski’s efforts in early 2008, I had my first 

opportunity to examine the brain of a retired professional football 

player. It was the brain of John Grimsley, a former linebacker for 

the Houston Oilers, who had died of an accidental gunshot wound 

while cleaning his gun at the age of 45. According to his wife, he 

was concussed three times during his college career and eight 

times during his NFL career. 

John began showing changes in his behavior and cognitive decline at the age of 40. He developed difficulties in short-term memory, attention, concentration, organization, planning, problem solving, judgment, and ability to juggle more than one task at a time. 

He would ask the same questions repeatedly over the course of the 

day, and would ask to rent a movie that he had already seen. He 

had trouble assembling his tax records, shopping alone, and understanding television. He developed a shorter and shorter fuse, and 

would become angry and verbally aggressive over seemingly trivial 

issues. 

When I looked at his brain on postmortem examination, I found 

a massive buildup of tau protein as neurofibrillary tangles. The 

neurofibrillary tangles were distributed in a unique pattern, a pattern not found in any other neurodegenerative condition except 

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. In CTE, tau protein 

builds up in the individual nerve cells, preventing them from making normal connections with other nerve cells, and eventually killing the cells. In this man’s brain there were massive numbers of 

NFTs, so many that you could see the abnormalities on the glass 

slides without the use of a microscope, as you can see in the middle 

panels of the figure that is being presented. There is tremendous 

accumulation of tau protein that appears as a brown pigment. All 

the brown pigment you see is abnormal. And please compare what 

you see in the middle panel, John Grimsley’s brain, to the brain of 

a normal man on the left, where you see absolutely no brown pigment. 

All these slides are prepared and stained in the identical way 

and there is no brown pigment visible in the normal individual, 

whereas the brain of this 45-year-old husband and father at the 

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prime of his life showed profound changes of CTE. In John’s brain, 

there were striking changes in regions of the brain that controlled 

personality and behavior, such as the frontal lobes. There were extreme changes in areas controlling rage behavior and impulsivity, 

such as the amygdala. And there were severe changes in areas that 

are also responsible for memory, such as the hippocampus. 

I remind that you in a normal 45-year-old, absolutely none of 

these changes would be found. In fact, you wouldn’t find these 

changes in a normal 65-year-old, 85-year-old, or 110-year-old. 

The next five brains that I examined from former NFL football 

players all showed the same distinctive changes of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, including the brain of Thomas McHale, a 

former Tampa Bay Buccaneer. 

The seventh brain of a former NFL player I analyzed was that 

of Louis Creekmur, a former offensive lineman for the Detroit 

Lions and an eight-time Pro Bowler. Louis Creekmur played 10 

seasons for the Lions and was famous for suffering at least 13 broken noses and 16 concussions. Beginning at the age of 58, he began 

to show increasing cognitive and behavioral difficulties that included memory loss, problems with attention and organization, and 

outbursts of anger and aggression. 

Mr. Creekmur was a member of the NFL’s Plan 88. He died from 

complications of dementia at the age of 82. The brain of Mr. 

Creekmur showed extensive damage. There were widespread NFTs 

throughout his brain in the unique pattern that is found in CTE. 

There was no evidence of Alzheimer’s disease or any other 

neurodegenerative disorder. The findings indicated that if Mr. 

Creekmur had not sustained repetitive head trauma during the 

play of football, he would be alive and well today enjoying his family and grandchildren. 

I also have examined the brain of a high school player who suffered several concussions and died at the age of 18. Now, the brain 

from an 18-year-old man should be perfect. There should be no abnormalities anywhere. But in the brain of this young man at the 

age of 18, there were already spots of extreme damage and you 

could see the areas of damage, looking at the slides again, just with 

your naked eye as you see in the top panel in the red boxes. Those 

are areas of extreme damage found in an 18-year-old high school 

football player. 

These are changes—the earliest changes of CTE, had he lived 

longer he certainly would have developed the same full blown CTE 

we have found in college and professional football players. 

I have now examined the brains of seven former NFL players 

and four college players, and I have found the profound changes of 

CTE in all of them. I have also found the earliest changes of CTE 

in a high school football player. 

I realize this is only a handful of cases. So what can you say 

about that? What can you say about only 11 cases? Well, what I 

can say is for the past 23 years I have looked at literally thousands 

of brains, from individuals of all walks of life, of all ages, and I 

have only seen this unique pattern of change with this severity in 

individuals with a history of repetitive head trauma, and that has 

included football as well as boxing. 

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None of my colleagues has ever seen a case of CTE without a history of head trauma, and there has been no documented case of 

CTE in the medical literature that did not occur without head trauma. The changes that we have seen today are dramatically not normal. There is no way that these pathologic changes represent a 

variation in normal that we would find under a bell-shaped curve. 

We have found these changes in every professional football player’s 

brain that has come into the CSTE laboratory, and I have never 

seen this elsewhere in 20-plus years of examining brains. I have 

had colleagues of mine from other institutions, including leading 

pathologists from Harvard and Mount Sinai, independently examine these brains and they have come up with the same diagnosis, 

which is CTE. 

I know that the argument is often made that there are hundreds 

of thousands of former football players, including professional players, that have no signs of cognitive decline or memory loss or personality change. But what I don’t understand is why we are expecting that exposure to repetitive head trauma will cause disease in 

100 percent of the individuals that suffer this trauma. Do we expect 100 percent of cigarette smokers to develop lung cancer? Do 

we expect 100 percent of children who play with matches or even 

with chainsaws to get hurt. No. Even if the percentage of affected 

individuals is 20 percent, or 10 percent or 5 percent, there are still 

thousands of kids and adults out there right now playing football 

at all levels who will eventually come down with this devastating 

and debilitating disorder. And as a doctor and as a mother, I think 

this calls for immediate action. We need to take radical steps to 

change the way football is played and we need to change this 

today. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. McKee follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF ANN C. MCKEE


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you so much for your testimony. 

Dr. MCKEE. Thank you. And I just want to introduce also a 

paper that we have written for your consideration. 

Mr. CONYERS. We will accept it into the record. 

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Mr. CONYERS. Dr. Joseph Maroon, board certified Clinical Professor of Neurological Surgery, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Vice Chairman of the Department and the Heindl 

Scholar in neuroscience. He has clinical and research interests. He 

has worked with neuropsychologist Mark Lovell, and with him they 

have developed the first computerized system to determine concusVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00203 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA

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sion severity and the timing for return to contact sports. It is now 

the standard of care for concussion management in the football 

league, the hockey league, Major League Baseball, NASCAR and is 

used in over 2,500 colleges and high schools in the United States. 

He has been team neurosurgeon to the Pittsburgh Steelers for 20 

years and honored by neurosurgical societies around the world, and 

has been honored in more than one Hall of Fame in addition. 

We are delighted and honored you would be with us today, Dr. 

Maroon. You are invited to proceed. 

TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH MAROON, M.D., VICE CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 

Dr. MAROON. Thank you very much, sir. I am here first as a neurosurgeon from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, with 

a career-long interest in preventing head and neck injuries in 

sports, and in particular football. I am also here as a former collegiate football player myself. I went to Indiana University on a football scholarship, which was good and bad. I went there and had a 

concussion like Mr. Nowinski, a very significant concussion that 

erased about 2 to 3 weeks from my mind but it also forced me to 

quit football and apply to medical school. So I probably wouldn’t be 

here if it weren’t for that concussion. 

Thirdly, I am here as a team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh 

Steelers, and I have been very, very honored and pleased to work 

with three Super Bowl coaches, Coach Charles Noll, Coach Bill 

Cowher and Coach Mike Tomlin, and I must say at no time in my 

25 years of professional career with that sports organization have 

I ever felt any pressure, any coercion or any suggestion that I 

should modify my diagnostic or decision making for any particular 

individual. 

I must challenge Dr. Culverhouse in that regard in suggesting or 

intimating that most college or most professional team doctors are 

in the pocket of the team owners or compromise their own scientific 

and their own medical integrity for the team. I don’t think that is 

the case now. In days gone by, it may have—there may have been 

some of that. But at the present time, I would strongly dispute 

that. 

In addition, I was challenged once by Coach Chuck Noll in 1990 

when I told him that his starting quarterback could not go back to 

play against the Dallas Cowboys the next week because he had a 

concussion. And he asked me why can’t he? I said well, the guidelines say such and such. He said who wrote the guidelines. And 

then basically he said look, Maroon, if you want me to keep an athlete out of football, I want objective data that you can show me indicating that there is something wrong with his cognitive ability. 

It was at that point that I called Mark Lovell, a 

neuropsychologist. And we went into the medical literature and we 

designed a test subsequently called impact which measures concentration, the ability to focus and memory and also reaction time 

to 1/100ths of a second. Dan Rooney and Coach Noll then allowed 

us to do the whole Pittsburgh football team, and subsequently 

there have been over 75 papers written validating the test and confirming that it is a neurocognitive test that is baselined—the athletes are baselined before the season and, if there is a concussion, 

197 

retested to assess cognitive functions, which is an extremely important aspect that all of the panelists have spoken to at this point. 

And fourthly, I am here on behalf or as part of the MTBI committee of the NFL. So I am here to tell you four things. Number 

one, concussions are serious problems. I know personally and they 

have the potential for long-term neurological damage. At the University of Pittsburgh, we see 150 athletes a week. I am going to say 

that again. 150 athletes a week with post-concussion syndrome. 

This is a very serious entity and one that we must work to prevent. 

I am here also to tell you that prevention is essential. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, said that the first responsibility of 

a physician is to prevent illness. If that be impossible, to cure it. 

Unfortunately, we don’t have any cures, as Mr. Nowinski said and 

Ann McKee, for this entity of post-traumatic problems. 

Third, I am here to tell you that from my experience, the NFL 

is a model in concussion management. The things they are doing, 

and I will go into that in just a second, are exactly what should 

be passed on to youth football. Merril Hoge this morning, who I 

will say I personally, after evaluating Merril after his concussions, 

advised him to quit football based on his neurocognitive tests and 

his examination. I suggested, Merril, this is not good for your 

brain. And fortunately he listened. But as he said, there are 3 million youth athletes. There is 1.1 million high school athletes. There 

is 50,000 college athletes. All of these need to have the same protective, preventive measures in place that are used for our professional athletes. 

And I would go farther than that and say that what Congressman Pascrell said this morning about our troops in Afghanistan 

and Iraq, they should have the same benefits as our NFL quarterbacks in terms of when they should return to combat. 

Finally, what is the NFL doing? You have heard of the NFL committee that was formed 15 years ago. So they have not had their 

head in the sand. There has not been denial about the effects of 

concussion. They have published many papers and done research. 

They have also educated the players, the coaches, and the trainers 

on the significance of concussion, the long-term effects of concussion, and the dangers of concussion. That is not denial. 

Number two, they have instituted mandatory neurocognitive 

testing. They have instituted strict return to play guidelines. They 

have penalties and fines for hits to the head and there is a whistleblower program. If any player feels that he is being coerced to 

going back prematurely following a concussion, he can call a hotline and immediately have assistance in this. 

And fourth, there is continued research going on. I was so 

pleased today when the Commissioner stated that he is now—that 

the NFL is going to make a joint effort to participate in the CTE 

programs that are looking at this in terms of the research going on. 

So I think in summary, I commend you, Mr. Chairman, and your 

Committee for bringing everyone together today in this meeting 

and also putting the national spotlight on this problem so that it 

can have a positive effect on the millions of kids who aren’t playing 

professional football. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Maroon follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOSEPH MAROON


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Mr. CONYERS. We are indebted to you. And we look forward to 

our discussion as soon as we finish up with Dr. Julian Bailes, 

Chairman of the University of West Virginia Medical School’s Department of Neurosurgery. During his career, he was a finalist in 

the National Association of Emergency Medical Physicians’ Cerebral Resuscitation Program Competition and has been awarded the 

West Virginia School of Medicine Dean’s Excellence Award for his 

work there. He has received research grants that nearly reach $27 

million in amount and has investigated head injuries in numerous 

football players, has publications, several that are mentioned here 

that will be put in the record. 

Thank you, Dr. Bailes, for joining us. We appreciate your patience. 

TESTIMONY OF JULIAN BAILES, M.D., CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY 

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 

Dr. BAILES. Good afternoon, Chairman Conyers and Ranking 

Member Smith and Members of the Committee, And I appreciate 

being able to meet with you. 

My background is as a former player for 10 years, a sideline physician at the NFL or NCAA Division I level for the last 20 years, 

a neurosurgeon who runs the neurological service of a busy Level 

I trauma center, and as a laboratory researcher using models of 

concussion. I am also the father of five children, and I will say up 

front that I think football is the greatest sport in America and it 

is the one that I love the most. 

I have worked extensively at the Brain Injury Research Institute 

with Dr. Bennet Omalu, the neuropathologist who first discovered 

CTE in the former Hall of Famer, Mike Webster, in 2002. 

My current position, as you said, is Professor and Chairman at 

West Virginia University Department of Neurosurgery. In 2000, 

Frank Woschitz, who was the Executive Director of the NFLPA retired players, asked me to set up a center to study the health of 

retired players, which we did. We put it at the University of North 

Carolina Chapel Hill. I remain the Medical Director, Kevin 

Guskiewicz is the Center Director. And we looked at all sorts of 

health issues of retired players. We found expected incidence of 

heart problems and aches and pains and spinal problems and arthritis. But what surprised us way back then was out of this big 

funnel of data came the issue that these guys were cognitively impaired, the mental problems they were having. And that was way 

more than we expected or that you would expect for the population 

age-matched controls. The only risk factor we found for them having CTE—we analyzed all of their past medical history—was three 

or more concussions and if they had had three or more concussions 

during their career, they had a five times increased chance of having been diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment is not good, because within a decade the vast majority of 

those people go on to being diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. 

We published that 4 years ago. So that has been out there. Two 

years ago we published a second study that said once again if you 

have three or more concussions you had a triple incidence of having 

212 

depression diagnosed when you were retired. So both of these, cognitive impairment and depression, obviously are not good. 

We continue our work there. We in fact have a study currently 

of retired players with great detail, the MRI scans, the neuropsychological testing and others, and we expect that study to be 

completed next spring. 

We were in 2000 and we remain today the only entity, the only 

center that was ever envisioned to study the health of players once 

they retire. With special standing methods used for detecting Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Omalu and I have gone on to examine the 

brains of 17 modern contact sport athletes. 

As you can see from the slide, a normal brain on the left and on 

the right, a slide of the first case of CTE, the great Steeler center, 

Mike Webster, who played 17 years, you can see the brown spots, 

similar to what was shown before with—representing dead neurons, this tau protein, it is in a way sort of like sludge which clogs 

up the brain cell, the neuron. It can’t clear it. It is portions of this 

dead protein in the brain cells and their connections. In every case, 

where similar behavioral or psychological problems, such as personality changes, memory loss, business and personal failures, depression and suicide, we found extensive areas of tauopathy, which is 

the abnormal collection of tau protein. 

Many continue to say we are going to keep studying this, we are 

going to keep after it. However, it is my scientific and medical opinion that we now have enough indisputable research from examination of the brains of dead players to the lives of retired players that 

confirms the reality of CTE. Unless changes occur, further injuries 

will happen in professional football players, all the way down to all 

levels of play. 

And we heard today a lot about a lot of changes that have been 

made and are going to be made, and I think that is great. 

I believe also that the velocity of the head impacts today in football are one of the biggest differences. The velocity of the hits and 

the hits to the head are a big, big part of the problem. 

I also think there is an emerging concept of subconcussive injuries. In other words, all of our energy and all of our work has been 

toward the diagnosing the player who had concussion. What about 

the players—and we have autopsied several linemen, none of them 

who had a history of concussion—who had extensive tau protein 

deposition and all died with a clinical syndrome of CTE, behavioral 

and psychological problems. So I think that subconcussive blows, 

undiagnosed concussions is more a problem than previously appreciated. 

I would like to conclude by saying that obviously concussion is 

a complex issue. In response to Dr. Culverhouse’s comments, I will 

tell you that 20 years at the NFL level with the Rooney family and 

the Steelers and Coach Chuck Noll and Coach Bill Cowher and 10 

years at the NCA Division Level I level, I never had one occasion 

of a coach or anyone else trying to influence my medical decision. 

So I respectfully disagree. I don’t really think that is where the 

problem lies. I think the problem lies in maybe improving rules, always trying to improve helmets and realizing about velocity. I am 

here today to try to keep the game alive by making it safer. 

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Thank you again for allowing me to speak, and I will be glad to 

answer any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Bailes follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF JULIAN BAILES


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Mr. CONYERS. We appreciate your conclusions and your analysis. 

You bring a lot of experience here. 

Dr. Joel Morgenlander, from Duke University, Professor of Neurology, runs the Clinical Neurology Service at Duke and is Medical 

Director of the Neuroscience Clinical Service Unit at Duke Hospital, and he is also connected with the committee that works with 

the National Football League on this same subject. 

We welcome you, and we appreciate your patience with us. It has 

been a long day. But I think it has been more than worthwhile, I 

can say on behalf of the Members of the Committee, for all of you 

to give us this very invaluable time. 

TESTIMONY OF JOEL MORGENLANDER, M.D., PROFESSOR OF 

NEUROLOGY, DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER 

Dr. MORGENLANDER. Thank you, Chairman Conyers, Members of 

the Committee. 

I was contacted 3 years ago by Dr. Tom Mayer, the Medical Director of the NFL Players Association. I was asked to consider joining the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the NFL. At 

that time, Dr. Elliott Pellman was the Chair of the MTBI Committee. I was very clear with Dr. Pellman from the beginning that 

I was interested in helping with the committee’s work on player 

safety as long as I was convinced the committee was going to take 

my ideas and concerns seriously. I am a neurologist and to my way 

of thinking, all concussions are to be avoided. I wanted Dr. Pellman 

to understand my vantage point. 

The MTBI Committee is compromised of team physicians, trainers, an engineer, a statistician, neurosurgeons, a neuroradiologist, 

a neuropsychologist, neurologist, and NFL and NFLPA representatives. I feel it is important for the Members of the Judiciary Committee to hear that in my 3 years that I participated in this work, 

I feel that all of my ideas and those of other committee members 

have been heard and discussed fairly. 

The support for our work goes past the MTBI Committee to the 

Commissioner’s office. I have been privy to no hidden agenda during my work with the MTBI Committee. Those that I have worked 

with are focused on player safety. Our hope is that lessons learned 

will help with injuries beyond the realm of professional football, 

but the NFL players are a central concern. 

The issues of the MTBI Committee’s work include injury prevention, player and medical personnel education, return to play decisions, and evaluations of late effects of concussion. During the 

years I have been on the committee, we have communicated directly with players and families about the symptoms of concussion 

to try and facilitate understanding on their part. 

We have held several conferences with leaders in the field of 

head injury and sports concussion, including the Department of Defense, to share ideas and better understand opportunities for future 

research. With the Commissioner’s support, we instituted a rule to 

not return any player with loss of consciousness to the same game. 

Each team is now required to have a neuropsychology consultant 

and baseline cognitive testing for each player. 

We continue to work with manufacturers of helmets and other 

equipment on improvements targeted at player safety. We have 

220 

much more to do, but I believe we are making a difference. As physicians, we strive to use the highest level of medical evidence when 

making evaluation and treatment recommendations. 

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the area of sports concussion is behind in many areas in neurology in the amount of prospective data 

on injury and recovery. Retrospective data is never as reliable as 

prospective results and associations do not prove causation. Therefore, at this time it is not possible to specifically determine the 

long-term risks of a single or repeated concussion. 

For the return of play decision, it is recommended that the player be asymptomatic both at rest and with exercise. As you have 

heard, the medical evaluation rests partly on the player’s report. 

NFL team concussion data has shown that over the past several 

years, more players with concussion are not returning to play on 

the same day. 

Our committee has worked with team physicians and trainers to 

update our concussion report forms for the purposes of improving 

data collection and looking for clinical keys to player outcomes. 

Members of the MTBI Committee are concerned about reports of 

pathologic brain findings in retired NFL players and other athletes 

as well as nonathletes who have sustained multiple head injuries. 

The syndrome term, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, 

as you have heard, appears to be pathologically different from 

other neurodegenerative diseases. In my conversations with the 

NFL players, it has become clear to me that nearly all of them 

have had concussions at some point in their careers. This includes 

concussions occurring during high school, college, and professional 

football. 

If the majority of players sustain concussions during their career, 

then why are only certain players affected with CTE? The majority 

of players lead cognitively normal lives after football. So what is 

different about these subjects that predisposed them to additional 

risk? We know that from Alzheimer’s disease literature, genetics 

factors interact with environmental factors to advance cognitive decline in some patients. We do not know the effects of other medical 

factors, including illness and exposures that might have an impact 

on this repeated head injury. 

We now hear reports of high school and college athletes with 

pathologic changes of the brain consistent with CTE. Might there 

be a particular age at injury that predisposes the player to these 

late effects? 

All of these questions are very important and need to be sorted 

out in order to determine the actual risk of brain injury from contact sports for those who choose to participate. 

In one attempt to get more information, the MTBI Committee 

and the NFL have sponsored the retired players study you have 

been talking about. This study is an attempt to gain more information about middle aged retired players, comparing players with different NFL career duration. We are including past medical history 

and player examinations with state-of-the-art Magnetic Resonance 

Imaging studies, genetic screening and neuropsychological testing. 

These tests have normative data by age to compare to. 

Neuroradiology and neuropsychology consultants, independent of 

the MTBI Committee, have been involved in this study both from 

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design data analysis and will be involved in the publication. We 

hope data from this study will add further information concerning 

the risk to players and help improve future player evaluation and 

testing. I personally feel that this neuropathologic work you have 

been hearing about is important and know that those involved plan 

to continue. 

Players with no history of cognitive complaints are currently 

being recruited as controls and that will be important. Future prospective studies following a cohort of young players may be particularly helpful. These studies should include medical and concussion 

histories, neuropsychological evaluations and neuroimaging studies. Many researchers are interested in these areas concerning 

sports concussion and more precise information should be forthcoming. 

I hope that my testimony has been helpful to the Committee, and 

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Morgenlander follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOEL MORGENLANDER


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Mr. CONYERS. It has been very helpful. All of your testimonies 

have left us with a whole new and important perspective. And, Mr. 

Dick Benson, I would like you to think along with me about two 

considerations that leave me to discuss with everybody here. 

The first is what Dr. Maroon described so eloquently is very important, except for the fact that many of, if not most of, the high 

school, middle school kids that are in football don’t have the kind 

of people around with the talent and medical expertise to accomplish the excellent kind of results that he has reported. Pro football—well, I am assuming pro football does, but I don’t even do 

that with any sincere degree of certainty. But I know when you go 

down and when you get out into the little leaguers where they 

don’t have an orthopedic surgeon who doesn’t know concussion if 

it hit him in the face. They don’t have anybody. They don’t have 

any—they don’t even have a doctor of any kind. They trained—they 

trained parents at the school about—they give them a few things 

about health. 

So there is one problem, isn’t it? And I want you to talk with me 

about it. But I want to get the other one out so that we can all 

talk about this together. 

The other question is that I find that I have had a little experience listening. I am disturbed that Dr. Gay Culverhouse seems to 

be the only one that sees something that many people have commented critically on. Now, is it that she doesn’t have any experience about football or she is not—well, to put it in a more colloquial way, Mr. Barber, what is your problem? Where does she— 

how does she get so distraught about something that nobody else 

can put a finger on? 

What does that tell the Chairman of this Committee? Well, one 

thing it could tell me, Mr. Benson, is that she may be on to something that nobody else wants to break the news to all of us Federal 

legislators, and I want to now yield to Mr. Benson and Mr. 

Nowinski to help me feel better as this thing comes to an end. 

Maybe we can rationalize this away a little bit better. 

Mr. BENSON. Mr. Chairman, it is obviously true that the younger 

players and younger leagues don’t have adequate medical care, and 

I would argue that is mostly true through high school in Texas, because until the passage of Will’s Bill there is no requirement that 

the team doctors, whether they are an orthopedist, a psychiatrist, 

a dentist or whatever willing volunteer, actually catch up and learn 

the technology of the injuries that are potentially catastrophic. 

That is what we are looking at. 

The purpose of Will’s Bill was to try to cut back and deal with 

and treat catastrophic injuries, those that cause death, permanent 

or long-term disability. I personally—I am not enthusiastic about 

very young football leagues. I think maybe it is a lot of fun for the 

kids when you turn a blind eye to the potential cost and you turn 

a blind eye to the fact that they are more susceptible to concussion 

and less likely to report it and, as I understand it, experience the 

conditions longer. I don’t like that. I wouldn’t let my children engage in that league, not anymore. 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. I will 

answer the second one first in terms of Dr. Culverhouse. 

228 

I do believe the stories that Dr. Maroon—I think he is a great 

guy and I am guessing the Steelers have been fine for a while. But 

I will tell you that I know of plenty of stories of guys who have 

been mistreated and a lot of those guys coming forward and telling 

their stories has created the awareness that we have. 

I will give you one example, is Ted Johnson. Ted Johnson is a 

middle linebacker for the Patriots for 10 years. A few years ago he 

got a concussion in a preseason game, 2 days later showed up to 

practice, had not seen a doctor, should not have been able to practice. And in the middle—when he had—in the middle of practice, 

he had a noncontact jersey on and an assistant came up and said 

put this full-contact jersey on and Coach Belichick wants you back 

in the game. No medical person intervened. They allowed him to 

go back into the practice. He took another concussion on the next 

play and that pretty much derailed his career, derailed his life. He 

retired from concussions and he is not the same guy he was. 

That was a very obvious example of mismanaged medicine. 

Kyle Turley, if he was here today, just retired last year in the 

Pro Bowl, has been telling stories left and right of times when he 

was mistreated by the teams he played for, had a bad concussion, 

locked in a room and left there unchecked for hours. 

My best friend and roommate from college, Isaiah Kacyvenski, 

played 8 years in the league. Team to team is very different. He 

was with the Seahawks at first and couldn’t speak well enough for 

how well they did it. Went to other teams and spoke of a time he 

got concussed, was on the sidelines and they had a neural expert 

but he was up in the sky box. The other doctor tried to examine 

him. He couldn’t smell the smelling salts. He couldn’t see straight 

and they were trying to tell him to go back in. And it wasn’t until 

the neuro guy got all the way down from 10 floors above and said 

that is crazy, you can’t put him back in. 

So there are definitely holes in the system, and the players 

would be happy to tell you themselves, and most of them are on 

the record with it. 

In terms of the youth issue, I think you are absolutely right. 

There is something very strange about not telling the kids or the 

coaches about one of the most common injuries they can get in football and the most serious one. The idea that we are willing to put 

a helmet on a kid and tell him to run into his friends a thousand 

times every fall but not tell him to look out for this, not tell him 

how to look out for concussions or tell him how to take care of it 

and not tell the only adult there, the coach how to do it, and not 

providing medical staff seems to me to be a mistake. 

Mr. CONYERS. Before I turn to Bob Goodlatte, could any of you 

weigh in on my final two questions? Anybody else have a thought 

about this? Please make me feel better as we bring this hearing to 

an end. 

Dr. MAROON. I think in the past, as I think Bob Cantu this 

morning, one of the speakers this morning said, that his management of concussions and the management of injuries in the last 5 

to 10 years is clearly different from the way we managed injuries 

before. And I think that I am—in terms of the comments of Dr. 

Culverhouse, I think that clearly in the 1970’s and the 1980’s and 

the 1960’s, the culture was very different. And what I am seeing 

229 

now is a major culture change and a culture shift in the appreciation of the players as well as the administrating physicians and 

trainers in the handling of injuries. 

Clearly there have been errors in the past in judgment. But I 

think as Chris said, there are holes in the system. But it is our responsibility to try to patch those holes as quickly as possible for the 

benefit of the athletes. 

Mr. CONYERS. Bob Goodlatte. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I 

want to thank you for holding this hearing. This is not an ordinary 

topic for the Judiciary Committee to cover, but it has certainly 

been a very enlightening one for all of us who have participated, 

and I must say that it is my hope that those people who are able 

to view this on the streaming, on the Internet, or perhaps this will 

be rebroadcast on C-SPAN, that if there are just some parents who 

see this and hear this they will be better informed, either to be better informed about decisions made by their children, whether or 

not they play football, but also more importantly many of them are 

going to decide to play football and they can advocate for better 

conditions under which they do play. 

I have the greatest concern for those young people. Obviously I 

am concerned about anybody who sustains the kind of concussions 

that we have talked about here today and the life impairing injuries that they could sustain. 

Mr. Benson, I think you have done it the right way in getting 

that passed through the Texas legislature. I am very concerned 

about this, but I have to say that given the considerations of the 

Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, it would be difficult, I 

think, for the Congress to extend the long arm of the Federal Government down to high school football games and be able to enact 

the kind of regulations that you and Mr. Hoge and Mr. Barber and 

others have referred to here. But the awareness that you brought 

that we have been able to facilitate here I think is a good thing. 

And I would like to ask, Mr. Barber, who I am delighted is here. 

He has excited a lot of fans in my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, 

playing for Cave Spring High School and subsequently for the University of Virginia and then of course the New York Giants. And 

I would like to ask Dr. Maroon as a team physician, and maybe Dr. 

Bailes as well. 

This problem at the NFL level, you have a multi-billion dollar industry, players with multi-million dollar contracts, fans that pay 

hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see the game in person or watch 

it on TV in the hundreds of millions and we all know what an ad 

goes for for 30 seconds on the Super Bowl. So there are lots of resources available to address this. 

Is the risk reduced by that or is it just as great because while 

you have more equipment and better physicians on the ground, you 

also have stronger, faster, more aggressive—I mean, you are playing at the very top of this game. And is that more likely to result 

in those kinds of concussions? Or is the risk greater for high school 

and college teams that don’t have those same resources, obviously 

especially at the high school level, and are faced with making a different set of decisions? Is the problem the same or is it different 

at the high school level and at the professional level? 

230 

Mr. BARBER. I appreciate the question, Mr. Goodlatte, and I will 

answer this in two ways. I think on the high school level the danger is because of ill-fitting helmets. It is a lot of hand-me-down 

things that aren’t specifically structured for a young athlete’s head. 

It is whatever is in the bin. In the NFL, things get a little bit better because they are custom made. 

We have to remember that helmets were originally made to prevent skull fractures. We used to play with leather helmets. But 

when people started hitting each other very hard skulls were cracking, and so the original designs of helmets were not to protect us 

from concussions. It was to prevent our brains from cracking open. 

I think on a more important issue, it is about people, it is about 

the individuals who play the games. And what I mean by that is 

from a very young age, if you are an athlete, a star athlete, you 

are ushered along, you are fed meals, you are taken care of medically, so that when you get to the point in college and high school, 

you almost don’t know how to think for yourself, and so the empowerment of individuals to know their own bodies, to be able to 

make their own decisions I think is the most paramount thing that 

we need to focus on. 

As I mentioned earlier, when you get a concussion, as I did in 

1997, and you break your arm as I did in 2000, and ultimately decided to play in both cases, it was my informed decision to do so 

with the input from my doctors, with the input from my training 

staff, with the input from my coaches. I felt like I was capable of 

doing it because I was informed. 

A lot of athletes are not informed because they just listen to 

what is told them. If there is one thing that I could change and 

empower and inform fellow athletes, it is to learn yourself. Don’t 

trust what everybody else tells you. Learn it yourself. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Thank you. Dr. Maroon. 

Dr. MAROON. Thank you. That was an excellent question, sir, 

from a couple of different viewpoints. You started with the financial aspect of it and relative to high schools versus the professional 

team, and Tiki had a very excellent point that the testing requirements up until recently have been to prevent the fatal head injuries and the penetrating experiences through the skull and the 

head to protect the outer shell. Recently, the NFL has and presently, actually ongoing, is evaluating five different helmet manufacturers and their helmets. In other words, in the past, if you go 

to the equipment manager of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the various 

companies will come in and make assertions that my helmet is better than this helmet, is better than that helmet, and can reduce 

concussions by X percentage with no good data out there to substantiate that. So what the NFL has done, they invited all helmet 

manufacturers to submit models of their helmets for 23 separate 

individual tests that have evolved from the video analysis done 

by—on the research that has been ongoing with the NFL, and 

these helmets are being tested now for their ability to prevent the 

subconcussive blows and the concussions. Not necessarily fatal injury, but what are we doing to prevent subconcussive blows in helmet design. 

Well, we really are making progress in that area. And very many 

concepts—Dr. Bailes mentioned that—the formula of force is equal 

231 

to mass times acceleration. In the NFL and in college and high 

school, we have massive—big masses, as you know, 300, 350-pound 

individuals going at a very fast speed, high velocity. Mass times velocity equals force. So there is much more force. 

But if you ask what is acceleration, it is the delta, the change 

in velocity over time. So if you are driving home on the Washington 

Parkway and you come to a bifurcation in the road, instead of hitting the coffin corner with no—with a concrete embankment, you 

know the Highway Department now has telescopic compressible 

water filled cushions that absorb the velocity. It takes longer, the 

time is increased, thus reducing the velocity and reducing the force. 

So this kind of new helmet technology that is evolving is actually 

here. The problem of cost is definitely a significant one. These helmets are in the range of $300 a piece. The older helmets, which 

still 40 to 50 percent of NFL players use, are in the 160 to $180 

range. So cost is a factor and how to bring that down at the high 

school level, I don’t know. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Dr. Bailes. 

Dr. BAILES. Yes, briefly. I think one way to look at it is the high 

schools and the lower levels of play have less everything. They 

have less education, they have less medical advice and attention, 

they have less numbers of athletic trainers, less good headgear, for 

instance. So I think they just have a lot less. They also have a 

brain that is probably more vulnerable at the younger age. 

Now, the NFL, the issue there, you asked about that, is I believe 

they have much bigger and much faster players, as we have said. 

And they also have a much higher velocity of impact. Secondly, 

they have accrued more years of exposure. So I think that also is 

another factor. 

So I think both at the highest levels and the lower levels, I think 

you have different factors at play. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. The Chairman has indicated we are probably 

not going to do another round of questions. This is an excellent 

panel and he has given me leave to ask one more question. And 

I would like too direct it to Mr. Nowinski and Dr. McKee. 

A lot of discussion, both from Members here and from some of 

the Members of the panel, analogizing the problem with head injuries in football to cigarette smoking and cancer. Obviously one big 

difference is that if you asked almost anybody on this panel on either side of the aisle, we would tell somebody who was considering 

smoking don’t do it, period. End of discussion. Avoid all of the risks 

that are entailed therein. 

On the other hand, I think if you asked most Members of this 

panel whether or not we should tell everybody not to play football, 

there would be maybe a much stronger on the other side saying, 

no, we are not going to tell people not to play football. 

So given your concerns and what you have said, are you advocating, Mr. Nowinski, that people not play football? Where do you 

come down in trying to address this problem? Because obviously 

based upon what the two doctors said and what Mr. Barber said, 

the resources just aren’t there to make this sport as safe as you 

or I would like to make it be for high school students, and yet it 

is something very popular not only with the players, but obviously 

with the large populations in almost every community in America. 

232 

Mr. NOWINSKI. I thank you for your question. I would like to 

begin by actually addressing your last question. There is another 

piece of data. In terms of the difference between high school and 

pro sports, there was a study that came out of the University of 

Illinois this summer that showed that the average force of the head 

of a high school player was actually higher per collision than a college player, who is 24 Gs to 22, with a theory being the high school 

players have weaker necks and they use their helmets more because they need to. They are not as strong. So the problem is really 

at the lower level. 

So the question being should people be playing. The problem I 

had when I got in the situation I was in as a pro wrestler, and then 

as an adult, was I didn’t know. I never had a choice in my outcome. 

So the fact that I had to deal with 5 years of headaches and depression and short-term memory problems and couldn’t go back to 

work to any job for a couple of years, I was very frustrated by the 

fact that I didn’t know any better and I could have prevented it. 

So I think that goal number one is to make sure that every parent who signs up their kid to play football understands the risk. 

And I think goal number two is to make sure that everybody who 

plays understands the risk and also understands how to minimize 

it. 

I do not want to see football go away. I still enjoy going back to 

Harvard football games every Saturday and rooting to beat Yale, 

which we always do now, which is great. And I don’t want to—I 

don’t want to see it go away. So what I do want to see, though, is 

this radical change, this whole idea of this 10-point plan. I don’t 

think—if we are committed to assessing everything, putting everything on the table, saying look, these guys, these 11 brains we have 

looked at, the brains Dr. Bailes and this group have looked at, 

these are the canaries in the coal mine. This is showing that the 

game has evolved into something we didn’t understand. It is nobody’s fault, but it is something it shouldn’t be. And if we don’t put 

everything on the table and say let us change it, then I don’t 

know—if the commitment doesn’t show, then I don’t know what to 

tell parents. I think they have to make up their own minds. But 

I want to see it changed first. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. Dr. McKee. 

Dr. MCKEE. I would agree with everything Mr. Nowinski has 

said. I do believe that the game can be changed. I too, believe it 

or not, am a huge football fan. But I think it can be changed. And 

I don’t play football, so I wouldn’t be able to elucidate all the different ways we would minimize the injury during the play of the 

game. But Chris has come up with a 10-point plan—reducing contact during practicing, reducing scrimmage. All those things I think 

we need to do and I think we need to do them immediately. 

Football is an American sport. Everyone loves it. I certainly 

would never want to ban football. But I think we can play it smarter. There is a lot of risks associated with football and they may be 

very great for the young player. We maybe need to reconsider when 

kids start playing football and we need to consider what kind of 

support we are going to allow for the football to be played. I mean, 

do certain things have to be in place for football to take place at 

the high school level? And maybe that does mean that we can’t 

233 

play football unless there are resources there to support it adequately. 

And then in the case of the pro player, I think that of course football can go on but we need to adequately inform the players about 

their risks. We haven’t banned cigarette smoking. People smoke. 

People make that choice. But they need to make an informed decision. They need to understand the risks and it needs to be out 

there if they want to pay attention to what those risks are. 

Mr. GOODLATTE. I agree with your analysis, and I hope that we 

can make progress in finding ways to make football as safe as possible but still keep this very popular national pastime. 

Mr. Chairman, thank you again. I have to say that I think that 

in terms of education, this has been a great hearing. I still feel that 

the Congress should not inject itself into the negotiations between 

the NFL and the NFL players. And I think that as this pertains 

to improving the safety of football, we can promote research and we 

can promote education. I think some of the tough decisions that 

have been advocated for have been made at the State and local 

level just because of how our system of government works. 

Thank you very much for holding this hearing. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thanks for those two excellent questions. 

Bill Delahunt. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to acknowledge the great work that is happening at the university in 

my hometown, Boston University. Professor Cantu, Chris is here 

and Professor—Dr. Ann McKee. I had posed a question to the first 

panel and no one had an answer. But I think the point that Bob 

Goodlatte made—or I think you made actually, Dr. McKee, that 

goes to the issue of the individual or in the case of those who have 

not attained majority, their parents should be well informed. And 

from my very cursory reading of the reality that often times indicia 

of problems occur decades later, is there—and it would appear that 

the protein, tau, is—as was shown on the slides earlier—is a red 

flag, and that seems to be indisputable. 

Is there a tool that can measure CTE while an individual is 

alive, or is this always done in the course of an autopsy? 

Dr. MCKEE. Well, no. Right now we have no way to diagnose 

CTE during life. And, you know, it has been a huge battle, I think, 

for us to even recognize that CTE is an issue. We have had to wait 

until these players died and they had a postmortem diagnosis to 

recognize the condition. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. It would appear, however, according to what 

seems to be more than a consensus, almost a unanimous opinion, 

that CTE is indicative, is without doubt a factor that, if we had 

awareness of, could be a prognosticator in terms of what would 

happen, particularly to young people who were participating in 

football later in life. 

Dr. MCKEE. Oh, I think there is just tremendous things that we 

need to learn. And we can actually learn them first from these 

autopsied individuals. We have learned where the disease affects 

the brain the most. We didn’t know that 2, 3 years ago. Believe it 

or not, there has been an explosion of knowledge just concerning 

this disorder. And—— 

234 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I don’t have too much time. Is there research 

being done now—— 

Dr. MCKEE. Yes. 

Mr. DELAHUNT [continuing]. That would provide a diagnostic tool 

so that, if I happen to have sons and I was concerned, that I could 

refer them to your shop or some hospital to inform me as to whether there may be a future risk involved? 

Dr. MCKEE. Well, what we are doing is setting up longitudinal 

studies of players, and we are looking for that way to diagnose it 

during life. We are going to take what we have learned from it at 

postmortem exam and apply it to people that are living. We don’t 

have that technique yet. We—— 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Is there enough funding available? 

Dr. MCKEE. No, we always need more funding. We have just the 

beginnings of funding. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Well, what I think we have is an epidemic. And 

I dare say that, just given the autopsies that have been performed 

on deceased NFL players—I mean, how many players at any given 

time are in the National Football League? I mean, it is minuscule 

when compared to the universe of 5 million participants any given 

year in football. 

And we hear that, you know, in terms of people in high school, 

obviously they don’t have the same physical capacities and 

strengths that someone would in college or someone would in professional sports. 

There could very well be—I am going to put this out as a premise 

and welcome comment—there very well could be much of our concerns about depression, about Alzheimer’s, about the whole array 

of injuries or symptoms associated with the functioning of the brain 

could be as a result of, I think the term is post-concussion syndrome. Am I in the ballpark, or am I way off? 

Dr. MCKEE. No, I think you are absolutely in the ballpark. The 

point I think that I am hearing from you is that CTE could be playing a much bigger role than we presently realize and that CTE 

may be responsible for the depression we are seeing in these retired players, may be responsible for the cognitive impairments in 

the retired players, but may also play a role in society at large. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Exactly. 

Dr. MCKEE. There are lots of people that have suffered head injuries; they have lots of memory disorders and psychological problems. We have no—this is really an untapped concern that I am 

sure our knowledge needs to expand dramatically in to. 

And then don’t forget the soldiers. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. Right. 

Dr. MCKEE. I get calls and e-mails from soldiers every day talking about memory concerns, how they had an IED. 

So this has huge legs, and we are just scratching the surface. 

Mr. DELAHUNT. I would suggest, Mr. Chairman, that there 

should be a real sense of urgency about the kind of funding that 

would be appropriate and necessary to deal with this. Because, on 

the other end, the costs that are associated with depression, with 

memory loss, with dementia, with Alzheimer’s are costing society 

far more than the funding that would hopefully result in a diagVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00242 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.000 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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nostic tool for us to have the kind of informed patient or informed 

parents to make a decision. 

And, with that, if anyone else wants to comment. Chris, do you 

want to comment? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. I think you are absolutely right. You know, we 

have a longitudinal study now of 175 athletes that are going to donate their brains to us when they die. And most of them come out 

to us because they have this constellation of symptoms, but they 

have never been diagnosed. Most of the brains we looked at that 

had dementia were originally diagnosed as Alzheimer’s brains. So 

a significant percent of Alzheimer’s patients are actually CTE patients; we just don’t know what that is. 

And, if you want to look at outside research, look at the head injury rate in the prison population. You wonder what maybe turned 

these people bad. I will give you one example, my former colleague 

at WWE, Chris Benoit, who killed his wife, killed his son, killed 

himself. He had a very severe case of this disease at 40 years old. 

So this is much bigger than we realize. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you for your line of inquiry, Mr. Delahunt. 

Mr. BENSON. I would like to add a brief comment to what Mr. 

Nowinski said. When we are talking about disorders that cause 

cognitive disorders, we are not just talking about Alzheimer’s, or 

maybe we are not even talking about lower SAT scores. We are 

talking about fundamental problems like emotional control and impulse control that can show up as huge distractions and disorders 

throughout life. 

And every year there is some kind of extravagant behavior on 

the part of football players in one age group or another, and I am 

forced to wonder what is the true cause of that behavior. Could 

they have had impulse control loss due to a football injury? 

Mr. CONYERS. Uh-huh. 

Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you, gentlemen and lady, very much. 

We are in and out because there are overlapping hearings and 

meetings. But I can’t express, articulate, I think, at the level of importance that this hearing, I believe, is for the Congress but also 

for the American people. 

I disagree with my colleague, and I do believe that labor negotiations are vibrant and vital. And I think they are what they should 

be: adversaries or maybe even people who agree with each other 

working out responsible rights for both management and players. 

But, as I have listened to the witnesses and listened to Mr. Benson, who hails from my home State, and I know from which he 

speaks—no politician sets up an event on Friday night football unless you are sitting in the stadium watching Friday night football 

in Texas. And so I know how intimately this whole game is for 

those who live in many places and certainly Texas. 

But, as I listen to you, I don’t see any way to handle this holistically unless it rises to the level of the national game. It is a national game. It is America’s pastime. It raises to the level of a congressional response, as I said, not in a punitive manner, but in a 

collaborative manner, in a manner that says, ‘‘We want the sport 

to last. We want there to be more boys playing.’’ And, of course, we 

236 

have girls football, I understand. But we want more people playing 

and more people lasting. 

So, Mr. Barber, let me thank you for the good times you have 

given to a lot of folk who have watched you play. But let me just 

ask this question. I am going to give rapid-fire questions if I can 

get rapid-fire answers. 

Do you think the structure of the NFL contracts are contributory 

to players shielding their injury and symptoms? And is there anything we can do to change that culture? 

And I am going fast because I am going to Mr. Benson and Mr. 

Nowinski. 

Mr. BARBER. I will answer that question. Thank you for that 

question, Ms. Jackson Lee. 

I think a lot of it comes down to pride. I know when I was playing and I would get hurt, I didn’t want to come out of the game 

because I hated seeing someone else do my job. I never thought 

about the economic benefits of playing. I think my contracts 

weren’t incentivized based on playing time, yardage, et cetera. But, 

for me, it was a sense of pride, because I loved doing my job. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Can we balance that pride with ways of—and 

you are right, I was going to refer to playing time and incentives 

to keep people in, but you are saying pride. 

Mr. BARBER. I think how you balance that is with education. If 

you give players—and I mentioned this with Mr. Goodlatte, as 

well—if you give players the knowledge of their injuries and the 

potential dangers of their injuries and have them take control of 

it, as opposed to relying solely on doctors’ inputs or trainers’ inputs 

or coaches’ inputs, they are much more likely to make the correct 

decision should they get a concussion. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. But we need to help support them in that by 

educating trainers and coaches so that they don’t get the evil eye 

when they do decide to come out because they do have CTE. 

Mr. BARBER. Of course. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And I know the evil eye is there. 

Mr. Benson, let me offer to you my sympathy, and try to get just 

an understanding. You said something very important, that we 

need to—Mr. Chairman, I am hoping that this testimony that we 

have heard might be on the Judiciary Committee Web site, and indicate to parents across America, spend some time reading the outstanding testimony that this panel has given. 

Mr. Benson, your bill in particular—and I had many of these 

cases in my own congressional district. In fact, one summer it 

looked as if we had one or two or three or four of those kinds of 

incidents on the field. People were dehydrated, et cetera. You believe that we should include the high school playing of football, is 

that not correct? 

Mr. BENSON. Could you ask it again? I am sorry. I didn’t quite 

hear you. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. You believe we should include high school 

football, as well, in our assessment of improving safety and ensuring safety on the field? 

Mr. BENSON. Absolutely. And the summer you are referring to 

may have been the summer my own son died. Seven players died 

that summer. 

237 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And so, your ‘‘Will’s Bill’’ in Texas deals with 

that kind of inattention and requires more attention to these young 

men? 

Mr. BENSON. Absolutely. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I want to get a copy of the bill. 

I want to go to Mr. Nowinski because he fascinated me with referring to that shocking incident that everyone was just saying 

why. Tell us about the wrestler that no one could explain what was 

going on. You have documented evidence that that was a CTE victim? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. I worked on that case with Dr. Bailes and Dr. 

Omalu. It was summer of 2007. Chris wrestled for 23 years and 

was known as a guy who wouldn’t take a day off. He was a very 

physical wrestler. He once confided to me about a year before the 

incident, when I was working on my book, that he had had more 

concussions than he could count. And he actually seemed very interested in my work, so I think he knew something was wrong with 

him. 

In talking to wrestlers who knew him in the last year, he 

stopped calling wrestling matches beforehand because he couldn’t 

remember. He started acting very emotionally bizarre. He was 

keeping a very strange journal. And then the incident happened, 

he killed everyone over a couple of days. 

The media jumped on ‘‘it was a steroid incident.’’ And we knew 

that, from what he told me and what I had known with these other 

cases with Andre Waters and with Terry Long both committing suicide, I thought otherwise. We looked at his brain, and it was actually, at that time, it was the most damaged brain. It was more 

damaged than Waters and Webster and those guys. It was very severely damaged. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So you were able to look at Chris’s brain? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Yes. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And found the evidence of CTE. 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Yes. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So if we take both of these—the wrestlers, as 

I understand it—correct me—don’t wear helmets. And I have listened to, I think, Dr. Bailes—I am sorry, I am looking at—the testimony as I came into the room, talking about the new technology. 

Which I don’t understand, if we can land people flying into space, 

as I am an advocate of, we can do better on technology. 

But do you wear helmets wrestling? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. No. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. So how would we intervene if we took the two 

together? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Dr. Maroon and I were talking about that, because he is the new medical chair for the WWE. And it is actually 

much easier, because since pro wrestling is fake, the contact is always accidental. It is just a question of risk management and education of our guys. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. All right. So what we have overall is, in essence, a curable entity. It may mean that we look at the NFL in 

terms of legislation or some intervention that, again, is not punitive but is helpful. And then we look at the high school football— 

238 

you made a very important point, weaker necks in high school students, using the helmets. 

And I guess the last point is to go on to Tiki Barber’s point, and 

I think you made it too. What is this about being in a circle and 

you know you have a concussion or you think you have one but just 

go on and play? How do we break that for your age, for the high 

school and the college players? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Yeah, I would echo Tiki; it is education. It is always going to be hard yourself to self-diagnose and take yourself 

out, not only because of pride, but also because you just had a 

brain injury and you aren’t thinking straight. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Right. 

Mr. NOWINSKI. But if every one of your teammates knows, by you 

staying in the game, you could really end up messed up, those guys 

like you, they are your friends—there are many incidents now in 

the last probably only year or 2 where players will tell the coach, 

‘‘Get him out of there. There is something wrong. Get him evaluated.’’ So if everybody knows, if the coaches know and the players 

know and the parents know, this stuff would not happen. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And then we work on the other side with getting the technology investment to make a helmet that is befitting 

of a Nation who travels into space and has an international space 

station. 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Absolutely. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Wouldn’t that work? 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Big improvements in the helmet. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chairman, let me thank you for allowing 

the line of questioning. I think I was able to listen to the statements or the testimony from the neurologists that this is something that we cannot overlook, and we can find ways of solving it. 

I hope the education, however, is for the whole structure. Because players being educated—and parents be frightened and intimidated, ‘‘I don’t want my son to be the one on the bench and 

miss these opportunities, and my coach and trainers don’t understand.’’ So I think the whole—it has to be an infrastructure change 

if we are going to get the best results. 

Thank you. I yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you. 

Maxine Waters, you are now the person that will end our discussion that has gone on so long. We thank you. 

Ms. WATERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for your patience. Thank you for your interest in this subject. And this is not 

the first hearing you have held basically focusing somewhat on the 

NFL but focusing on various aspects of the problems with football 

and the NFL in particular. And today this focuses on brain injury. 

I would like to first thank—aside from thanking you, secondly I 

would like to thank Mr. Dick Benson. I thank you for coming to 

this Committee to relive the pain and trauma of your child’s death. 

That is not easy, and I understand that. And I certainly respect 

you for coming here and sharing with us today what happened to 

your child. Thank you very, very much. 

I thank all of the other persons who have come today on both of 

the panels. 

239 

I did not have an opportunity to hear it all because, as Ms. Jackson Lee said, we are between Committees. But I did hear part of 

Dr. Gay Culverhouse, former president, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Thank you so very much, not only for actually stepping way outside 

of the box and telling it like it is, but hearing it come from a 

woman is just so pleasing, to know that not only were you president of Tampa Bay, Dr. Culverhouse, but that you dare to say what 

a lot of others don’t dare to say. 

We had a lot of people in here today who were protecting the 

NFL and a lot of people here today on the payroll of the NFL and 

hoping that somehow they will look good enough to maybe get a 

pay raise because they came here and performed for them today. 

As you know, I don’t take a back seat on these issues. 

Now, I respect everything that is being done to try and prevent 

these head injuries. And I have heard everything that everybody 

has said about what we know, what we don’t know, about how we 

should do a better job of educating and advising. And I have heard 

what was said about helmets and, I guess, other kinds of equipment, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 

But, in the final analysis, if you play football, in particular, and 

other sports, some other sports, there are going to be head injuries. 

There will be head injuries. I am told that simply by the movement 

of the brain inside the head that you are going to have people who 

are going to end up with injuries. 

And the reason that I come in here today is not so much that 

I need to be told that the study is correct or maybe it is not so correct. I mean, I have common sense, as most of us have, and we 

know that hard hits and people hitting their heads will do something; you are not going to be the same. 

And we do know that there are people who have had concussions, 

football players, who were sent back out on the field. My husband 

was a football player. He told me about the times that people were 

knocked out and they were put back. And, in the day, it certainly 

happened perhaps more than it happens now. So I am concerned 

about the children, the football players, et cetera. 

But for the NFL that is $8 billion strong, I am concerned about 

what they are going to do to compensate these players and their 

families after it is known that they have dementia or that they 

have received these serious injuries and they have to end up fighting—I mean fighting with the NFL to try and get some support for 

their families. 

I have not been involved with the brain injuries, but I have been 

involved with trying to assist other football players who happened 

to be friends of ours, two of whom have died, who fought with the 

NFL for support. 

Today, as we sit here and talk, the NFL is in negotiations. And 

I asked if, in fact, they were entertaining anything in those bargaining sessions about head injuries. Of course I didn’t get an answer, because it is not happening. 

And so, Mr. Chairman, while, in fact, I know that you wanted 

to take a look at the study today and to learn exactly what is going 

on that will be helpful in preventing these injuries and what can 

be done to prevent them and all of that, we must keep our eye on 

the ball, and we must understand that the NFL has an antitrust 

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exemption and that that is big. I mean, that is huge. And if we 

ever want to get them to do the right thing, we have to have them 

know and understand that we are going after that antitrust exemption. 

They cannot continue to enjoy making the money that they are 

making and not being willing to compensate these injured players 

and their families, who are dying on the street and dying in alleys, 

broke, with dementia. And they are not the stars that they were 

when they played when they are in those alleys. 

And so I am committed to the proposition that we have the authority, we have the authority, to take away that exemption. And 

that is what we need to start down the road to do, in order to get 

some compensation for injuries that are going to continue to happen no matter what anybody says. 

I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you so much. 

I am going to insert The New York Times article by Alan 

Schwarz in today’s The New York Times, ‘‘N.F.L. Players with 

Head Injuries Find a Voice.’’ 

[The information referred to follows:] 

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Mr. CONYERS. And I can’t thank all of the witnesses enough. 

Without objection, we will have 5 days for Members to submit 

additional testimony. We will also have 5 days for other witnesses 

to submit any materials or additional comments to their own statements. 


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And I will submit a statement received from Brent Boyd, a retired NFL player who suffers from cognitive problems resulting 

from football head injuries. 

[The information referred to follows:] 


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Mr. CONYERS. I thank Mr. Goodlatte and Ms. Waters for their tenacity and staying power. 

And this hearing is adjourned. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 5:08 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

(265) 

LEGAL ISSUES RELATING TO 

FOOTBALL HEAD INJURIES (PART II) 

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:02 p.m., in Room 

1460, Wayne State University, 540 East Canfield Street, Gordon H. 

Scott Hall, Detroit, Michigan, the Honorable John Conyers, Jr. 

(Chairman of the Committee) presiding. 

Present: Representatives Conyers, Sa ́nchez, and Cohen. 

Mr. CONYERS. Well, good afternoon. Since the room has quieted 

down, let’s begin the hearing. I welcome everybody and thank you 

all for coming. This hearing’s being held at Wayne State University 

Medical School where we’ve been before on other related subjects 

of healthcare. One I remember most was with the late Senator Ted 

Kennedy and the Dean of the Congress, Michigan Congressman 

John Dingle, and myself. We had a wonderful evening, and it’s 

memorable in many respects because that was the last time that 

Ted Kennedy graced us with his presence. 

The medical school was created in 1868 before the rest of the 

university, and it has been the focal point for brain injuries and related matter since 1939. We are very pleased that the dean and her 

staff, vice-president, and others have been with us today. So many 

of you here are distinguished, and the subject matter is one that 

interests us all. 

You might want to know that on October 28 in Washington, D.C., 

this Committee held a hearing on that subject, the same subject 

that brings us here today, closed-head injuries in football, but the 

subject of concussions and related matters in general in Washington, and so this constitutes the second hearing, and we’re 

pleased that all of you are here. 

We’re particularly excited by the fact that there are so many people with particular expertise, not just testifying but many here that 

may not testify, and I just wanted to note that we have wide receiver Herman Moore; Greg Landry, quarterback of some fame; 

Ron Kramer, tight end, Horace King, fullback, Tom Lewoski (ph.) 

Fullback, Ron Rice, safety, among others that are here. 

Mr. THROWER. Jim Thrower. 

Mr. CONYERS. Jim. 

Mr. THROWER. Thrower. 

Mr. CONYERS. Jim Thrower is here. 

Gallery MEMBER. Defensive back line. 

266 

Mr. CONYERS. So—and there are others, other players here that 

their names will be sent up to me as we go along. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Conyers follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE THE HONORABLE JOHN CONYERS, JR., A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, AND CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON

THE JUDICIARY


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Mr. CONYERS. We’d like to start out with Ms. Linda Sa ́nchez who 

wants to make a few opening remarks. She’s a distinguished attorney who I remember campaigning for when she came to the Congress in the Los Angeles area. She started off being remembered 

as the first Member to join her twin sister in the Congress, as well, 

Loretta Sanchez, and we were very pleased that we could get her 

on the Committee on the Judiciary. She was at our—well, she was 

holding hearings in 2007 on this subject, and we’re delighted that 


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she left the snowy, cold frigid areas of Los Angeles to be with us 

today, so I’m very pleased to welcome her, and the only thing we’re 

sorry about, she didn’t bring her little boy, who I claim some extended jurisdiction over, and I’m so glad that you’re here, and I’m 

going to put my statement in the record, and ask you to begin the 

discussion. Welcome to Detroit and to the medical school. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you, Chairman, and I just want to make 

one quick, minor correction. My sister Loretta is not my twin, she’s 

9 years my senior, and that’s very important for me to get out 

there, and I’m particularly pleased to be in your hometown of Detroit for what I consider to be a very important field hearing, and 

I think the importance of this hearing is underscored by the number of witnesses who have come today to testify and by the fact 

that I left 80-degree weather in Southern California to be here, myself, this afternoon. 

But as everybody here probably knows, the issues of concussions 

in professional and amateur sports is a very serious one that deserves scrutiny, and while the NFL is moving toward the playoffs, 

and the NCAA is concluding its bowl games, it’s important to note 

that we’re not addressing this particular issue simply because it’s 

relevant only to football. We’re here today because this is a worker 

safety issue, and it impacts athletes of every level in many different sports. 

I’m pleased that since this Committee’s October hearing, the 

NFL has taken a number of serious steps to try to help address 

this issue of concussions, but I can’t help but wondering would the 

NFL have been as proactive if Congress hadn’t taken an interest 

in the issue and scheduled the hearings in the first place. So I 

think that our role up here is a very important one because I think 

we can be a catalyst for change even though there are skeptics who 

simply deny that Congress is effective at doing anything in particular. 

There are increasing studies and a body of evidence that show 

that there is a significant risk to individuals who suffer repeated 

head trauma, whether it’s in the NFL, in professional boxing, or 

even high school sports, and while there are those here today who 

will argue against the validity of some of these studies, there appears to be a preponderance of evidence that a number of professional athletes who suffer repeated head trauma experience physical and mental decline earlier than the general population at 

large, and it would seem to me—and I stated this to Commissioner 

Goodell at the last hearing that we held that it would be better for 

the NFL and the NFLPA to be proactive in alerting its players to 

the risks that they face, and it’s my hope that in the discussion 

that we have here today, the NFL and the NFLPA will make continued improvements in educating players on the dangers they face 

by playing with a concussion, treating those athletes appropriately 

who do have concussions, and removing the stigma that pressures 

players to play through the injury, and one of the most recent 

quotes that was heard on November 29th, 2009, was an interview 

during the pregame show before the Steelers’ matchup with the 

Ravens when somebody said, basically, that he had been dinged up 

and got right back into the game and that, you know, just because 

somebody’s having headaches, pretty much the quote is, you know, 

272 

they need to suck it up and continue to play on, and the fact of the 

matter is that sucking it up and continuing to play on may mean 

very serious and grave consequences down the line. 

Many witnesses that we have had before the Committee have 

testified about how the NFL, like it or not, influences the lower levels of football, and the actions that they take or the actions that 

they choose to ignore to take have significant impact on players at 

lower levels. The NFL, quite frankly, has vast resources available 

to its disposal to educate coaches and players and medical personnel on the proper way to handle a concussed player, and if they 

have all these resources available to them and are not addressing 

the problem, imagine how can we expect every high school or college to be able to properly treat a concussed player if that proper 

action isn’t being taken at the very top levels of the sport? 

I believe one of the most important things that can come from 

this hearing is the strong need for those who are coaching younger 

athletes to recognize the damage that repeated head trauma can 

have on developing brains, in particular, and I look forward to the 

testimony of our witnesses who will talk about the steps that are 

being taken to educate athletes on the—at the high school, college, 

and lower levels to see what further steps we can take to ensure 

that we are protecting these kids at all level of play. 

Mr. Chairman, as I noted above, the last Committee hearing resulted in many positive steps being taken, and I’m pleased that 

this Committee’s continuing to focus on this issue, and I hope that 

the outcome of this hearing is similarly positive, and I thank you 

for my time, and I yield back. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Linda Sa ́nchez, younger 

sister of Loretta by 9 years. I don’t know why I made that mistake. 

I’m now pleased to recognize Subcommittee Chair Steve Cohen, 

Memphis, Tennessee, who has some familiarity with football, not 

as a player but as a fan, and a very good friend of mine. I was— 

remembered him for many years as a State senator from Tennessee 

before he began his congressional career. He is currently the Chair 

of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee, and we 

worked very closely together on many civil rights issues, civil liberties issues, and we work on copyright, patent, and other matters 

that come before what many regard as one of the most significant 

Committees in the Congress. Welcome, Chairman Steve Cohen. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman Conyers. I first would like 

to ask Mrs. Sa ́nchez to—somewhat unfortunately, I want to correct 

you. You obviously did not read the Pasadena Star News in November 1965 when I caught the last pass in the Black Hawks game. 

Mr. CONYERS. You know, I did miss that. I don’t know how I 

could have missed that. 

Mr. COHEN. It was the only game my parents ever came to witness, and it was the only game in which I was able to have a pass 

thrown to me and I caught it. But it’s a pleasure to be here with 

you, and it’s an honor to serve in the United States Congress. This 

is my second term, and I’m fortunate to be on the Judiciary Committee that I think is so important because it’s the basics—the base 

of America, what it is, basic rights, bill of rights, and values, and 

due process, and equal protection, and nobody does more to protect 

these than Chairman Conyers. He is legendary and a stalwart and 

273 

a voice of conscience of the United States Congress, and so I’m fortunate to serve on this Committee with you and to return to Detroit. 

The last time I was here in Detroit was when the GMAC Bowl 

was playing and DeAngelo Williams who gave Memphis our wholly 

particularly outstanding year during this century led us to victory 

over Akron. I did not, like Ms. Sa ́nchez, leave 80-degree weather 

to come here, but I did leave Elvis at the donut shop. 

This hearing is most important, and some people would question 

the idea of Congress having hearings on issues like this because, 

as Ms. Sa ́nchez has properly cited, the NFL has changed its policies, and that’s important, and the NCAA has some changes in 

store, as well. They have had a committee recommend some 

changes on concussions and how to deal with them, unlike the way 

they deal with them in Lubbock, Texas, you should be sent to the 

neurosurgeon, not to the shed, and that is shameful what apparently went on there. 

But in college and in lesser-level, younger football activities, 

young people are potentially endangering their future cognitive 

abilities and ability to enjoy life. Nobody, particularly the very, 

very, very involved sports fan from childhood wants to see anything 

happen to this wonderful sport, that is—rivals baseball or maybe 

has surpassed baseball as America’s game. 

But nevertheless, the players who we revere, and as I mentioned 

earlier, as a child, Les Bingamen was my favorite, I guess because 

he was just so big and he stood out on the screen, but I liked Les 

Bingamen, and I remember Gale Larry (sic) punted in ‘‘Night 

Train’’ Lane, who was the defensive back, and all the great lines 

back then, and Ollie Matson was my hero, and to think that these 

players may have suffered some type of permanent brain injury 

and there is plenty of data that gives any person, at least a reasonable cause to believe that there is the potential of brain—permanent brain injury from the concussions that are received on the 

field. 

This is a violent sport, and with the increase in—well, Joe 

Donellini started it, but the weightlifting, and I don’t know who 

else started the rest of what made everybody so big and so strong, 

but you’ve got a lot of violence out there directed at different players and head-on collisions, and when people have concussions, 

there’s damage. 

We know it from boxing, I talked to Dr. Casson earlier, and we 

know boxing has that damage by Harold Ford Patterson suffered 

from it, Muhammad Ali suffers from it, and we shouldn’t put our 

athletes who are our heros, in many cases, in this type of harm’s 

way if we can protect them by seeing that the medical attention 

they receive is independent, that it is cautionary, and that the helmets are the best that can be—and other equipment is the best to 

protect them from injuries, we need to do that. 

This Committee and the hearings we’ve had have made a difference, I think, in the NFL on this issue, and I appreciate the 

NFL and Mr. Goodell for taking the positions they’ve done since. 

There are other things we can do with the committee and bring the 

attention of America to different problems, and I don’t want to divert much but the NBA’s one-and-done rule is the situation where 

274 

the ownership uses the players for a year and takes away the earning capacity for a year from players who could be making money 

in the short earning capacity they have because the owners have 

a vested interest, and Commissioner Stern was honest about it, he 

said we do this for the good of the team, for the good of the league, 

not for the good of the players, and in this situation in football, I 

think Commissioner Goodell has shown some interest in the players, but, nevertheless, there’s some, maybe, concern of some lawsuits or what do we know and when did we know it, and that 

should be secondary to the health of the NFL players and the college players, and the kiddie league players and the high school 

players, which we all need to be concerned about. 

We ask motorcycle, in most states, riders to have helmets and 

most folks to wear seat belts because we know that they could be 

injured, and while we don’t want to have touch football, we want 

to have equipment that at least gives, you know, utmost scientific 

research and development to protect the players from serious injuries. 

I look forward to the testimony. I’ve read much about the different studies in the past, the work at UNC and the University of 

Michigan and EU, and I look forward to the testimony, and as a 

fan of the NFL and a fan of athletes, I want to see the athletes 

come first. I think the owners owe it to them, and I think the owners have not looked after the players as they should have in the 

past. 

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for the opportunity to be with you 

to be in the great city of Detroit—that is, as Motown, as we have 

stats that share Ben Hooks and Kenneth Whalum with our cities 

of Memphis and Detroit, and that has a great NFL football team— 

a great NFL football history. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Your qualification has been duly noted, and most 

of us agree with it. We have a distinguished panel, and other Members will be able to submit their statements—other material can be 

submitted by all of the panelists here. We have Vin Ferrara, founder of Xenith, L.L.C., Harvard graduate; David Halstead, Technical 

Director of Southern Impact Research Center; we have Dan 

Arment, President of Riddell, Dr. Ira Casson, neurologist at the 

Long Island Medical Center; Dr. Bennet Omalu; we have Lem Barney, three-time conference star, quite an impressive record; Scott 

Hallenbeck, who led USA Football, the governing body of America’s 

favorite sport on youth and amateur levels since the year 2005; Bob 

Colgate, the Assistant Director of the National Federation of State 

High School Associations; Dr. David Klossner, Associate Director of 

Education Services, the National Collegiate Athletic Association; 

Dr. Joseph Maroon, Certified Clinical Professor of Neurological 

Surgery, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; and 

DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the National Football 

Players Association, who received his degree from University— 

Cedarville University of Ohio. He began his career in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia, responsible for national 

security issues, earned numerous honors throughout his career, 

and in March 2009 was elected executive director of the NFLPA. 

One of his biggest challenges is negotiating with the NFL owners 

who opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement and 

275 

also feeling the rift between union—the union and its retired players. He recently announced the creation of a committee within his 

organization to examine concussions and their effects on sports. 

We’re delighted to have all of the witnesses here. Their statements will be reproduced in the record, and we want to begin the 

discussion with them, and of course, we start off with Attorney 

DeMaurice Smith. Welcome to these hearings. 

TESTIMONY OF DeMAURICE SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

NFL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Chairman. It’s a pleasure to be back in 

front of the Judiciary Committee and also to be in this great state 

and this great city. I’d also like to say good afternoon to Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, Congressman Conyers, and Congressman Cohen. 

I have to apologize for my voice. Everybody here will have to suffer 

through this as my family continues to. They’re very happy that 

I’m not at home today. 

Mr. CONYERS. Pull the mike a little closer, please. 

Mr. SMITH. It’s not going to make it sound any better but—— 

Good afternoon. As I’ve testified before, I represent players, both 

current and former of the National Football League. Please accept 

our deepest gratitude for shining the national spotlight on the 

issue of concussions and brain trauma in football. To answer your 

question, Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, you did make a difference. Congress made a difference. By shining its spotlight and its attention 

on this issue, you have achieved a significant amount of change in 

a few short weeks. 

I’m happy to talk about a number of the changes that the National Football League has instituted, as well as a number of programs and changes that the players have taken over the last several weeks. In conjunction with this Committee, we have made 

strides each and every day to make this game safer for those who 

play football on a professional level, for those who play in college, 

and for the many players who play in youth sports. 

During the next few minutes, I’d just like to outline a couple of 

the steps that we mentioned during our—my last testimony to give 

you an update of where we are and where we hope to be. During 

the October 28th hearing, we agreed to do the following and have 

provided you with written testimony on our status and our 

progress. 

First: We promised to objectively and honestly embrace all of the 

studies related to the issue of traumatic brain injury and to create 

a roadmap to prevent significant and serious injury for football 

players going forward. In May of this year, the players of the National Football League formed its own players’ concussion committee. That committee was designed to do one thing: To get the 

answer right. That committee, I am proud to say, was not formed 

by the executive director. It was formed by a player of the National 

Football League, Sean Morey, who was a special-teamer with the 

Arizona Cardinals, met with me in the executive committee, and he 

was committed to do one thing, to get the answer right. He challenged each and every player on that executive committee to get 

the answer right. 

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We proudly formed that committee, and many of the people who 

are on the panel today, including Dr. Omalu, Dr. Nowinski, have 

agreed to serve on that committee. We will strive to do one simple 

thing, to get the answer right. 

Second: To verify the scientific relevancy of the ongoing studies 

regarding current and former players. In an attempt to verify the 

scientific relevancy of the current and previous studies, we have 

asked, and we, indeed, encourage the National Football League to 

release to the players any and all communications regarding studies surrounding head injuries in football so that both of our organizations can be working with the same information and can build 

upon the valuable research. 

Third: We have renewed our request, as we have pointed out to 

your staff, renewed the request for the NFL to provide the injury 

data and the aggregate injury data that they collect from every 

player in the National Football League from 2006 to 2008. We believe that that data would not only serve to improve and enhance 

the ongoing studies, but also, it would serve to—serve as a platform for new studies, not only in the area of head injury, but also 

in the area of joint rehabilitation, effects of the aging, and a myriad 

of other ailments that not only plague professional football players 

and retired players, but also players on every level. 

We have committed ourselves to improving the 88 plan. The NFL 

Players Association called upon the NFL, and I’m glad that they 

responded, to accept new applicants for the 88 plan in the NCAP 

year. I am proud to say that they have agreed to do so. 

And lastly, we believe that the National Football League and the 

players in this game owe an obligation not only to those who have 

played this game, but to those who will play this game in the future. You are right, the National Football League is the standard 

bearer. If we set the standard, others will follow. As Executive Director of the Players Association, my primary goal is to serve the 

players who have played this game and those who will play this 

game. 

It is an honor for me to commend people like Sean Morey and 

Kevin Mawae for forming the Players Concussion Committee. I 

look forward to working with Dr. Tom Mayer and others on the 

committee as we move forward to get the answer right to help prevent these injuries where we can and to treat those injuries where 

they occur. 

Ladies and gentlemen of not only the panel but—— 

(Whereupon the lights in the auditorium went out at 1:33 p.m.) 

Mr. SMITH. You know, normally, I have that effect on—— 

(Whereupon the lights came back on at 1:33 p.m.) 

Mr. SMITH. Oh. Chairman Conyers, Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, 

and Congressman Cohen, on behalf of the players of the National 

Football League and the retired players, I promise to do one thing, 

to get this answer right, to come before you on each and every opportunity when you have questions, and to serve the men and the 

families of this great game. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF DEMAURICE SMITH


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. I think you’re doing a great 

job. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. The light went out just as a signal that you were 

approaching near the end of our allotted time, a very delicate end. 

We know that you may have to leave early, so please take our 

leave whenever you feel it appropriate. 


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Mr. SMITH. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. Welcome, Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurological surgery professor at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In 1999, 

along with Joe Montana, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you were inducted 

into the Lou Holtz Ohio Valley Hall of Fame for your athletics, for 

your accomplishments and contributions to sports and medicine. 

We’re very pleased to have you here, and we note that along with 

another neuropsychologist, Mark Lovell, Dr. Mark Lovell, you developed the Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive 

Testing, the first computerized system to deal with some of the 

problems that bring us here this afternoon. We welcome you to the 

hearings. 

TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH C. MAROON, M.D., PROFESSOR AND 

VICE-CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER 

Dr. MAROON. It’s my great pleasure, Mr. Chairman, thank you 

very much, and also Congressman Cohen and Congressman 

Sa ́nchez, I deeply appreciate your preliminary comments, specifically speaking to be proactive and a catalyst for change, and I’m 

going to address those issues later on in my discussion, but I want 

to bring up, first, the fact that the MTBI Committee, the Traumatic Brain Injury Committee of the NFL, was formed in 1994 

after traumatic brain injuries to Al Toon for the New York Jets and 

Merril Hoge for the Pittsburgh Steelers and also the Chicago 

Bears, these gentlemen were both forced to retire because of their 

head injuries in 1994. 

It was at this time that Commissioner Tagliabue commissioned 

the formation of the MTBI committee with the express purpose of 

supporting independent, scientific research to further the understanding of the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of concussion as well as investigate helmet standards and the long-term 

effects of concussion. That was the mission statement in ’94. 

In this past October, I presented to you what was being done 

from ’94 to the present time relative to management of concussions, 

and there were five things. Number one, I outlined for you the educational efforts on behalf of the NFL with the players, the coaches, 

the trainers, informing them of the potential dangers of concussion. 

They also instituted neurocognitive testing as a mandatory test, 

which I think speaks for itself. There were stricter return-to-play 

guidelines and, also, penalties and fines for head hits, as well as 

a hotline for any individual in the NFL who feels he is being coerced into playing can call the hotline and make it known that this 

is inappropriate. Perhaps, that might have helped in Texas, Congressman. 

Regardless, I’m here today to show you and to illustrate for you 

the additional steps that have been taken since our last meeting 

relative to protection of players and, also, the catalyst for change 

that the NFL hopes to be in the recent—recent (sic) future. Number one, besides the criteria for return to play that I outlined, being 

asymptomatic and normal neurological examination and without 

symptoms on exertion, the NFL Players Association with Mr. 

Smith and Commissioner Goodell have formulated an independent 

neurological consultant as being mandatory for the NFL teams. 

281 

These are to be mutually approved by the NFL Players Association 

and the NFL. 

Number two, it’s a two-way street. The NFL is doing a considerable amount to initiate changes and educate the players, but 

there’s also a player responsibility in this, and that is to report 

when they have concussions. And yes, I know the motivating factors against that having participated in football at the collegiate 

level, myself, and the fact that concussions are difficult to diagnose, 

but we must make an effort on the players to let the physicians 

and the team personnel know when a concussion has occurred so 

that it can, indeed, be addressed appropriately. 

Third, aware that the NFL is, indeed, now the model for concussion management in the United States, they’re speaking to Congressman Sa ́nchez’s dictum that with this awareness, with the fact 

that it is a model of concussion management, how do we get it to 

the 1.1 million high school kids in the United States and the 3 million youth sport participants in the United States? 

And to that end, recently in December, in conjunction with the 

CDC, the NFL is working on public service announcements that 

will be shown during the playoff games, as well as during the regular season emphasizing to parents, coaches at the youth league, 

and also the players, themselves, that concussions at any level is 

a significant major problem. 

Number four, because of the importance of head injuries in the 

NFL, the commissioner is now strengthening and expanding the 

membership of the MTBI committee, and the national search is underway at the present time in the recruitment of a new chairman 

and/or cochairman to continue the work of the committee in a very, 

very unbiased, independent fashion. 

Number six, in terms of equipment safety, in response to the 

equipment managers who have complained that many different 

equipment manufacturers come to them complaining that they all 

say that their helmets reduce concussions by X percent or that percent, the equipment managers wanted objective data just like the 

impact test is an objective instrument when an athlete can return 

to play, and the NFL, together with the NFLPA, is working with 

engineers to grade, to look at, to evaluate various helmets for their 

protective effect. 

When I first started in sports medicine 20, 25 years ago with the 

Pittsburgh Steelers, the incidence of concussions was 1 in 5 individuals. Every five players had a concussion during the season. That 

incidence is now into 1 in 20 because of the rules changes, the improvement in equipment, etcetera. 

And then finally, working with John Madden as a special adviser 

to the commissioner, we’re looking at ways to cut down on the head 

impacts, not only during the game with fines and penalties, but 

also during practice, and in summary, then, the NFL committee 

has long recognized the long-term effects of concussions. 

I think the goal at the present time matches your goals. That is, 

to make the game safer, to address the needs of retired players, 

and also to set the right example for players, coaches, and trainers 

at all levels, and not just for football. It’s said that in science, 

many, many scientific innovations proceed through three stages. 

The first is confusion when a new idea is introduced. The second 

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is controversy, which we are all familiar with, and then the four— 

the third is consensus, and I think with the help of your Committee, the spotlight that Mr. Smith emphasized you’re shining on 

this problem, we are at a point, in my opinion after 25 years in 

this, of consensus. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Maroon follows:] 

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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Doctor. David Klossner is 

a doctor, but he’s a Ph.D., and he is the associate director of education services with the National Collegiate Athletic Association 

with primary duties on health and safety aspects. He’s also a Liaison to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. He has a distinguished previous career at DePaul, 


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then at Bloomington, Indiana University prior to completing his 

Doctorate in Philosophy from Ohio University. Welcome this afternoon, sir. 

TESTIMONY OF DAVID KLOSSNER, DIRECTOR, 

HEALTH AND SAFETY, NCAA 

Mr. KLOSSNER. Thank you, Chairman Conyers, Congresswoman 

Sa ́nchez, and Congressman Cohen, and other distinguished guests 

in attendance. On behalf of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, thank you for inviting me to appear before you today to discuss the NCAA’s multifaceted approach in preventing, identifying, 

and treating mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions. I’ve 

been with the NCAA for 7 years. I, as mentioned by Congressman 

Conyers, I served as liaison to the NCAA’s Membership Committee 

on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the committee charged with providing leadership on health and safety recommendations to more than 1300 conferences, colleges, and universities that are members of the association. 

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your request for information on a critical medical issue at the core of student athlete 

well-being. The NCAA and its membership have devoted significant 

resources to study, educate, and enforce various health and safety 

standards, including those in the area of football related mild traumatic brain injury. 

Chairman Conyers, you’ll be interested in learning that since we 

provided you with the response in October, the NCAA has taken 

additional steps to further ensure student athlete well-being, and 

I’ll respond—expand upon those in a moment. The NCAA’s health 

and safety recommendations and policies are addressed through 

the collaborative efforts of national office staff, governance committees, sport playing rules committees, sport issues committees, and 

external associations for our 23 sports. 

Since 1976, the NCAA has warned against using the head as a 

weapon in football and other contact sports, and for the past 15 

years, the NCAA has provided member institutions with specific 

recommendations regarding concussion management in its sport 

medicine handbook. In the sport of football, the NCAA football 

rules committee has made changes over the past 5 years to further 

protect players against sustaining concussions. 

As part of its ongoing review of concussions, the NCAA committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports 

met on December 13th through the 15th, 2009, to discuss the most 

recent developments in athletic related brain injury and concussion. The committee reviewed the NCAA injury surveillance data, 

current policies of the National Federation of State High School Associations, the National Athletic Trainers Association, and the National Football League, and discussed findings of a recent expert 

conference related to concussions conducted in Zurich, Switzerland. 

During its meeting, the committee also consulted with authorities who recommended possible courses of action. As an outcome of 

this ongoing evaluation of concussions in all 23 NCAA sports, the 

committee determined that a common playing rule is necessary to 

provide an emphasis on the significance of head injuries, their 

prevalence, and the importance to refer for appropriate medical 

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care. This action is also accompanied by a Concussion in Collegiate 

Sports Summit that will be held in 2010 to review NCAA policies 

for medical management of concussions and prevention strategies 

appropriate to the collegiate environment and the NCAA membership at large. 

In addition, the committee will lead a collaborative educational 

initiative for coaches, officials, and student athletes. The proposed 

playing rules subject to review by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel as early as mid-January 2010 would mandate removing 

from competition and practice a student athlete who exhibits signs, 

symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion. The proposed 

concussion rules enforce the fundamental principle that the medical care and return-to-play decisions for concussions are best handled at the local level as with any other medical conditions. 

Pending consideration of the rule change, the committee also revised its guideline in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, advising member institutions on responses to concussion injuries and 

procedures for returning student athletes to competition or practice. The NCAA will produce a video by fall 2010 to further educate 

student athletes about the dangers of concussions and approve 

awareness of the issues among coaches and game officials. 

The NCAA sponsored Concussion in Collegiate Sports Summit 

will also provide an opportunity to explore emerging trends in medical management of concussions. On behalf of the NCAA and its 

more than 400,000 student athletes, I would like to thank Chairman Conyers for his leadership on this important matter. Mild 

traumatic brain injuries have and continue to be a significant concern to the NCAA and its membership. The NCAA’s long-standing 

and ongoing commitment to the health and safety of its student 

athletes is reflected in the comprehensive approach taken to address concerns in this specific injury. 

We look forward to the continued work with medical professionals and athletics personnel as we continue to search for new 

and effective tools to prevent, identify, and treat mild traumatic 

brain injuries. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Klossner follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF DAVID KLOSSNER


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Mr. CONYERS. Thanks, Dr. Klossner. 

Representing the National Federation of State High School Associations is Bob Colgate, Assistant Director from Indianapolis, Indiana, has a broad set of responsibilities because, as I understand it, 

your jurisdiction covers all male sports, female sports, football, 

wrestling, track and field, golf, football, of course, and probably others. 

He served as Liaison to the Federation’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, Wrestling Rules Committee, Football Rules Committee, and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. We’re 

pleased that you could be with us today. Welcome. 

TESTIMONY OF BOB COLGATE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS 

Mr. COLGATE. Thank you, Chairman Conyers and distinguished 

Members of the Judiciary Committee for the opportunity to testify 

today on this important issue. I am an Assistant Director of the 

National Federation of State High School Associations, the NFHS. 

In my work for the NFHS, I serve as the editor and national rules 

interpreter for sports and football, wrestling, and staff liaison for 

our NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. 

Before further discussing head injuries, let me provide some context on the role of the NFHS within the high school community. 

The NFHS based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts programs in speech, debate, theater, and music. Since 1920, the NFHS 

has worked with its member state associations on the development 

of education based interscholastic sports and fine arts activities. 

The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness 

and support, improving participation, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those oversee high 

school sports and activities. The NFHS writes voluntary playing 

rules for 17 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. 

Through our 51-member state associations, the NFHS reaches 

more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in activities, in high school activities programs, including more than 7.5 

million in high school sports. The NFHS conducts national meetings, produces publications for high school coaches, officials, athletic directors, and serves as the national information resource for 

interscholastic athletics and activities. 

One of our critical functions is to obtain and disseminate health 

and safety related information. The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, SMAC, is one facet of the federation that addresses medical issues relevant to interscholastic athletics, including 

concussions and concussion management. The membership of the 

Sports Medicine Advisory Committee includes a number of highly 

represented physicians and other healthcare providers from around 

the country. 

The SMAC makes recommendations to the NFHS staff and membership about programs and services to the NFHS. The SMAC regularly reviews the latest medical evidence regarding sports related 

concussions in high school athletes. The past decade has witnessed 

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significant changes in the management of sports related concussions as new research findings have been published. 

As a result, the SMAC has worked with the Centers For Disease 

Control, CDC, to disseminate concussion management information 

from the CDC to our Nation’s high schools. They’ve updated the 

concussion section of our sports medicine handbook and has issued 

a new NFHS brochure on suggested guidelines for management of 

concussions in sports. The NFHS has made concussion management a point of emphasis in rule books in recent years. For example, in all rule books for the coming academic year, the NFHS provides that any athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors 

consistent with a concussion, such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion, or balance problems shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play until 

cleared by an appropriate healthcare professional. 

The key concussion related issue for the NFHS is to help high 

school coaches identify the signs and symptoms of concussions so 

they can direct injured athletes to appropriate healthcare professionals. We can help coaches with concussion recognition. Toward 

that end, we have extensively circulated printed and online educational materials. Our mission is to continue this important educational process. 

In summary, with more than seven and a half million participants in high school sports, minimizing the risk of injury has been 

and remains one of the chief tasks of our NFHS rules committees. 

The NFHS Sports Medicine Handbook has a six-page section on 

dealing with concussions. The third edition of this handbook was 

distributed to virtually every high school in the country during the 

2008-9 school year. The SMAC was also involved with producing 

the brochure I mentioned entitled Suggested Guidelines For Management of Concussion In Sports. 

The issue of concussions is a serious one, and our various medical and sport professionals and experts have been reviewing the 

subject for a number of years and will continue to monitor developments, but we cannot mandate the adoption of specific treatment 

protocols at the local level. We continue to provide up-to-date resources to assist NFHS member state associations and high schools 

in developing policies that are in the best interests of the participants. 

Minimizing the risk of injury for high school student athletes has 

been a foremost priority of the NFHS rules writing process and 

we’ll continue to champion the task in years to come. We would be 

happy to continue our assistance to the Chairman and Members of 

the Committee on this issue. I look forward to answering any questions and providing any additional information you require. Thank 

you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Colgate follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF BOB COLGATE


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Mr. Colgate. 

Scott Hallenbeck has led USA Football, the national governing 

body on this sport at the youth and amateur levels since 2005. He 

covers all aspects, football development, communications, corporate 

partnerships, membership programs, and the organization has 

built senior and junior national teams for international competition, produced industry leading resources to further strengthen 

coaching and officiating within America’s football system, established a half-million-dollar-per-year equipment and grant program, 

kicked off a groundbreaking volunteer youth coach background 

check program to ensure that we get as much positive football experience as possible. 

A couple years ago they established coaching, officiating, and 

commission membership programs, including the certified coaching 

education program which conducts 40 full-day youth football coaching schools in more than 30 states. He’s done a great deal of work 

in this area, and he’s President of the Pan American Federation of 

Sports. Mr. Hallenbeck, we’re pleased that you’re with us today. 

TESTIMONY OF SCOTT HALLENBECK, 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF USA FOOTBALL 

Mr. HALLENBECK. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chairman 

Conyers, Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, and Congressman Cohen for 

having me here today. Three million American youngsters, aged 6 

to 14, and some 500,000 adult volunteers comprise youth football, 

making it one of our country’s most popular youth sports. USA 

Football is the sports national governing body in youth and amateur levels. We’re an independent nonprofit with members in all 50 

states and the District of Columbia. 

Our members are youth football coaches, players, league commissioners, and game officials. We lead the sports development and 

serve the youth football community. A critical part of that leadership is the health and safety information we provide, including our 

work with the CDC on concussion awareness. 

USA Football has worked with the CDC for more than 2 years 

to share concussion awareness information throughout youth football, and we will do so with even greater emphasis in 2010. I’d like 

to briefly share some background with you on youth football. 

Youth football has likely never been stronger or more popular 

than it is right now. Like most all youth sports, it is dependent 

upon committed volunteers. The amount of time that they have to 

learn how to teach this game’s fundamentals and techniques is limited. Youth football is fragmented. Conservatively, 80 percent of 

leagues are independent and community based. 

With such variance in structure, football and every youth sport 

needs clear, concise safety standards so that volunteers can comprehend the critical information like concussion awareness. This is 

what we’re doing for football in partnership with the CDC and others. We encourage youth sports leagues, not only those pertaining 

to football, to adopt our CDC-approved concussion awareness and 

management policy which is found in my written testimony. 

Succinctly stated, this covers educating athletes and parents 

about concussion, informing coaches, parents and athletes of concussion signs and symptoms, and what to do if a concussion is even 

305 

suspected. When in doubt, sit them out is a CDC approved guideline that we stress. Just as important is an athlete who endures 

a concussion can only return to play after an appropriate 

healthcare professional clears his or her return. In some, returning 

to play must be a medical decision. 

This information is prominently posted on our website, 

usafootball.com, and will be distributed to tens of thousands of 

coaches during 85 training events in 27 states and through our 

membership programs. Our events, online education programs, and 

resources for coaches provide a strong knowledge base. No physical 

activity is injury proof, but having coaches who know how to teach 

tackling and blocking fundamentals would likely lessen the chance 

of injury. 

More than 26,000 youth coaches have completed our primary online coaching course since May of 2008. By this coming April, this 

eleven-chapter course will be bolstered with new chapters on concussion awareness, athlete hydration, and even equipment failure. 

Every chapter is followed by a quiz strengthening comprehension, 

and that’s the critical point, strengthening comprehension. To successfully complete the course, a coach must be reach a cumulative 

quiz score of 80 percent. 

USA Football’s commitment to keeping the sport safe is also 

demonstrated through our equipment grant program. From this 

past November through February of this year alone, we will award 

a million dollars’ worth of new helmets and other football equipment to more than 800 youth and high school programs in 44 

states based on need and merit. 

Concussion related legislation in youth sports exists. A coalition 

of Washington State health providers and the CDC helped pass a 

State law there this past May that mirrors much of our suggested 

policy for youth leagues. The American College of Sports Medicine 

has joined forces with that Washington coalition to pass similar 

laws at State or Federal levels. USA Football supports such legislation, and we hope that other sports national governing bodies will 

join us. All youth sports need to recognize the seriousness of concussions and the need for further education among our coaches, the 

administrators, game officials, athletes and parents. 

I thank you, and I’d be happy to answer any questions at this 

time. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Hallenbeck follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF SCOTT HALLENBECK


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Mr. CONYERS. Thanks, Mr. Hallenbeck. 

Lem Barney, welcome. 

Mr. BARNEY. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. We’ve got so many stats on you. 

Mr. BARNEY. Don’t call them all. 


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Mr. CONYERS. I’ll just put—don’t worry, I won’t. 

Mr. BARNEY. Love you, too. 

Mr. CONYERS. I’ll put them all in the record. You’ve been named 

all NFL in ’68 and ’69, all NFC in ’72-’75, you are—have been a 

double/triple threat, kickoff return, punt return, interception, tailback. We’ll let the record speak for itself. We’re glad that you’re 

with us today, and we welcome any reflections that you have on 

this important subject. 

TESTIMONY OF LEMUEL BARNEY, 

DETROIT LIONS HALL OF FAME PLAYER 

Mr. BARNEY. Thank you very much for this great opportunity, 

Representative Conyers, to Chairperson Sa ́nchez, and to Chairman 

Cohen, and to other members of the House Judiciary Committee, 

to the panel, to my former teammates that’s in attendance, and to 

all the attendees, I am Lem Barney, and prior to becoming a minister, I played professional football for the Detroit Lions for 11 seasons and was inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame 

in 1992. I began playing football in 1959 at Sturgis Junior in San 

Bernadino, California. After playing high school football in Gulfport, Mississippi, I attended Jackson State University where I was 

three times all-SWAC player. 

I thank you again for inviting me to testify at this hearing. I also 

want to thank the Committee for bringing awareness to the important issue of brain injuries in professional football. When I played 

in the sixties and the seventies, we did not have the same level of 

awareness that we do now. And we would not—and I repeat—we 

should not repeat the mistakes of the past. I played football for a 

total of 20 years, and concussions have always been a part of the 

game. 

I’ve had several concussions myself. The first concussion that I 

remember was the result of a knee from Rufus Mays of the Cincinnati Bengals, six-nine, 285, a knee to the earhole of my helmet 

while playing the game. I was out on the field for 20 minutes before moving to the sideline and later returning to play. 

The next concussion that I recall was the result of me becoming 

privy to the high-knee action that made Gale Sayers the running 

back that we all know today, and the final concussion that I remember was from Robert Newhouse of the Dallas Cowboys, known 

for his powerful running style. In each incident, I returned to play 

immediately. 

Sure, there was examination done by the trainer or the team 

physician on the sideline, and there were general questions I asked 

of players that experienced concussions, questions like ‘‘How many 

fingers am I holding up,’’ and ‘‘What day of the week is it,’’ but in 

reality, the ultimate decision to return to the game rested on the 

desire of the player and sometimes the coach. 

Hindsight tells us that we should not have returned to play 

based on those factors alone. New research into the effects of these 

injuries tell us that returning to play may not have been in our 

best interests and more than likely made us more susceptible to 

further injury. Back then, as I’m sure the case for some players 

now, guys just wanted to play the game. I have witnessed guys return to the game and seeing firsthand how they reacted to their inVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00329 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.001 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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jury. Players would exhibit signs of wooziness and imbalance but 

still in some instances be allowed to retake the field. 

As I said before, hindsight tells us that those players would have 

probably been better off not returning. Thankfully, the decision is 

moving closer to the hands of an independent third party. The committee of the National Football League Players Association should 

be applauded for raising the public awareness of this issue, and in 

particularly, I want to note that the Players Association’s new 

Player Concussions Committee will ensure the future of generations of players and provide with them the knowledge to make the 

best possible decision. 

I am delighted and encouraged to see players taking the initiative and exerting control over their personal welfare. I would also 

like to commend the NFL on the league’s new policy to restrict the 

return of players who have experienced concussions and other 

brain injuries. Football is a great sport, and was—I repeat—was 

one of my favorite passions. But no sport should endanger the lives 

of its participants. This holds true for all levels of football from pee 

wees to professionals. 

I have never coached a game of football, but I have played the 

game on every level, including seven Pro Bowl appearances. On the 

way to becoming a member of the National Football League Hall 

of Fame, since my playing days, I’ve noticed continual improvements in the equipment used by players on the fields. Helmets 

used in my days were little more than a thin plastic layer with a 

small donut shaped piece of foam rubber at the top. 

And I’ve brought these two helmets, Pro Bowl helmets, as an example for you to examine today for yourself. Today’s helmet is 

much more protecting for the players enduring the games and competition. I recognize that in today’s game, the athletes are bigger, 

stronger, faster, and in some cases more intelligent. As a result of 

the hits, they are harder and the impact from each hit is greater. 

With much research into the way to protect the players, we can 

continue to enjoy this game for years to come. 

Thank you again for your hard work on this issue and inviting 

me to be here at this hearing. I’ll look forward to answering any 

questions that you may have. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Barney follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF LEMUEL BARNEY


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Lem Barney. 

Our next witness is Dr. Bennet Omalu who discovered and 

named chronic traumatic encephalopathy in American football, and 

not only among football players but wrestlers, as well. His first 

case of CTE in a football player was Mike Webster, the Pittsburgh 

Steelers Hall of Famer who died in 2002. His first case of CTE in 


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a wrestler was Chris Benoit, a World Wrestling Entertainment 

Champion who died in the year 2007. 

Dr. Omalu has also identified CTE in an 18-year-old high school 

player who died in 2006 10 days after following concussions sustained while he was playing football. He’s examined the largest 

number of brains of deceased professional and amateur athletes 

with CTE in the United States. His book Play Hard, Die Young, 

Football Dementia, Depression and Death, he’s published extensively in the medical literature field. He has four board certifications, a Master’s in Public Health and Epidemiology, a Master’s 

in Business Administration, a visiting professor at the Blanchette 

Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, a Co-Director of Brain Injury 

Research Institute, an Associate Clinical Professor of Pathology at 

the University of California - Davis, and Chief Medical Examiner 

with San Joaquin Valley County in California. 

We’re delighted to have you, sir, with us today, and we welcome 

you for your testimony. 

TESTIMONY OF BENNET I. OMALU, M.D., CO-DIRECTOR, BRAIN 

INJURY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY 

Dr. OMALU. Thank you, Chairman Conyers, and good afternoon, 

everybody. Good afternoon, Chairman Conyers, Congresswoman 

Sa ́nchez, and Congressman Cohen. 

I discovered the first eight cases of footballer’s dementia in football players between 2002 and 2008. My first case was Pittsburgh 

Steelers Hall of Famer, Mike Webster, whose life after retirement 

was marred by progressive symptoms of permanent brain damage. 

Surprisingly, his brain at autopsy appeared normal by naked-eye 

examination. 

I performed extensive tissue analysis which revealed a unique 

type of dementia. As you can see from the following slides, a microscopic image on the right is Mike Webster’s brain. You can see the 

brown blotches which indicate brain damage. That was his brain 

appeared normal, even on CT scan and on MRI. 

The image on the left is that of a normal brain. This instigated 

my definition of a new disease in football players which I called 

chronic traumatic encephalopathy, CTE for short. Since Mike Webster, my colleague and I, Dr. Julian Bailes, have examined over 20 

brains of amateur and professional contact sports athletes at the 

Brain Injury Research Institute, West Virginia University School of 

Medicine. We have identified CTE in many football players, including an 18-year-old high school football player. 

We have also identified CTE in two WWE wrestlers. I have identified CTE changes in the brain of a Vietnam War veteran diagnosed with lingering posttraumatic stress disorder which, hopefully, should be published soon in the Stars and Stripes. I have examined thousands of brains of sufferers of all types of brain injuries, including brains of high school students, football players who 

died from brain injury sustained while playing football. 

The current focus has primarily been on concussions and has remained on concussions, while we are not recognizing subconcussions. A concussion may present one end of the spectrum of mild 

traumatic brain injury; however, subconcussions or blows to the 

head which may not manifest with incapacitating symptoms are 

326 

equally as important as concussions. For every one documented 

concussion, there may be tens to hundreds of subconcussions. 

Thousands of subconcussions without any documented concussion 

can equally result in permanent brain damage and dementia in 

football players and other individuals at risk for brain injury such 

as members of the Armed Forces. 

We must also consider the neuropathology of traumatic brain injury while developing management protocols for concussions. Concussions result in the accumulation of certain types of proteins in 

the brain. For example, amyloid precursor protein, APP for short. 

APP begins to accumulate noticeably in brain cells and their fibers 

about one to 3 hours following a concussion. APP disappears from 

the brain after about 3 months following a a concussion. 

While a concussed player may be symptom free, several weeks 

after sustaining a concussion, APP accumulation in the brain will 

tell us that a concussed player’s brain cells may not have recovered 

after several weeks. Would 1 week, 2 weeks, or even several weeks 

be sufficient postinjury intervals for the concussed player to return 

to play and prevent permanent brain damage? 

The human brain becomes fully developed at the age of 18, injury 

to the developing brain of a child is more likely to result in more 

serious adverse outcomes than a developed adult brain. The brain 

cells of children who play football are more vulnerable to subconcussions and concussions. A child who plays football can be precluded from obtaining the full capacity of his cognitive and intellectual functioning as an adult. How can we translate and apply this 

piece of information to the administration and management of football in children? 

Rules changes may mitigate the prevalence of subconcussions 

and concussions. Unfortunately, it seems less likely that impacts to 

the head may be completely avoided in the game of football. The 

ultimate focus, therefore, should be on the development of biomarkers and the identification of drugs which will prevent and cure CTE 

and other sequelae of subconcussions and concussions. 

We have identified proteins which accumulate in the brains of 

CTE sufferers. We also have noted proteins, which accumulate in 

the brain following subconcussions and concussions. There are existing drugs which we know can prevent the accumulations of these 

abnormal proteins. If we can prevent the formation and accumulation of these abnormal proteins, there is a high scientific probability that we can cure CTE and other sequelae of subconcussions 

and concussions. 

We should focus on developing a battery of biomarkers in clinical 

pathology for subconcussions, concussions, and CTE. Decades ago, 

we did not have biomarkers which were specific for heart attacks 

in clinical pathology. Today, fortunately, we have a specific diagnostic marker for heart attacks called Troponin-I. There is no reason why a similar model cannot be developed for the diagnosis and 

treatment of subconcussions, concussions, and CTE in football players. 

Thank you for allowing me to speak with you, and I’m very 

happy and excited to be here today. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Omalu follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF BENNET I. OMALU


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Dr. Omalu. 

We now welcome Dr. Ira Casson, a neurologist at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Former Co-Chairman of the National 

Football Leagues’ Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee. He’s a 

graduate of the New York University Medical School, and finished 

his residency there at the same place in 1979. We’re delighted that 

you can be with us, sir. 

TESTIMONY OF IRA R. CASSON, M.D., FORMER CO-CHAIRMAN, 

NFL MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY COMMITTEE 

Dr. CASSON. Thank you. I want to thank the Committee for inviting me to participate in this hearing. I will directly address the 

issue in question, namely, whether or not a career in professional 

football causes long-term chronic brain damage. 

The media has consistently misrepresented my position. My position is that there is not enough valid, reliable, or objective scientific 

evidence at present to determine whether or not repeat head impacts in professional football result in long-term brain damage. 

Many have misunderstood my caution in jumping to conclusions 

without convincing scientific evidence as a denial of a link between 

head impact and long-term consequence. 

Since I understand the link in boxing, I’ve been acutely sensitive 

to look into connections in football. I believe that there is tau pathology in the brains of some retired professional football players 

and that a number of retired NFL players have neurological and 

behavioral, psychological symptoms. 

As a physician, I am very concerned about the possible long-term 

implications of these findings for the health and safety of NFL 

players. I sympathize with the players and the families who are affected. As physicians and scientists, it behoves us to critically 

evaluate the evidence before reaching definitive conclusions. We 

must always remember the fundamental principle of evidence that 

the presence of an association does not establish causation. 

When tau deposition in the brains of retired NFL players was reported, the NFL MTBI committee examined the evidence in great 

deal. We reviewed the relevant scientific literature. I took the initiative on behalf of the MTBI committee to consult with nationally 

known experts on tau pathology. Based upon these rigorous scientific analyses and consultations, I believe that there are a number of significant limitations and inconsistencies in the reports of 

tau deposition. I have detailed these in my written statement. 

For example, tau pathology is not exclusive to head trauma. Tau 

deposition is the predominant pathology in a number of other 

neurologic diseases that have never been linked to athletics or head 

trauma. Some of these diseases have genetic causes, some have environmental toxic causes, and others are still of unknown cause. 

The clinical picture of these other tau diseases is also completely 

different than that that has been reported in the cases by Dr. 

McKee and Dr. Omalu. 

Since tau pathology has been reported in men who played college 

football but never played professional football and even an 18-yearold high school athlete, we must consider the possibility that some 

event or events, possibly head trauma, occurring in childhood or 

adolescence is an important causative factor in its development. It 

335 

is also very hard to imagine how tau in the lower regions of the 

spinal cord could possibly be related to head impacts. 

I have also analyzed the three survey studies that purportedly 

show a connection between professional football and late onset dementia and depression. These types of survey studies suffer from 

many inherent methodological limitations that I have detailed in 

my written statement. I was the lead author of a landmark paper 

on brain damage in modern boxers that was published in JAMA in 

1984. Despite harsh criticism from the boxing community, I followed the evidence, and I published the findings. Despite current 

harsh criticism from the media and others, I will continue to follow 

the evidence. My allegiance is to scientific truth. 

Some have suggested that scientific evidence regarding the question at hand is conclusive and that there’s no need for further research. I strongly disagree with that position. In the present state, 

we have a tau pathology condition that can only be diagnosed after 

death. When treatments aimed at curbing tau deposition become 

available, how will physicians know which, if any, football players 

might benefit from these treatments while they are alive? 

We need further scientific research to discover in vivo means of 

diagnosing tau buildup. In the present state, many assume that all 

football players with symptoms of depression or dementia have 

these as a result of tau pathology. This ignores all of the other conditions and diseases that are associated with dementia and/or depression in the general population. Such thinking does retired players a disservice by not considering the possibility that their symptoms may be related to treatable or otherwise manageable conditions rather than a condition which will inexorably lead to deterioration. 

At present, many assume that head injury is the only possible 

cause of this tau deposition. If we ignore the possibilities that genetic, environmental, or toxic factors may play a role in the development of tau deposition, we may overlook strategies that ultimately can prevent its occurrence. I believe that studies like the 

NFL Retired Players Study are the most effective way to investigate the possibility that professional football causes chronic brain 

dysfunction. 

The NFL Retired Players Study has been derailed by unwarranted and inaccurate media and political attacks. I hope that this 

important study will ultimately withstand this hostile environment 

and continue on to completion. If that does not occur, the wealth 

of clinical information that has already been collected from the 

more than 40 subjects who’ve been thoroughly evaluated should be 

reported in the medical literature. 

My primary goal has always been to advance the scientific and 

medical knowledge of concussions, thereby improving the health 

and safety of NFL players. Toward that end, I made a number of 

recommendations for further scientific research in my written 

statement. Thank you, and I’ll be glad to answer any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Casson follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF IRA R. CASSON


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Dr. Casson. 

Our next witness is the president of Riddell, Mr. Dan Arment. 

He’s a Colgate graduate, played for the Colgate Raiders as an outside linebacker for 4 years, has served as vice-president of national 

sales for a number of companies, and has a broad consumer marketing experience. 

He joined Bell Sports in 2001 as vice-president, has previously 

served as Easton-Bell Sports Executive Vice-President and General 

Manager. Mr. Arment, we welcome you here this afternoon. 

TESTIMONY OF DAN ARMENT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS 

Mr. ARMENT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CONYERS. Pull it closer. 

Mr. ARMENT. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of 

the Judiciary Committee for the opportunity to speak today. 

For more than 70 years Riddell has passionately been at the forefront of providing state-of-the-art helmet technology and will continue to be in the future. That commitment is demonstrated to 

Riddell’s parent company, Easton-Bell Sports where company researchers across all of its brands, Easton, Bell, Giro, and Riddell 

are constantly collaborating on the latest in head protection innovation. Riddell has significant partnerships with the NFL, the 

NFLPA, USA Football and American Youth Football. We have also 

collaborated with high-profile athletes and equipment managers at 

all levels and the sports medicine community to maintain the highest levels of helmet technology and advancement. 

I understand that some will suggest that there has been little advancement made in football helmet technology. In fact, with the 

Riddell Revolution, the first helmet designed with the intent of reducing the risk of concussion, was introduced in 2002, it was the 

first major innovation in this direction for football helmets in 25 

years. We have independent, peer-reviewed, published research in 

the medical journal Neurosurgery, February of 2006, showing that 

the Revolution reduces the risks of concussions by 31 percent when 

compared to traditional helmets. 

As the market leader, we have always felt we have an obligation, 

not just as a business but in the public interest, to collaborate 

where possible and maintain the highest standard of innovation 

and research that has continued to stand the test of time, scrutiny, 

and independent research for nearly anyone with interest in the 

issue. Today, over one million high school, college, and professional 

players have made the switch from traditional helmets to the Revolution family of helmets. 

The introductions of the Revolution Speed, Revolution IQ, and its 

technology are additional examples of Riddell’s constant evaluation 

for potential new technologies in order to advance our mission of 

making the most protective products in the game, enhancing performance for players at all levels. That is a track record of innovation and demonstrated commitment to science and technology yet 

to be matched by any competitor. 

Regarding Riddell’s relationship with the NFL, my counterpart, 

Mr. Ferrara, will imply that the NFL’s current testing process has 

348 

been somehow biased due to its licensing relationship with Riddell. 

We want to be very clear that any such insinuation is without any 

merit, whatsoever. Riddell had absolutely no role in the selection 

of the test facilities or involvement in any way in the actual tests 

recently conducted by the league. Riddell was made aware of the 

preliminary test results on December 15th, as were all other manufacturers. 

It is important to note that despite read Riddell’s licensing relationship with the NFL, players are not mandated to wear Riddell 

helmets. Each player may work with their team’s equipment manager to choose their own helmet from any manufacturer. As such, 

Riddell has worked closely with the NFL and the NFL Players Association to provide education on the various protection and performance features of our helmets. 

We need our paid players to wear our product and will receive 

any endorsements from players, staff or team. As such, it should 

be noted that Riddell helmets are the helmet of choice by approximately 80 percent of the league’s players. We will continue to work 

closely with the NFL and NFLPA to ensure our innovation and 

technology provides the very best protection possible and maintains 

their trust in our helmets. 

Thank you very much for your time. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Arment. 

Our next witness is David Halstead, technical director of the 

Southern Impact Research Center responsible for the technical and 

scientific actions of the A2LA Accredited Test Lab, as well as overseeing the technical aspects of all testing, consulting, and other 

services provided by SIRC staff. He’s an expert in the field of head 

injury and helmets. 

We have a long bio here, but the development of new machinery 

drew his attention to it, and he was hired to head of Firefighters 

Equipment Manufacturers Protective Clothing Division in New Jersey. He became involved with helmet projects in that New Jersey 

company, and he’s immersed himself in the study of sports 

helmetry and head injury. He’s also worked closely with Dr. Hoshin 

at Wayne State University and has become involved with several 

committees involved with head gear and brain injury. We welcome 

you to these proceedings, Mr. Halstead. 

TESTIMONY OF P. DAVID HALSTEAD, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, 

SOUTHERN IMPACT RESEARCH CENTER 

Mr. HALSTEAD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Members 

of the Committee; I appreciate the opportunity to be here today 

and address the Committee. 

My name is Dave Halstead, and I teach at the University of Tennessee. I also direct the university’s sports and biomechanics impact research laboratory. I am Technical Director of the Southern 

Impact Research Center, which is an independent accredited laboratory, and have a variety of responsibilities with various helmet 

committees. I am chairman of the American Society of Testing 

Committee For Headgear. I’m also a Technical Adviser to the National Operating Committee For Standards in Athletic Equipment. 

349 

I’d like to tell you that I’m not here representing either one of those 

groups today. The testing that we did on behalf of the NFL is not 

ASTM testing, and it is not NOC-SAE testing, nor were they involved in that activity. 

I have for about 25 years worked on trying to understand brain 

injuries and how protective products might be used to mitigate 

them. The most recent testing, which I guess I’d like to discuss for 

the benefit of the Committee, it was based on 1990’s data collected 

by the National Football League in which they used film analysis 

to understand how players were impacted, the velocities involved, 

and the impact locations involved. That data was published back 

in the nineties, and recently, helmet manufacturers made some 

claims about whether their helmets worked better, and I think a 

very reasonable question was asked and that question was asked 

do they work better. 

So the NFL contacted me. I guess in the interests of full disclosure, I should tell you that I have worked with the NFL Players 

Association, I have worked for every helmet manufacturer in the 

United States, if not in the world probably. I don’t think that 

makes me biased in any way. The gentlemen on each side of me 

are helmet manufacturers, and I’ve worked with both of them. In 

any case, the work in this case involved one additional laboratory 

from Canada, myself, and some guidance from Dr. David Viano 

who does, I believe, teach here at Wayne State and who certainly 

has served with the NFL in the past. 

The job was really quite simple, and it was very complex if you 

want to get into the details of testing, but the concept was simple. 

Take old helmets off the field that were at least 10 years old, helmets that were being used when the original NFL study was undertaken, and test them using the new test method, new being developed quite specifically in the last 5 years, or so, called the linear 

impacter to deliver impacts to the helmet in different locations at 

different speeds in different temperatures. 

The whole idea of testing the old helmets was to compare whether the new helmets performed better or worse or the same as helmets that were in use when the NFL did its original study, but 

that has not yet been formalized. As the test laboratory, I’m only 

familiar with my data. The other test laboratory and I have not 

shared data, but the standard deviation or the difference, if you 

will, between one test lab’s results and the other seem to be very, 

very close. 

I can tell you that the selection of the helmets, the selection of 

the impact location is completely unbiased. The data did show 

some very interesting things. The data will not be released until 

March. I’m not here to discuss the details of the data, but I can 

tell you that several helmets did, in fact, perform better than the 

baseline 10-year-old helmets, some helmets did not perform any 

better, and some did not perform as well. 

With that said, I’m not sure how this data will be used, and that 

is my biggest concern. I believe the data to be valid, I believe it 

to be reliable, I believe it will lead to some statistically relevant inclusions about how the helmets performed. My concern is that the 

data would be used, perhaps, inappropriately. 

350 

I’m not sure that better performance on this test results in a significant change in player protection. I do think helmets that manage energy better are a good thing, but the direct correlation between how they perform and how a player may end up injured or 

not is still somewhat missing, and I think that that link has to be 

connected. 

Even more importantly, I’m afraid that the general consensus of 

what’s good for the NFL is good for the rest of the playing world 

at all levels is probably not correct. I think that as helmets get 

larger and heavier given the materials in use today, we don’t have 

any magic materials that will do the same amount of work in less 

space, so given that the helmets get larger and heavier, this may 

not be a concern for a football player at the NFL level, but it is 

certainly a concern for my 9 year old, and just because the NFL 

decides to use a certain helmet or use a certain protocol to help determine which helmets should be on the field, which I can certainly 

get behind, having that trickle down and automatically become 

well, the NFL uses it, it must be the best one, and you’re not using 

it, I think that’s a real big concern that could hurt the sport. 

So how the data is used and how the data is disseminated is yet 

to be determined; I’m not part of that. It’s a concern I have that 

the validity of the data, however, I have no doubt about. It does 

accurately reflect how these helmets perform in that test scenario, 

and I’d be glad to answer any questions if they should arise. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Halstead follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF P. DAVID HALSTEAD


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you for your testimony. 

Our final witness in this panel is Vincent Ferrara, founder of 

Xenith Company that develops helmet technology and sells helmets. He, himself, was a football player at Harvard undergrad. He 


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received his M.D. From Harvard, and then an M.B.A. From Columbia. We’re happy to have you here on the panel, sir. 

TESTIMONY OF VINCENT R. FERRARA, FOUNDER AND CEO, 

XENITH, L.L.C. 

Dr. FERRARA. Thank you, sir. Good afternoon, my name is Vin 

Ferrara. I’m the founder and CEO of Xenith, manufacturer of the 

X1 football helmet. 

After playing quarterback at Harvard and graduating from the 

medical and business schools at Columbia University, I founded 

Xenith in 2004 with the goal of addressing the concussion issue for 

a blend of innovation and education. I’ve experienced concussions 

myself, and I know players who have been debilitated by them. I 

have four young children who play sports in which concussion is a 

risk. I feel I understand this problem and I certainly care about 

solving it. 

At the last Congressional hearing, it was revealed that the NFL’s 

Concussion Committee was performing yet more research, this time 

on helmet testing. The reaction to this testing from leading experts 

has included phrases like, ‘‘terrible stuff,’’ ‘‘very bad,’’ and ‘‘should 

never happen.’’ I will try and explain this reaction. 

First and foremost, Riddell is the official helmet of the NFL. For 

the past 20 years, this deal, which was just renewed in August just 

before the helmet testing started, has overwhelmingly steered players into Riddell helmets based on financially driven quotas and royalty famous to the league. This deal also mandates that the logos 

of non-Riddell helmets be covered up or pried off. 

Given this conflict of interest and given the league’s track record 

on concussion research, the very concept of the NFL performing 

independent helmet testing is inconceivable. The NFL’s testing protocol, which I would argue is highly unusual and nonreproducible, 

is based upon a minute number of extreme, illegal, open field, helmet-to-helmet impacts that should never have happened in the 

first place and should be a thing of the past. 

The league’s preferred testing apparatus called the linear impactor, which you saw in the video before, is not an official standard, 

has no uniform basis for construction, and was created using 

Riddell helmets in one of the labs doing the testing with the lead 

technician listed as an inventor on Riddell patents. We’re going to 

see the testing here. 

Thus, these tests and products or products designed to mimic 

them, are linked in a biased way, much of the same way a test for, 

quote/unquote, intelligence would be biased in favor of those used 

to design it or those who are similar. Regardless of its results, this 

test would not provide any meaningful information on intelligence, 

and the NFL’s test will not provide any meaningful information on 

the risk—on reducing the risk of concussion. 

In fact, the measures taken in this testing are some of the same 

measures that Dr. David Viano, who just resigned as Co-Chairman 

of the NFL’s Concussion Committee, yet, is still running the testing, suggest should be abolished in a 2003 conference publication. 

The existing standard organization, NOCSAE, for which David 

Halstead serves as technical director, explicitly forbids numerical 

comparisons because the numbers don’t correlate to any particular 

355 

injury risk. Simply put, a crash test dummy cannot tell you it has 

blurry vision, chronic headaches, or can’t remember the play. 

Designing for a test is not difficult, it has been done for decades. 

The lab tests and player feedback are often not in sync. We have, 

at times, deliberately made choices in opposition to machine data 

based on player feedback. Our approach is to address the potential 

damage of repeated impacts which Dr. Omalu spoke of, while offering comparable protection at the rare extreme. 

We’re confident in our product, and while we will always seek 

improvements, we don’t plan on changing our helmet based on the 

NFL’s tests. However, NFL equipment manufacturers will make 

and some have already made critical safety decisions based on 

words that at worst, are biased, and at best, don’t mean anything. 

These decisions will trickle down to the college, high school, and 

youth levels. Do the individuals responsible for this testing or those 

in the NFL who failed to stop it actually want to incur the potential liability associated with these decisions? 

I would like the Committee to note that we have offered to the 

NFL Players Association as many helmets as needed at no charge 

to do player-based comparisons of helmet features, which would 

yield useful information. This is something I don’t believe any 

other helmet manufacturer has done. But the NFL has shown no 

interest in this. And by the NFL, I mean Dr. Elliott Pellman, longtime Chairman of the NFL’s Concussion Committee, lead author on 

the NFL’s concussion research publications. Dr. Pellman maintains 

the role as, essentially, the league’s singular voice on player safety 

and actually stated to a group of helmet manufacturers that gathering player data was, ‘‘difficult to do, and we need to do something 

quickly.’’ 

I believe that when things are done quickly, there’s a high likelihood they will be done wrong. I believe the NFL should not be in 

the business of concussion research or helmet testing and should 

not have an official helmet. I believe that the concussion issue can 

be addressed through a blend of innovation and education. 

I sincerely appreciate the invitation of Chairman Conyers and 

the House Judiciary Committee. This story is not just about football helmets. What protects football players today may protect soldiers and first responders tomorrow, or it may yield better innovations in the future. This story is ultimately about innovation and 

the government’s role in fostering it in an effort to advance the 

safety of activity and health of your constituents. Thank you for the 

opportunity to share this information. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Ferrara follows:] 

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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Doctor, and to all of our 

panelists, we’re indebted to you all. There are some questions that 

we would like to put to some of you. If Linda Sa ́nchez is sufficiently 

recovered, I’ll recognize her for questions. 


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Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I will do my best, Mr. Chairman. 

I have a lot of questions for many of you, so I’m going to try and 

get through these as quickly as I can, and I’m going to start with 

Dr.—is it pronounced Maroon like the color? 

Dr. MAROON. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Yeah, it’s Maroon, and I don’t mean to necessarily 

pick on you, but I was struck by a portion of your testimony, and 

I’m going to read from the written testimony, you stated, and I 

wanted to follow up: ‘‘Our committee—’’ meaning the MTI committee ‘‘—together with the NFL has long recognized that concussions can lead to long-term health issues, especially if they are not 

properly managed,’’ and I would dispute that sentence that it’s 

been ‘‘long recognized’’ because it seems to me that the NFL has 

literally been dragging its feet on this issue until the last couple 

of years when it came under increased scrutiny. 

And this is why I say that: The committee and even the name, 

itself, mild traumatic brain injury, suggests a downplaying of the 

dangers. I would assert that there’s nothing mild about traumatic 

brain injury, but I’m a layperson and not a doctor, and that may 

be a specific medical term. But the committee was comprised in 

1994, specifically, you stated, due to concussions from several players that ended their careers. And yet, as early as 2005, there was 

paper published in Neuropsychology saying that it might be okay, 

it might be safe for high school players who’ve had a concussion to 

go back into the game, and it took until 2009 for the NFL to impose the new rules that if you get a concussion in the game you 

don’t go back in to that same game. That’s about 16 years in my 

estimation, 15 years, at least, give or take. 

Why do you think it took that long for the NFL to bring about 

these rule changes, or am I just, you know, being crazy, that 15 

years is a short amount of time? 

Dr. MAROON. Well, I wouldn’t suggest that you’re being crazy, 

and I think it’s a very good question, but I think there’s been a considerable debate over the period of time just what constitutes a 

concussion, and there have been many different specialists who debate what is a mild concussion and what is a severe concussion. 

For instance, I’m sure you have a child, I believe. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. A 7-month-old. 

Dr. MAROON. And if you had your child wake up this morning 

with a temperature of 99 or 99.1, I think you would agree that 

that’s a fever. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Correct. 

Dr. MAROON. If your child woke up with a temperature of 105, 

I think you’d be considered—you would be much more alarmed. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I would likely be more alarmed. 

Dr. MAROON. Right. So if you hit your head getting out of your 

car and you bump it on the jam of your—the frame of your automobile, and you’re stunned, and you may see a few spots in front 

of your eyes, that would be considered a concussion. If you’re run 

over by a PAT bus and are laying unconscious on the pavement, 

you also have a concussion. So there’s all gradations of concussion, 

and it has been recognized by, in fact, here at Wayne State University, much of the pioneer work in concussions have been done by 

361 

Dr. Gurdjian and others in the sixties and seventies that traumatic 

episodes to the head results in injury. I mean it’s a—it’s—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I can accept that there are gradations of concussions. 

Dr. MAROON. There are gradations of concussions. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I can totally accept that. 

Dr. MAROON. So—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. But in a high-impact sport like football—— 

Dr. MAROON. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ [continuing]. When somebody has a concussion—— 

Dr. MAROON. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ [continuing]. And we heard from Mr. Barney, he 

was out on the field for 21 minutes, then taken to the sidelines and 

later returned to the same game. 

Dr. MAROON. That was in the 1970’s. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand that, that was very early on, but I’m 

saying since 1994, players have been returning to the same game 

with concussions until the NFL just a couple months ago changed 

the rules and said you can no longer return to that—why did it 

take 15 years. 

Dr. MAROON. And again, I’m telling you that they’re still—in 

1997, the American College of—the American Academy of Neurology published guidelines saying that if an athlete completely recovers, asymptomatic in terms of no headache, nausea, or vomiting, 

is able to perform aerobic activity on the sidelines without—without complaints, has no amnesia, confusion, if it’s within 15 minutes, they can return to the game safely. So this is the American 

Academy of Neurology’s guidelines in 1997. 

So when the paper in Neuro—in Neurosurgery was published by 

Dr. Pellman and others saying that a significant percentage of athletes had gone back into the game, they had all recovered completely. We now recognize the papers that have been published in 

’05 by Dr. Omalu and in ’06 by Dr. Omalu, it lead immediately to 

’07 where the NFL convened a committee and a meeting in Chicago 

and invited the Players’ Association, the athletes, the trainers, and 

the team physicians and said hey, this—yeah, you’re right, just like 

you’re saying, it’s a problem, what can we do about it? 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So let me get this correct. The same research that 

Dr. Omalu, which gets discounted or was discounted recently as 

not being scientifically valid enough for some members of the MTBI 

committee is the same research you’re now saying that helped lead 

to the rules change—— 

Dr. MAROON. I’m saying—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ [continuing]. About not allowing players to go back 

into the game. 

Dr. MAROON. Two case reports in the literature don’t make a 

major shift in the thinking of medicine. I mean you can’t say that— 

you can’t—yes, it’s an observation, it’s an important observation, 

but does it happen in every situation that an athlete who has a 

head injury is going to be demented. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand that, but if the MTBI committee in 

1994 was charged with studying this issue and trying to prevent 

it, I just find it completely interesting that on the one hand Dr. 

Omalu’s study has been pooh-poohed to some extent, and it’s not 

362 

scientific enough and, you know, but on the other hand, what 

you’re saying oh, well, it led us to rethink that maybe it wouldn’t 

be a good idea to let players—I mean to me, the whole point is— 

was or was not one of the charges of the MTBI committee to study 

to see what the effects were and how to prevent them and what 

the best course of—— 

Dr. MAROON. Congresswoman—I’m sorry. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. No, that’s my question. 

Dr. MAROON. No, I deeply respect your questions, but you’re discounting over 20 publications published in peer reviewed journals 

over the course of 1994 to 2008 discussing the problems with concussion, how to prevent them, helmet design, now there’s still controversy as to helmet design, as we’ve just heard here within the 

last 10 minutes, so—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand, but my question was not about helmet design—— 

Dr. MAROON. In 1997, the NFL commissioned the biogenetics laboratory to look at helmet design and ask the question funded by 

the NFL with no helmet manufacturer involved what can we do to 

design the helmets in a better way to protect the athletes so that 

I—I kind of dispute your position that nothing has been done since 

1994. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Very little has been done—and I’m not talking— 

take away the helmet and the equipment testing. It seems to me 

that if the MTBI committee was specifically convened as a result 

of concussions which took some great players out of the game, that 

the singular focus should have been on the health and welfare of 

the players in terms of the effects and how to—how to assess what 

the treatment would be for that or what the best course of action 

would be after a player has suffered a concussion. That’s just my 

opinion, and you may disagree with it, and you’re entitled to do 

that. It’s a question I would love to ask you, but I’m going to ask 

Dr. Casson—is it pronounced CASS-in or is it CASE-in? 

Dr. CASSON. CASS-in. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Casson, thank you. Do you agree with Dr. Omalu’s 

statement, and I’m quoting directly from his written testimony, it 

was also in his oral testimony, that the concept of permanent brain 

damage and dementia following repeated blows to the head is a 

very well established and generally accepted principle in medicine; 

would you agree with that statement. 

Dr. CASSON. There’s a lot more you have to say about yes, I 

agree, or no, I don’t agree. Are you talking about in boxing? Yes, 

it’s rel—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. No, no, no, it’s not sports specific, it’s not even specific to sports. It’s generally speaking, and I’ll repeat the quote, 

‘‘The concept of permanent brain damage and dementia following 

repeated blows to the head—’’ could be blows of any kind, could be 

a blunt object, it could be, you know, blows from multiple car 

crashes, perhaps, ‘‘—is a very well established and generally accepted principle in medicine.’’ 

Dr. CASSON. First of all, let me say this. You don’t determine scientific or medical truth by popular vote. You don’t determine it by 

consensus. You determine it by evidence. Now—— 

363 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand that, and I understand that I’m not 

a doctor, but I’m just asking if you accept a statement that Dr. 

Omalu has said is generally accepted in principle. 

Dr. CASSON. No, there are specifics you need to know but before 

you say that. You can’t just generalize like that. It is accepted in 

the sport of boxing. It’s accepted in a few other circumstances. It’s 

not necessarily generally accepted in all the football players. Now, 

have there been a few cases that maybe it’s true? Yes. But we need 

more evidence. Just because there’s an association does not prove 

causation. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So would you disagree that if somebody were repeatedly hit in the head with a blunt object that there likely would 

not be permanent brain damage and/or dementia that would be associated with that. 

Dr. CASSON. I’m a physician. I’ve been treating patients like this 

for my entire career. I trained at Bellevue where I have the primary responsibility for the care of hundreds, if not thousands, of 

head injury victims of all severities during my residency program. 

I have a great deal of clinical experience in this field. You cannot 

generalize. Every case is different. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. All right. I can’t get you to agree on something that I think most laymen, probably most physicians would 

agree to that, if somebody suffers repeated blows to the head, there 

is going to be some kind of brain damage. 

Dr. CASSON. You said dementia. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Or dementia even. 

Dr. CASSON. Well, dementia is a specific type of brain damage. 

The specific clinical—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Well, pardon me, pardon me, I said permanent 

brain damage and/or dementia. 

Dr. CASSON. We can disagree. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. All right. Now, in your testimony, you’re 

very clear about talking about your past experience and studying 

the effects of head trauma in boxers in which you conclude that: 

‘‘Modern era retired boxers had signs of chronic brain damage.’’ 

I’m interested in knowing how the repeated head trauma in boxers is different from the head trauma that’s suffered by those in 

professional football or some other activity where there’s repeated 

blows to the head. 

Dr. CASSON. Okay. First of all, there have been studies that have 

demonstrated that the head trauma in boxing has much more rotational forces and accelerations compared to football concussions 

which are more translational in nature, meaning more straight 

lined rather than rotational. There have been studies published 

that have documented that. 

Another difference, secondly, boxers don’t wear helmets, football 

players do. Thirdly, boxers are subjected to constant repetitive 

blows from the time they start boxing all through their careers in 

sparring, in training, as well as in their fights over very long periods of times, and sustained more blows causing rotational forces in 

a career than football players do, so there clearly are differences—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Those are the three major differences, would be 

those three then. 

364 

Dr. CASSON. Those are three differences. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay, all right. 

Dr. Klossner, I’d like to ask you, you testified to the steps the 

NCAA has been taking to treat concussions including the fact that 

you’re recommending that rules be put in place for all sports. Is it 

your opinion that the effects of repeated head trauma are consistent across sports, for example? Are the concerns expressed by 

those who play—by a football player getting a concussion and returning too soon to the game also applicable, to, say, a women soccer player who might suffer a concussion during the course of—— 

Mr. KLOSSNER. Well, I’d have to defer the medical opinion of 

what happens with a student athlete who—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. But is it—— 

Mr. KLOSSNER [continuing]. Receives a concussion but—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ [continuing]. Is the concern the same? 

Mr. KLOSSNER. The prevalence of concussion from what we measure from the NCAA injury surveillance system notes concussions 

occur across sports, yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. But is the concern the same that the NCAA has 

that if you’re a football player who gets a concussion and is thinking about returning to play, are you any less concerned that it 

might be a, say, a woman soccer player who gets a concussion during a game and might—— 

Mr. KLOSSNER. Our guidelines apply to all student athletes the 

same. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So it applies to every sport and every student athlete. 

Mr. KLOSSNER. That’s correct. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. 

Dr. Casson, in going back to you, in your testimony, you didn’t 

state definitively whether you feel that repeated concussions have 

a long-term health impact and I’m interested in knowing, yes or no, 

in your opinion, do you repeated head impacts, regardless of where 

or how they occur lead to long-term brain damage? 

Dr. CASSON. That is not a yes-or-no question. Maybe in certain 

circumstances. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Maybe, okay. 

Dr. CASSON. Yes, because you have to take each individual case 

and the facts, that’s what a physician does, that’s what a scientist 

does—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand that but—so repeated concussions, if 

somebody has multiple concussions, regardless of how they got the 

concussions, you couldn’t say that you’d feel confident to say that 

it would lead to brain damage. 

Dr. CASSON. It very well might. I’m not saying that having concussions is good for you, it’s not. It’s bad for the brain to have a 

concussion. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Well, that’s the strongest statement I’ve gotten 

you to make on concussions, you know, since you’ve been here 

today. 

Dr. CASSON. No, it’s really not. What I stated—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. In my opinion, it is. 

365 

Dr. CASSON. Well, in my opinion, there’s not enough scientific 

evidence to jump to the conclusions that many people have done. 

I’m a scientist—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. How many—— 

Dr. CASSON.—I follow the evidence. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay, I’m not even going to ask the question I was 

going to ask, I’m just going to ask you one last question. You made 

a series of recommendations at the end of your testimony for what 

you believe could be done to further the study of the effects of concussions. In your time on the MTBI committee, did you ever make 

these recommendations to the NFL. 

Dr. CASSON. Yes, we talked about trying to develop in vivo methods to measure tau in the brain, that was done very recently. We 

have an NFL Retired Players Study that’s now on hold, unfortunately, which was to—in-depth clinical examinations of retired football players. We had talked about and we do have, as part of that 

study, psychiatric/psychological evaluations to some extent, we 

talked about at a later date expanding that to do a more detailed 

psychological and psychiatric evaluations. 

One of the goals of the NFL Retired Players Study is to determine the accurate incidence of brain dysfunction in retired football 

players, so yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So those recommendations were made, but they 

were very made very recently; is that what you’re telling me. 

Dr. CASSON. No, the NFL Retired Players Study we began formulating in 2003, so no, it was not made very recently. Now the idea 

that comprehensive—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. As compared with 1994, I would say that’s—— 

Dr. CASSON. Well, one of the reasons that I was asked to be on 

the NFL Retired Player Committee was because of my expertise 

with CTE of boxers. I know a lot about this field, I have expertise 

in this field. When we started this committee, the goal of the committee was to advance the scientific medical knowledge of concussions and thereby improve the health and safety of NFL players. 

That is the way you improve health and safety, by advancing the 

science, and that’s what we set out to do. 

Now you can’t start doing everything at once. We started with 

biomechanical studies, we started with epidemiological studies of 

concussion in the NFL. Then we moved on to studying retired players. So you can’t do everything at once. You have to have a plan, 

and that was the plan, and that’s what we were following. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay, one last question for you, Dr. Casson. In 

January of 2005, you along with Dr. David Viano and three other 

authors published an—I referenced it earlier in the Journal of Neurosurgery a paper that said it might be safe for high school football 

players who sustained concussions to return to the game in which 

they were injured. Do you believe today that it’s okay for athletes 

in their teens whose brains are still developing to return to play 

in the same game after suffering a concussion? 

Dr. CASSON. I’m glad you asked me that question. In that paper, 

we never suggested that it was okay for high school players to return to play on the day of an injury. We had done a scientific study 

analyzing the epidemiology of concussion in the NFL. It was aimed 

at, the study, specifically in this paper, the group of players who 

366 

had returned to play on the date of injury to see if they were any 

different than the players who had not returned to play to see what 

happened to them, to see how they—whether they had more concussions down the road or had repeat concussions. We specifically 

stated in this paper and every one of our epidemiological papers 

that these studies were on NFL players, and the results applied 

only to NFL players. 

Now, in the discussion of a scientific paper, very often what scientists will then do in discussing the data is raise questions that, 

maybe, other people want to look at to try to get other people to 

study the field, and what we suggested that was that no one has 

studied this in high school players or college players, and it might 

be interesting for someone to look at it. That’s what we said. We 

didn’t say it was okay. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. But you did say that it may be safe. 

Dr. CASSON. What we said—the idea was that they—we don’t 

have evidence. What we said was we need evidence. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. But you never used the words that it may be safe. 

Dr. CASSON. I may have used those words. Even if we said may 

be, the operative word is may be. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. I understand, but today do you hold that same 

opinion. 

Dr. CASSON. That wasn’t my opinion. My opinion was—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Is your opinion today that it may be safe for high 

school football players who’ve suffered a concussion to go back into 

the same game? Your opinion—— 

Dr. CASSON. Without evidence stating one way or the other, you 

can’t answer that question. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. All right. 

Dr. CASSON. There’s no evidence. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay. Back to Dr. Klossner. In your testimony, 

you stated that student athletes rightfully assume that precautions 

have been made to minimize the risk of injury. Can you talk about 

what the NCAA does to educate student athletes about the risk of 

concussions. 

Mr. KLOSSNER. From the NCAA’s perspective, we have an NCAA 

sports medicine handbook that has a guideline on concussions that 

outlines the risks associated with concussions and return-to-play 

concerns that is provided to all member institutions that help educate their student athletes on the rules of concussions in sports. 

Member institutions have responsibility to educate their student 

athletes. At the end of the day, they make the decisions of what 

happens with their student athletes and how they educate them on 

various topics related to their student athlete health. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Is there any kind of release that students are required to sign in order to participate in sports other than saying 

that they understand the risks of concussions. 

Mr. KLOSSNER. Those, again, are what the individual institutions 

decide on how they medically release or provide intent-to-play 

waivers. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. In your knowledge, are there some institutions 

that require that. 

Mr. KLOSSNER. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Okay, that’s what I’m getting at. 

367 

Dr. Omalu, you have mentioned the risk of subconcussions. Can 

you elaborate a little bit on the subconcussions and what we can 

do to identify and treat their effects? 

Dr. OMALU. Well, every day I examine the brains of human 

beings, I’ve examined thousands of brains. The brain is made up 

of about 80 percent water. God, in his infinite wisdom, did not create a brain which floats freely in our skulls to receive repeated impact. So any impact, no matter how similarly that it could be that 

makes your brain accelerate/decelerate, the very basic laws of physics in issue, acceleration/deceleration causes disruption of the proteins which are floating in water, and we see that with the evidence since the 1970’s at the Institute of Neurological Sciences in 

Scotland results in damages to the brain cells and their fibers. 

When they examined these brains, you see accumulations of abnormal proteins, at least an hour from when the injury. And unfortunately, many times this impact wouldn’t present with incapacitating symptoms to manifest with headaches that the individual 

would dismiss—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Right. 

Dr. OMALU. But on the cellular level, there is extensive damage 

which may be why we did not identify this disease early enough. 

Because on CT scan, the brain would look normal. On MRI, the 

brain would look normal, the symptoms—there are no symptoms, 

but on a cellular level, a lot is going on. 

You saw Mike Webster’s brain. Mike Webster’s brain looked normal, and I repeat, looked normal, but Mike Webster’s brain on the 

cellular level and other brains I’ve looked at were extensively, extensively damaged. Every impact to your head has the capacity to 

result in damage, at least on a cellular level. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So would it be your opinion that repeated impacts 

to the head would cause some kind of brain damage? 

Dr. OMALU. Yes, this has been established since the early 20th 

century. In fact, Dr. Harrison Macklin (ph.), who was a forensic pathologist in New York, New Jersey, just like me, described dementia in 1928. Proteins will build up in the brain as described by Dr. 

Alzheimer in 1918, and in 1969, Dr. Roberts that was commissioned by the House of—House of Lords in England published a 

paper and a position paper by the Royal College of Medicine in 

England that repeated blows to the head, no matter how similarly 

the knock was, has the capacity to result in permanent brain damage, and in the journal Lancet in 1976, it was clearly stated that 

repeated blows to the head could result—in boxers could result in 

damage, repeated blows to the head in other activities, cellular and 

otherwise, can also result in permanent brain damage. 

The issue here we should not make the mistakes of the past like 

Mr. Barney said. The issue here is not really the concussions because the concussion is the extreme. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Right. 

Dr. OMALU. It is the innocuous repeated blows, repeated blows. 

In football, players are subjected sometimes to 200—or to 120 g 

force. That is a lot of force, a lot of energy for a brain that is 80 

percent water. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. So in your opinion, do you think that repeated concussions, then, if concussions are the most extreme of the brain disVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00375 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.001 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
368 

ruptions that you’re talking about in terms of even minor blows to 

the head, do you feel confident in saying that repeated concussions 

would lead to permanent brain damage? 

Dr. OMALU. Yes, but Dr. Julian Bailes, my director at the Injury 

Research Institute with some other authors, Dr. Tuszkiewicz came 

up with the threshold of three, three documented concussions increase your risk significantly. In my practice, as a forensic pathologist, I have seen severe brain damage from even one major concussion. Like Dr. Casson has said, yes, there is a genetic variation, 

there are ameliorating factors, there are accentuating factors, but 

the established fact is that repeated blows to your head to a brain 

that floats freely inside your skull to the brain that is made up of 

80 percent water could result in permanent brain damage. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you, Doctor, and last and final question for 

you, what are your thoughts about the changes to the NFL policy 

toward concussions that have occurred since our October hearing 

on this issue. 

Dr. OMALU. If you notice in my recent statement, my global 

statement, I had—especially my recent statement, I had stated we 

should not make the same mistakes of the past. We should base 

guidelines, policies, and protocols on the science, especially pathology. Neuropathologists since 19—1980, I believe, papers were published by Dr. Graham, Dr. Geddes, and Dr. Adams who are all 

Scottish men, that if you suffer a concussion or a blow to your 

head, amyloid precursor protein, this is a protein in very big 

protonated brain cells, would accumulate from about 1 hour to 3 

hours. These proteins do not disappear in your brain until about 

99 days; I would usually say 3 months. 

So if we have pathologic evidence since 1980 that tells us the 

brain cells do not recover from a concussion till about 3 months, 

then the question leads now what is the basis, scientific basis for 

the 2-week, 3-week, 4-week threshold for a player to go back to 

play? And again, I would always advise the absence of symptoms 

does not mean the brain has recovered from a concussion. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you. 

Dr. OMALU. The neurological evidence confirms that, 

neuropathological evidence confirms that. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you, Dr. Omalu, I think your testimony has 

been most instructive, and with that, I would yield back my time 

to the Chairman. 

Dr. OMALU. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. I’m pleased now to recognize Steve Cohen, a distinguished Subcommittee Chairman on the 

Committee of Judiciary. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and not that it’s important at all, but I think I referred to the GMAC Bowl as the Motor 

City Bowl. I’m in the city of the Motor City Bowl, I have corrected 

it. 

Dr. Maroon, Mississippi State, several weeks ago, Mr. Aieello— 

Aiello? 

Dr. MAROON. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN [continuing]. Of the NFL, spokesperson for the NFL 

said that it’s quite obvious from the medical research that’s been 

369 

done that concussions can lead to long-term problems. He said—I 

believe that is accurate. Are you familiar with that quote from him. 

Dr. MAROON. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN. That—is that a conflict of what Dr. Casson has told 

us that there is at present not valid, reliable, or objective scientific 

evidence that prove that impacts from professional football are— 

cause chronic brain damage, aren’t those kind of—— 

Dr. MAROON. No, I don’t think they’re incompatible at all. I think 

what I heard Dr. Casson saying is that you have to evaluate several factors, and going back to what Dr. Omalu said, he said it has 

to be based on science, right? And as the—I gave the example to 

Congresswoman Sa ́nchez that if you have a temperature of 99, you 

have a fever, if you have 106 and you’re in heat stroke in an ICU, 

you have fever. There’s huge variations in what a concussion is and 

the severity of the concussion so that there are very, very minor 

bumps on the head that I don’t think lead to permanent dementia 

and incapacitation, even if there are several of these. 

One concussion, on the other hand, may, indeed, lead to permanent brain damage. In our clinic at the University of Pittsburgh, 

we see approximately 100 to 150 kids a week for postconcussion 

syndrome evaluation. So when you ask me can head injuries—can 

concussions lead to significant long-term effects, there’s no question 

that it can. But I guess going back to Dr. Omalu’s work, it has to 

be based on science, and he says 2 months, 3 months, how do you 

base when an individual may go back to play? 

Well, going back to one of the comments of Congresswoman 

Sa ́nchez, initially, you mentioned the Pittsburgh Steelers and the 

Bengals game in your introduction, and I think you were referring 

to the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers who was not permitted to play in a very critical game because under exertion, he 

developed headaches, and under the guidelines, we know that the 

brain has not completely recovered. 

Not guidelines, but the science has shown us that if you remain 

symptomatic, you haven’t recovered, and consequently, the 

neurocognitive tests which assess the processing information and 

processing power of the brain are—are objective criteria that were 

evaluated beginning in 1990 when Coach Knoll and Dan Rooney 

from the Pittsburgh Steelers told me Maroon, I don’t care what you 

know about or what you think about a concussion, I want objective 

data. 

And that’s why Impact was formed because it gives you objective 

data, so that I think they’re not inconsistent, his—his comments 

with the questions that were asked. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Will the gentleman yield. 

Mr. COHEN. Yes. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. And I appreciate that, I just want to make this 

point. Dr. Omalu testified that a person can be asymptomatic. In 

that instance, he was symptomatic because under stress, there was 

a problem. Asymptomatic and not fully recovered in the brain, and 

I just wanted to point out that important distinction. I now will 

yield back. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. 

370 

Let me ask you this. Dr. Casson—and I respect your study and 

your concern here. You said that association does not prove causation, right? 

Dr. CASSON. Yes, that’s a principle of scientific evidence, yes. 

Mr. COHEN. But can’t association—would not association possibly 

be sufficient to give people cause for concern, alarm, probable 

cause. 

Dr. CASSON. Yes, there is cause for concern, but I’m a scientist, 

and I’m a physician. Scientists and physicians need more than 

that. 

Mr. COHEN. Right. And I understand what you’re saying to come 

to a conclusion in your field and in your beliefs and studies, but 

when you have lives in the balance, don’t you think that maybe association should be sufficient to dictate that there be a change in 

the practice to protect these lives? I mean, you know, to err on the 

said of caution. 

Dr. CASSON. Well, in all my involvement on the MTBI committee, 

we have always erred on the side of caution. In all my years of clinical practice, I’ve always acted in the best—for the best benefits of 

my patients by erring on the side of caution. However, that is not 

the same as saying that the science proves the point, that the 

science is there. It doesn’t prove that one thing causes the other. 

Mr. COHEN. It may not prove it, and I’m not—you know and Dr. 

Omalu have different opinions, and others may, too, but there is 

sufficient proof, I believe, you would agree, that there is an issue, 

there’s at least probable cause or there’s reason to believe that 

there could be a problem, and so if you err on the side of caution, 

shouldn’t maybe you in your studies or the NFL earlier had set 

some policy about players maybe not staying in the game when 

they had a concussion or getting better helmets or something to 

protect the players before that? 

Dr. CASSON. We did subsequently get the helmets back in the 

mid 1990’s—— 

Mr. COHEN. Crash helmets, let’s go to concussions. 

Dr. CASSON. What we did was we studied the prevailing practice 

in the NFL and scientific studies of what would happen to these 

players, the epidemiology of the ones who had concussion. We came 

up with a definition of concussion that was extremely broad and 

was extremely all encompassing, so we picked up all of the injuries 

that could get reported, even the mildest of injuries of people who 

would be dizzy for a few seconds, if they told the trainer, that 

would become a concussion, so you had very mild events that were 

reported, and we studied these, and we did epidemiologic studies, 

we studied the data and analyzed what happened to these people, 

and based upon these analyses, we then, once we had the science 

and the evidence, made recommendations of how to proceed. 

For example, at that time, the American Academy of Neurology 

guidelines, which is still in force today, were that a player who has 

a concussion, not even just a professional player, any player who 

has a concussion and gets hit in the head and has some symptoms, 

if the symptoms fully resolve in 15 minutes and there was no loss 

of consciousness, that player was allowed to return to play without 

even seeing a doctor. 

371 

At the NFL level, no player was allowed to return to play once 

it was reported, if they reported it, without being cleared by a physician. So we were, in a sense, running a system that was in opposition to what was a standard guideline that everybody was following, and we found that guideline wasn’t really good enough, and 

nowadays, nobody believes in that guideline. 

Mr. COHEN. How many years did that study take place before 

you came to that guideline. 

Dr. CASSON. Well, we didn’t come to it—before we made the recommendation. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah. 

Dr. CASSON. Well, we started doing the studies in the nineties. 

It took us 6 years of data to collect, so from ’97 through 2001, we 

collected the data, and then we took a year or two to analyze the 

data and publish it. They were published, I believe it was 2002, it 

might have been 2003, we began to publish the data. 

Mr. COHEN. And I don’t disagree with your concern for science, 

and with all, you know, deference to Jackson Brown who—and that 

lives in the balance for a different circumstances—the 10 years 

that it went on, there were a whole lot of football players getting 

concussions, and while you were doing, which is commendable, 

your study, and fine tuning your research and coming down with 

exactly what you think, players are getting hit and hit and hit and 

hit, shouldn’t there have been, maybe, some concern 10 years earlier that said let’s err on the side of caution, we know that, you 

know—— 

Dr. CASSON. Of course there was—— 

Mr. COHEN [continuing]. Boxers get pummeled and football players are getting pummeled. 

Dr. CASSON. Of course there was concern. The standard of treatment in the NFL from the time the committee was founded was 

that players would not—were not allowed to return to play on the 

day of injury until they were asymptomatic with a fully normal 

neurologic examination. That was a—what the NFL physicians 

practiced, and that was a standard of care that was probably better 

than the standard of care than anybody else in any other sports 

league was using at the time. 

Mr. COHEN. You suggested that possibly the reason for this tau 

being developed in the players might be because of anabolic 

steroids, the possibility, growth hormones, or other toxic contaminants; is that correct. 

Dr. CASSON. That’s certainly a possibility, yes. 

Mr. COHEN. And I’m sure it may be a possibility. Who here—and 

I don’t know, y’all look so young, you excluded, you’re my age, the 

rest of you, when did they start using anabolic steroids in football? 

Mr. Barney, do you have an idea when they started doing that? 

Mr. BARNEY. The first time me hearing of it was about ’64-’65. 

Mr. COHEN. So it’s been a long time. 

Mr. BARNEY. Mm-hmm. 

Mr. COHEN. Were there players that maybe were playing in the 

fifties or early sixties and didn’t go into the six—later on who 

wouldn’t have been exposed to anabolic steroids who developed 

these problems, Dr. Omalu. 

372 

Dr. OMALU. Yes. The literature, especially in boxers. I must emphasize that this again, from the United States, literature outside—coming out of the United Kingdom and Europe, even while 

I was a medical student in Nigeria, establishes this causation, 

these associations of traumatic brain injury, permanent brain damage in boxers, in other sports, contacting sports, and in other activities involving impacts to the head, even the so-called punch 

drunk wife syndrome, a woman who has been beaten repeatedly by 

the husband, the issue is repeated transference of kinetic energy to 

the brain. That is 80 percent water that is bouncing around in the 

skull. 

And again, in forensic pathology and in law, there is what we 

call the underlying cause and contributing factors. There is no single disease, and I repeat, there is no single disease that has only 

one exclusive cause. An example is diabetes. Diabetes is caused by 

the lack of insulin. However, if you ever obese, it increases your 

risk of suffering diabetes, but it does not mean that obesity causes 

diabetes. 

The same applies to chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Underlying cause is not football, it may happen in the game of football, 

but repeated impacts and transference of energy to the brain. 

Could there be other contemporaneous or simultaneous factors that 

would either aggravate the lethality of the disease or ameliorate 

the lethality of the disease? Of course. Could genetic predisposition 

be present? Of course. Like in every other disease model. 

Mr. COHEN. So what you’re saying is that maybe—you’re saying 

a lot, but one of the things I’m trying to get at is that prior to the 

use of anabolic steroids, which is, give or take, somewhere in the 

middle sixties or whatever, there were football players, the Leo 

Nominellies, or whatever in the fifties who could have had some 

type of—or you know had some brain damage. 

Dr. OMALU. Yes, there were football players that manifest that 

symptoms of the cases that I have done, yes. 

Mr. COHEN. So it wouldn’t have been anabolic steroids or growth 

hormones because those were not factors for those players? 

Dr. OMALU. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN. And Dr. Casson, you say—and I find your study interesting, ‘‘It’s important to also remember that some tau deposition can also be seen in normal aging brains,’’ well, I mean sure 

it is. Take that case of boxers, I mean you’re kind of saying because 

people with normal aging brains can have tau, then that says that 

this may not be the reason why football players have it, with that 

theory, he could never say why anybody has it because it’s normal 

aging. 

How many boxers have you studied in your career? 

Dr. CASSON. Well, my study that was published in JAMA had 17. 

Mr. COHEN. Seventeen boxers. 

Dr. CASSON. My study in the years up to that time and after that 

study, close to a hundred. 

Mr. COHEN. Haven’t some of the studies on the football players— 

have you not criticized them because they weren’t broad enough 

and enough participants, the data was too limited. 

Dr. CASSON. You’re talking about the survey studies. 

Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir. 

373 

Dr. CASSON. The survey—— 

Mr. COHEN. The surveys were mail-ins, but aren’t there some scientific, like Dr. Omalu, some study on brains or BU’s? Is there—— 

Dr. CASSON. Well, there have been a lot of criticisms. I’m not 

sure which criticism you’re asking about. One of the criticisms is 

that there are no contemporaneously obtained objective medical 

data on anybody. There’s no doctors’ reports. There’s no 

postneurologic exams, there’s no reports of psychiatric exams in 

what’s been published in the literature. 

It all comes from talking to the family members afterwards. I’m 

not minimizing what family members might say and the suffering 

that they have gone through, but you need objective, scientific, 

medical examinations and studies so you can try to see if there’s 

a clinical correlation between what you’re finding in the brain and 

the clinical picture of the subjects, and that’s not available. 

Mr. COHEN. You and Dr. Viano have both resigned from the concussion committee; is that correct. 

Dr. CASSON. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN. What were the circumstances surrounding that, and 

was this a voluntary resignation. 

Dr. CASSON. I can speak for me, okay? The topic of concussions, 

as you well know, has recently become highly politicized. Scientific 

considerations took a back seat to political media and labor relations issue. Personal attacks upon me were distracting from the 

central issue of my role on the committee, which was to improve 

the health and safety of the players. 

Throughout my years on the committee, my main goal was to advance the medical, scientific knowledge of concussions to help improve the health and safety of the players. The commissioner and 

I agreed that the best way to allow the committee to continue to 

do that work was for me to resign, so, hopefully, the distraction of 

me being there would help them get back on being able to focus 

on the science. 

Mr. COHEN. Well, you agree that the new NFL policy is wise; do 

you not. 

Dr. CASSON. Which NFL policy are you talking about. 

Mr. COHEN. This new one about you get out of the game if you 

have a concussion, and you have to have an independent doctor, 

etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, the one that came out, I think, last 

month. 

Dr. CASSON. There are a number of different parts to that policy. 

Mr. COHEN. Which do you agree with. 

Dr. CASSON. Well, certainly, that certain players with certain 

types of concussions should not be allowed to return to the play on 

the day of the game. 

Mr. COHEN. And which do you disagree with. 

Dr. CASSON. I don’t necessarily disagree with any of the policies; 

however, the idea that independent neurological examinations by 

independent—‘‘independent neurologists’’ is going to give you a better result than the evidence-based experience that we know that 

NFL team doctors have been exhibiting throughout the years—because we have studies documenting the efficacy of their decisions— 

we don’t know what the results are going to be of these independent neurologic examinations. 

374 

We don’t know if these independent neurologists have expertise 

in head injury. We don’t know if their opinions are going to be 

valid and reliable and stand up to scrutiny. We do know that the 

NFL team physicians’ decisions have stood up to scientific study 

because we’ve published those studies. 

Mr. COHEN. I respect you as a doctor, I respect the positions and 

the study you’ve done, and your work, and I’m sure you’re an outstanding physician, and I have no question about that and as a researcher, but you condemn, somewhat, which is my particular avocation—or vocation, excuse me—politics, and you said that the 

politicization of this issue has harmed the scientific study. But 

without the quote/unquote politicization of this issue, none of these 

changes in policy that you agree with would have taken place. 

So isn’t politicization a little bit more important, just like erring 

on the side of caution and lives in the balance rather than waiting 

for the ultimate perfect scientific data and how many more football 

players might have brain damage? And I would submit to you, sir, 

that these areas and the quote/unquote politicization have caused 

the NFL to do the right thing that they might not otherwise have 

done. And your research at some point might get them to do the 

same thing, but in the interim, there are players who are being 

used without precautions that are in—that I think are advisable. 

And so, you know, I’d just—I’ve got to question some of your research here or some of your conclusions—— 

Dr. CASSON. Let me just say in response to what you just 

said—— 

Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir. 

Dr. CASSON. I’m a scientist, I’m not a politician, I’m not a labor 

negotiator, I’m not a media expert, so I can speak to the science. 

I don’t have the expertise to speak to those other issues. 

Mr. COHEN. But don’t you think the science is leading us in a 

certain direction? I mean you might not be able to put the stamp 

there and say it’s done, finished, Warren Commission, case closed, 

but don’t you think it’s leading us somewhere, and don’t you think 

there’s a point to where the evidence tilts? There’s a preponderance 

of the evidence, there’s—you know, chancery court’s different than 

a criminal court, preponderance of the evidence. 

Dr. CASSON. Preponderance of the evidence is a legal term. 

Again, I—— 

Mr. COHEN. More likely than not, more likely than not. 

Dr. CASSON. I’m a scientist, I don’t see enough evidence to make 

that statement at this time. 

Mr. COHEN. Well, as a scientist, don’t you want to see like guilt 

beyond a reasonable doubt? Aren’t you looking for, like, the—— 

Dr. CASSON. No, I’m looking for evidence. 

Mr. COHEN. You’re looking for what you can firmly say without 

question. But you’re talking about lives and brains. Don’t you think 

at some point you say let’s put some changes in here, let’s do something because, obviously, we’ve got a problem. 

Dr. CASSON. And certainly, as I said before, since the time of the 

inception of the committee, we’ve been doing that, the committee 

did that, and the characterization that the committee was doing 

nothing, the characterization that the NFL physicians were ignoring this problem and blatantly sending players back in to play 

375 

without concern for their health, I submit to you, is completely incorrect, and we have scientific data to verify that that’s incorrect. 

I think that the NFL MTBI committee has been mischaracterized 

and has been given a bad, I don’t know what you want to say about 

it, has been given a lot of bad press and a lot of bad things have 

been said about it because of political media and labor concerns 

that really don’t have anything to do with the science and the real 

work of the committee. 

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Barney, let me ask you something back to anabolic steroids. Whether or not they or hormone growth drugs that 

folks are taking might have some effect on their brains, does that 

not make football players bigger, stronger, and when they hurl 

themselves at the opposite player a more dangerous force. 

Do you need a mic? Thank you, sir. 

Mr. BARNEY. Thank you, Dr. Omalu and Chairman Cohen, I 

have no idea, in sincerity, about the anabolic steroids only other 

than what I’ve read about them, what I’ve heard other players talk 

about, it was something that was somewhat wiped out when I got 

into the league. Not totally wiped out because of certain ball players were crippled by it, but I never had a chance to see it, don’t 

know what it looks like, don’t want to know what it looks like, either, but understanding what it would do to you, it was almost like 

an hallucination trip, and you thought you were still bombed on 

the planet, that’s what I heard one ball player say. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir. I’ve just—you know, I’ve watched, 

and I just see it, and back to what Ms. Sa ́nchez says, it’s hard to 

fathom when you watch the game, and I love it, I mean they are 

so much larger, the players, and it’s, you know, linemen used to be 

in college, 210. Now, you know, they’re 310 and more. 

Mr. BARNEY. Yeah, they’re 210 in middle school now. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah. It’s just—I understand science, but it 

doesn’t—I don’t think it really takes a scientist of the nature of the 

caliber and the brilliance of Dr. Casson to tell you that something’s 

happening, and it necessarily good. 

Mr. BARNEY. Absolutely. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah, I’m just kind of there. Let me ask you, Mr. 

Ferrara, about the helmets. Do you think your helmet’s a good helmet, you’re going to save some players some concussions. 

Mr. FERRARA. Sir, I’ve spent the entire 15—last 15 or 16 years 

building up to this moment. I certainly wouldn’t be in business if 

I didn’t feel like our helmet could do a better job. 

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Halstead said that you shouldn’t necessarily 

take some example of a better helmet that weighs more in an NFL 

standard and apply it to these lesser, I guess, college but you were 

probably talking about high school, or something, kids, but aren’t 

the pro players bigger, stronger, more likely to take anabolic 

steroids, and a more dangerous ball player than you might have in 

a pee wee league. 

I thought some of my political opponents were here. 

[Recess.] 

Mr. COHEN. But pro football’s a different caliber and more violent, so shouldn’t—that helmet there wouldn’t necessarily be the 

helmet you want to have used in high school because of the potential damage. 

376 

Mr. FERRARA. It’s very important to point out what you actually 

want a helmet to do. What causes brain injury is actually sudden 

movement of the head. So we’re talking about impact. It’s really 

important to understand that it’s the motion that results from the 

impact that would cause the damage. And all things being equal, 

more sudden movement means more damage. 

So what you want a helmet to do is actually minimize how suddenly the head moves. In order to do that, it actually needs to 

adapt to impacts in different energies and different directions. 

What happens in the NFL, and it is quite extreme, and the NFL’s 

testing protocol is based upon the most extreme events and the 

most extreme circumstances. Designing for the extreme will lead to 

worse performance in normal circumstances, and while I’m in Detroit, if I can use an automotive analogy. 

What you really want the helmet to do is apply the brakes to 

whatever’s being impacted. If the government were to come along 

and say we’re setting a new standard for automotive brakes and 

those brakes need to stop a Mack truck travelling 70 miles an hour 

in 50 feet, you can imagine the brakes that would be needed to do 

that would be incredibly massive and powerful. If you put those 

brakes on a Honda Civic traveling 35 miles an hour, that car would 

actually be undrivable. It, in fact, would be dangerous. As soon as 

you touched the brakes, the driver would jolt forward. 

And that’s what’s happening to the brain when you use extreme 

engineering. The head jolts to a stop, and the brain jolts forward. 

So extreme events are not a good basis for construction. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir, and to be fair to Mr. Arment here, 

you—I had a Riddell, I mean that was kind of standard in 1966 

when I made that famous catch that you missed, Chairman Conyers, but can even your helmet, which is kind of a standard, can 

it be improved upon to protect the players. 

Mr. ARMENT. Well, I think, you know, that with ongoing research 

and ongoing partnerships and some of the information that’s coming out of the hearings today, clearly, helmets can be improved, 

and we continue it at Easton-Bell Sports and Riddell to really drive 

to what is the next level of technology, what is the next improvement that we can make to, you know, offer further protection and 

performance products for our, you know, our athletes. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. Mr. Klossner, let me ask you a question. 

We had this situation at Texas Tech, and while Dr. Maroon suggested, maybe, that some causation, it probably was because player 

Adam James’s father was an ESPN broadcaster maybe why it got 

the attention it did, and protected him, and maybe it wouldn’t have 

happened. There’s probably some other schools where the same 

type of activity might have occurred where some coach didn’t like 

a player, thought maybe he was a malingerer because he had a 

concussion and didn’t want to practice the next day, and at Texas 

Tech, the university has responded. 

Is this the conduct that the NCAA wants to leave to each school 

to take care of, or should the NCAA react and control it on a systemwide basis? 

Mr. KLOSSNER. I can’t speculate on the alleged situation in 

Texas. Our position is to do what is in the best interests for our 

student athletes’ well-being and continue to study the issue, as 

377 

we’ve done since 1976 and before. At the end of the day, you know, 

student wellbeing is paramount. We provide playing rules, we provide sports medicine handbook guidelines, we provide videos on appropriate practices for our members to utilize and to make the best 

decisions at the end of the day that they can at the local level. 

From a proposed rules standpoint, we are making changes as far 

as putting it in the hands of the officials to remove student athletes 

who exhibit signs of concussions and that the individuals are then 

assessed by medical professionals, particularly, a physician, and 

even though that may be happening on some campuses, as you 

note, it may not be happening on all campuses. So we think that 

the proposal rule, one, highlights the prevalence and importance of 

concussion but also sends a signal that these individual student 

athletes need to be evaluated appropriately and have appropriate 

return-to-play standards in place. 

Mr. COHEN. All right, my final question is kind of to Dr. Maroon 

and maybe Mr. Halstead on this helmet issue. You said your study 

is not going to be finished or released until March—or I think it 

was March. I would think it would be—if it’s not complete, I understand that, but at that time—and will the NFL—is the NFL willing 

to share all prior communications and research regarding helmet 

safety, testing, and protocols. 

Dr. MAROON. I, quite frankly, Congressman, I’m not sure what 

the NFL’s intention is to do with the data. I’m aware that the testing was carried out at the request of the equipment managers to 

somehow bring—to obtain objective data so that the individuals relative to each team would have some better idea on how to obtain 

the specific helmets that might be most protective. 

At the present time, we know that this—that up to 40 percent, 

for instance, of the athletes on the Pittsburgh Steelers team are 

wearing older model helmets that, in my opinion, could be upgraded, but for various reasons, they’re not wearing the newer helmets, and I think that there needs to be some nudging in that regard. How the NFL proposes to do that and what data and how it’s 

going to be released, I don’t know. 

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Halstead. 

Mr. HALSTEAD. Yes. My understanding is that the data will be 

released in March. I’m not exactly sure how it will be used. It is 

my understanding that the intent is as Dr. Maroon opined, many 

football players are wearing much older technologies. The data 

thus far shows, that I’ve seen at least, it is still being analyzed by 

an independent analysis team, as I understand it, but the data 

does show that some new helmets do attenuate energy in those 

tests much better. Some, not so much. So I think it will be interesting data. 

Again, I’m concerned about how it gets used. I think that the 

concept of players being able to make and equipment men being 

able to help them make better decisions because of how a helmet 

performs on this test is a possibility. I think that taking the data 

quite literally and saying well, this helmet performed 20 percent 

better than our old helmet, maybe it reduces the risk of injury 20 

percent, that would be absolutely incorrect. 

So I have some real concerns about how it’s used, and we are 

talking about energies and accelerations to the head, and I’ve 

378 

heard a hundred g’s mentioned by Dr. Omalu, and you know, I’m 

not a politician, and I don’t understand, maybe, a lot of these debates, but Congressman Sa ́nchez, you sneezed a while ago, and 

that was a head acceleration. I don’t know that you’re brain damaged, and I don’t know that you’ll be demented—— 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Others will argue with you about that. 

Mr. HALSTEAD. Right, I don’t know that you’ll suffer dementia 

later, that really is the issue here is how, without being able to see 

into the brain, do you know that the impact’s been one of a sufficient magnitude to cause the concern? I think that’s why things 

have moved slowly, and I’m not defending anybody, I don’t belong 

to any of these MTBI committees and don’t know, but I do know 

from studying helmets for a long time somebody’s got to give me 

the target, and that’s somewhat related to the input energies. 

And helmet manufacturers have looked at this testing and have 

said we can do better, so the NFL has extended to them an opportunity to submit additional helmets for testing. They may do better. But whether or not they, you know, actually work better in the 

field to reduce or limit concussions, I think remains to be seen, but 

I have a hard time arguing with a helmet that manages more energy than some other helmet. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. And if either of the two helmet manufacturers’ representatives want to comment, you don’t have to, but if 

you wanted to, I’d like to give you the opportunity. Mr. Ferrara. 

Mr. FERRARA. I feel it is important to take note of what Dr. Maroon, who I would consider a good ally, pointed out that it appears 

there’s a stated corporate goal on the NFL’s part to move players 

into modern helmets. A corporate goal is not a scientific study. The 

idea of creating an older helmet profile is highly unusual. 

Some of the helmets were literally taken out of locker rooms, apparently. Some of them were taken off of the shelves. Given that 

helmets other than ours consist of multiple components with unknown histories, no date stamps, that get shuffled year after year 

in the reconditioning process, these helmets would be entirely 

unreproducible. It would be as if you walked out on the street right 

now and you grabbed a dozen people who appeared to be older, 

whatever that meant to you, and you took measures of their health 

and said this is the profile of an older person, we’re now going to 

test younger people versus older people to see who’s healthier. It 

simply doesn’t make sense. It’s not credible science. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir. 

Mr. HALSTEAD. May I give a response. 

Mr. COHEN. Surely, go ahead, sir. 

Mr. HALSTEAD. Yes. The old helmets consisted of Pro R 2s and 

VSR 4s, some of which I actually went and got off the field, and 

I have a pretty good idea of what they looked like, but Dr. Ferrara 

is correct, it’s my assessment of what they look like. 

However, we were able to get from Schutt Sports Manufacturing 

two 10-year-old Pro R 2 helmets that had been never been put into 

play, and we were able to get from Riddell at least two for each 

lab. The VSR 4 helmets had never been put into play. So we had 

a pretty good idea of those constructions. Whether they were 

hermitically sealed and somehow stored for all those years is another question, but we did have unused helmets, and we had used 

379 

helmets, and their performance on the test was statistically so 

close so as to render the argument that Dr. Ferrara just made kind 

of inert. 

Mr. ARMENT. My comments would center around—I want to go 

back to my comments before where I said clearly, there is opportunities to improve helmets, and a brought range of research and debate and—is important to the topic. Our commitment at Riddell is 

to ensure that we continue to put the best technology on the field 

and that we use science and independent research to verify that 

those helmets are, indeed, as good as we say they are. 

And that is our commitment, and I think that, you know, is evidenced by the history of our helmets and the peer reviewed research that we have, and that’s a commitment that we’re going to 

maintain and continue to follow through with all of our product development. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you. Doctor. 

Dr. OMALU. Can I make a comment as a physician and also as 

a forensic pathologist. We’ve been talking about scientific evidence, 

scientific testing, but I must warn that medicine is not an absolute 

science. We cannot make absolute derivations from a laboratory 

simulation what happens in the human body. Findings like what 

they’re talking about, statistical significance, if you change your 

end point, epidemiology is not an absolute science. There are multiple factors involved. The end point, the outcome, the cause will 

be different if you change your limits or if you change your study 

definition. 

And as a physician, you cannot base the plight of the player on 

a single published paper or on a single study formula. Again, the 

guideline as a physician who’s sworn to the Hippocratic Oath 

should be the players, themselves. The focus should be the players, 

and again, like the law recognizes, generally accepted principles 

and common knowledge should try and guide our decisions and the 

decision making in concussions, not laboratory simulations and corporate derivations. Medicine is not an absolute science like mathematics or physics. 

The human body cannot be simply reduced to an index or just 

a number, and this is what the Hippocratic Oath is all about. We 

must always have that behind our minds while we’re discussing 

these issues. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir. One last issue on the helmet issue, 

the issue’s been raised, I guess, by this testimony about the NFL’s 

endorsement, long-term endorsement with Riddell. I guess it’s the 

helmet of the NFL or something like that. 

Mr. ARMENT. It’s the official helmet of the NFL. 

Mr. COHEN. Official. Does that create a conflict of interest, Mr. 

Halstead, for anybody when you get into helmet tests? I mean you 

got the helmet of the NFL, this is the helmet that protects the 

brains of the NFL players which, in essence, you know, some of 

these owners might not belive that they are the NFL, it’s not the 

owners, they get a big share, it’s like I won, and they didn’t do anything, they just bought the team. It’s the players who are the NFL. 

And so the helmet’s protecting their brains. Shouldn’t be there 

some reason to believe that maybe there shouldn’t be an endorsement so there might not be some proclivity to favor one helmet 

380 

over another, whether it’s Mr. Ferrara’s or Mr. Arment’s and just 

have the helmet? 

Mr. HALSTEAD. Sure, I’ll give you my personal opinion. I’m not 

a marketing person. When I see these things, I think of them as 

marketing decisions. Frankly, I—my personal experience, which is 

somewhat limited with the league, is I’ve had players and equipment managers and trainers and physicians call me and say I’ve 

got So-and-So’s been injured, you know, what helmet should I put 

him in? And I don’t have an answer for that because I don’t have 

any data to support that any helmet’s better than any other at preventing the next injury. The real issue is not hitting your head 

again, and that goes back to return-to-play guidelines and things 

that are beyond my ilk. Frankly—— 

Mr. COHEN. But you said your study shows that some helmets 

didn’t do any good, and some did a lot of good, and some did a little 

bit of good, you got a number—— 

Mr. HALSTEAD. No, I think that’s a mischaracterization. What I 

said is that in these impacts, the study did show that some newer 

helmets managed energy significantly better. 

Mr. COHEN. Right. 

Mr. HALSTEAD. And some did not, which is kind of surprising because the real difference between new helmets and old helmets is 

how much standoff there is and how much distance there is from 

the outside of the skull to the inside of the shell, and as helmets 

get larger, they’re able to manage more energy. Whether that 

makes a better helmet for certain levels of play is very, very questionable. 

To specifically answer your question, I think any kind of an indication or any emphasis that would have a player choose one product over another just because of the name that’s on their product, 

probably not a good plan. 

Mr. COHEN. Yeah, and I guess, you know, you pay the NFL, is 

that right. 

Mr. ARMENT. We have a licensing agreement with the NFL. 

Mr. COHEN. How much is that? How much does that generate a 

year. 

Mr. ARMENT. Our licensing agreement generates—it’s about a 15 

percent royalty rate. 

Mr. COHEN. And what’s that come to in dollars. 

Mr. ARMENT. It’s off of our consumer products business, so historically, it’s been, you know, less than a million dollars. 

Mr. COHEN. Just, you know, I understand that it’s good for you, 

and it would be good for Mr. Ferrara if he could be it, but it just 

seems like Delta being—or Planters being the peanut of Delta, or 

Coke being the beverage of Delta is different than the helmet. Nobody’s going to get hurt too much with the peanuts and the Coke. 

Mr. ARMENT. Yeah, you know, I would hope to come back to the 

fact that it is player choice and every manufacturer has complete 

access, the same access that Riddell has, and we have worked very, 

very hard with the NFL and with the NFLPA to educate the players on the differences between—and the features and benefits of 

our helmets. 

I think the, you know, business relationship between the NFL 

and Riddell is completely separate from the on-field choices that 

381 

were made. If that wasn’t the case, we would have a hundred percent, and we have an 80 percent number. 

Mr. COHEN. I appreciate your testimony, I appreciate your product, and I thank the Chairman for his having the Committee and 

this outstanding panel he’s put together, and I yield back the remainder of my time. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you so much. 

Mr. Hallenbeck, would you like to have the second to last word 

in this hearing before the panel? 

Mr. HALLENBECK. Thank you, Chairman. I guess as I sit here, I 

look at it from the view of probably all your constituents, the mom, 

the dad, you know, worrying about our sons and daughters playing 

the sport, and what I said in my statement and testimony, which 

I think is absolutely critical in all of this, a lot of healthy debate, 

if you will, but in the end, if we don’t come to a solution that is 

clear, concise, and simple application so that the moms and dads 

and the kids can understand it, we’ve all done something terribly 

wrong. 

So I guess the important statement here is, you know, we need 

to make sure we can boil this down and people can understand it. 

It’s my job then to get it out in the hands of these parents and 

players, and so forth. So I think there’s clearly been some very 

positive action taking place in the last 3 months, and I know 

there’s been work done before that in my own organization. We’ve 

been meeting with the American College of Sports Medicine and a 

lot of other groups to try to make some positive strides in this area, 

and—but certainly in the last 3 months, there’s been a sea change, 

and so I credit all of the parties involved, including, certainly, this 

Committee, the NFL Player Association, and so forth, and it’s been 

said already what happens at that level absolutely trickles down. 

And so it’s for my sole view of, you know, focused on youth football and amateur football, I just hope all of us focus on the fact 

that we’ve got to get to the point where we can offer some real 

credible, concise, clear protocols that we can get out and help these 

young players understand what the details are around this and ultimately how to return to play safely. Thank you very much. 

Mr. CONYERS. You’re welcome. And Bob Colgate, high school, you 

have the last word on this panel. 

Mr. COLGATE. Thank you, Chairman Conyers. I’d have the same 

comments Mr. Hallenbeck brought forth. You know, I know we’re 

talking about football, but from our perspective of writing the playing rules for 17 sports and dealing with 7.5 million young men and 

woman participating in high school sports across the country, concussions goes across all areas. And so we’ve got to look at it from 

that perspective. 

We’re very, very interested in the ongoing discussions that this 

committee has, also, the research, and also the equipment. It plays 

a part, not only in football, but in all of our sports. So any assistance that we can get to work with our 19,000 high schools across 

the country would be of benefit. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. You’re more than welcome. I thank all the panelists. There are eight other witnesses, doctors, former players, trainers, Luther Campbell, and others. We will now take a short break 

382 

and eight other witnesses will resume, and I thank you for your patience. 

[recess.] 

Mr. CONYERS. We welcome our second and final panel, and I’d 

like to just make a point of order that the second panel is not inferior to the first panel. This is not some kind of ranking. It was just 

that we couldn’t get all 18 of you all up on the same panel at the 

same time. We’re happy to have Bernie Parrish, former Cleveland 

Browns pick and choice for many years; Luther Campbell, the 

much sought after professional trainer of athletes in the country 

who is particularly occupied in the Metro Detroit area and has 

trained athletes in both football, basketball, and boxing; George 

Martin who was 14 years with the New York Giants, we’re delighted that he’s with us; the founder of the Vince Lombardi Foundation, Robert Schmidt, and we’re delighted that he is here; Kyle 

Turley spent 9 years with the New Orleans Saints, the St. Louis 

Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, an NFL All Pro; Chris Nowinski, best 

known as the Former World Wrestling Entertainment Professional 

Wrestler who turned his background as an all-ivy Harvard football 

player into one of the most prominent figures on television these 

days and nights; Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, a hockey player since childhood, who developed an interest in sports neurology at the University of Michigan is with us, and our first presenter will be Dr. Randall Benson. 

He’s the only fellowship trained behavioral neurologist at the Detroit Medical Center. He’s been on both DMC and Wayne State 

University since 2001, an active member of the teaching faculty, 

and has a very distinguished background in clinical and research 

in traumatic brain injury and now fully engaged in studying both 

impact and nonimpact head injuries, seeking to understand the biomechanical mechanisms, treatment, and prevention of injuries. 

We’re delighted that Linda Sa ́nchez, who I hope you don’t have 

to find out how difficult it was for her to get here today, in route, 

we deeply welcome her dedication for the work that all of us love, 

and Steve Cohen, from Memphis, Tennessee, is a valued friend of 

ours, as well, who’s contribution is very significant. 

I would invite all of you in this final part of our discussion to add 

any comments that you would feel ought to be in this very extensive record that will be reproduced and studied and examined by 

people from all professional walks, as well as from the sports industry, itself, to make comments about anything you may have 

heard in the—during the discussion of the first panel or anything 

that came up in the first panel that you would like to have a comment made about that. 

This out of the way, I’d like to invite Dr. Randall Benson to begin 

our discussion. Welcome, sir. 

TESTIMONY OF RANDALL R. BENSON, M.D., ASSISTANT 

PROFESSOR OF NEUROLOGY, WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY 

Dr. BENSON. Thank you very much, Chairman Conyers, Mr. 

Cohen, Ms. Sa ́nchez. It’s, indeed, a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak to you today on something that is so important. In 

fact, like most of us, I’m a lover of football. I moved to Pittsburgh 

in 1969, and left to go to St. Louis in ’78. And so I was indoctriVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00390 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.001 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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nated in the Steeler tradition, one might call it a religion almost, 

and I just had the pleasure of meeting Mike Richter’s son, Garrett, 

out in the hall, and I asked him who he plays for, and he said he 

didn’t play, and my jaw dropped, and then he explained to me that 

he had a knee injury, but I trust that his head is fine. 

So I actually wear two distinctively different hats, and I’m going 

to speak to you from both perspectives. On the one hand, I—I treat 

TBI and have done so since 2001. On the other hand, I spent some 

time being nurtured in Boston first at Boston University where 

Chris Nowinski has ties, and then at Mass. General where I get 

into the imaging and also trained in behavioral neurology, and so 

I think it was only a matter of time before I came to head trauma; 

although, I came to it kind of in a backwards fashion, looking at 

stroke and working on something called functional MRI at Mass. 

General. 

So since my arrival at Wayne State in 2001, my research emphasis has greatly shifted to the application of what one might call 

functional MRI methods to traumatic brain injury. This was in 

large part driven by cross-campus strengths in TBI at Wayne. 

Wayne State University, as has been mentioned, has a long and illustrious history of biomechanics, head trauma research beginning 

in the forties with Gurdjian and Lissner’s studies using cadaver 

brains, which led to the Wayne State Concussion Tolerance Curve 

which continues to be the foundation for most currently accepted 

head injury indices. 

Over the last three decades, Dr. Albert King has been leading 

the biomechanics and bioengineering department here at Wayne 

State and continues the tradition of excellent biomechanics research. In particular, he has developed some of the vast three-dimensional mathematical models of the brain’s response to impact 

and blast forces which have resulted in improvements of automobile cabin safety and, also, football helmet design he’s taken a 

look at. 

I’d like to introduce Dr. King, who I must say I’m disappointed 

that he’s not on the panel. Dr. King? 

On the medical side, hospitals at the Detroit Medical Center are 

world leaders in the acute and rehabilitation stages of TBI respectively and have had continued NIH research support. My clinic is 

comprised largely of patients with brain disorders, the majority of 

which are dementia evaluations and traumatic brain injury cases. 

In a given week, I’ll see as many as three to four new patients with 

TBI and an equal number of memory disorder cases. 

What I’d like to do now is very quickly share some observations 

from my 8 years of evaluating TBI, and I think they’re germane to 

sports related concussions, as well. Now, the vast majority of my 

TBI cases I will get neuropsychological testing and advanced MRI 

imaging or MNR imaging on. The first observation is that people 

with TBI are frequently misdiagnosed, often by multiple physicians. 

The second is the most frequent diagnostic category given is psychiatric, anxiety, depression, conversion disorder. 

Number three, two neuropsychologists studying the same patient 

may differ considerably regarding the existence of TBI, and I think 

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that’s really important that neuropsychology is not an exact 

science. 

Number four, TBI symptoms overlap considerably with those of 

primary psychiatric disorders, and some researchers believe that 

it’s actually a continuum, that posttraumatic stress disorder may, 

indeed, be a very mild form of TBI. 

Number five, without the ability to see the brain injury with imaging, there is no completely objective way to determine what is 

TBI and what is something else, for example, posttraumatic stress, 

conversion disorder, malingering. 

Number six, people with brain injuries seem to vary considerably 

in severity of symptoms and in recovery in the face of similar falls, 

crashes, etcetera. This may speak to population differences in resistance to injury or effectiveness of neuro recovery mechanisms, 

and it’s in agreement with Mickey Collins from the University of 

Pittsburgh who found large differences in recovery from single concussion, and this work was presented at the North American Brain 

Injury Society annual meeting just a few months ago in Texas. 

Finally, advanced MR imaging techniques, I believe, including 

susceptibility weighted imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and 

something called MR spectroscopy are able to reveal brain injuries 

where CT scans and conventional MRI appear normal. Sports related TBI or concussion is not different from sports related TBI, except that the severity is usually mild, but repetitive concussions 

are the rule in sports which have an increasingly poor prognosis. 

So I’m involved in several ongoing research studies involving TBI 

which have in common the application of newer imaging methods 

but which differ by severity, time frame to imaging, funding status, 

specifics of scanning sequences, and mechanisms of injury. Each of 

these imaging studies is done at the MR research center at Wayne 

State University under the directorship of a Ph.D. Physicist, by the 

name of Mark Haacke. He’s internationally recognized for his 

achievements in vascular susceptibility mapping which are very 

relevant to concussive brain injury. 

For example, one study looks at acute, mild TBI or concussion. 

We scan these people right out of the emergency room. A second 

study looks at more severe TBI when medically stabilized. Another 

study has been going on for 15 years supported by NIH, but an imaging component was added to this. We have more recently studied 

former NFL players in two capacities, the first sponsored by the 

NFL is an imaging study using imaging methods prescribed by our 

group with imaging performed at a clinical imaging facility, 

ProHealth, in New York. 

Images are then sent by CD Rom to us for analysis. To date, 

we’ve received and analyzed 41 scans sending reports back to Drs. 

Casson and Viano in New York. Of course, we know that this is 

on hold now. My role is as a consultant on both image quality and 

data analysis and reporting. This study projected to scan more 

than twice this number and, thus, is incomplete at this juncture. 

The second study is a pilot imaging study of former NFL players 

withstanding an analysis performed in Detroit. To date, we’ve enrolled eight subjects, and I’m going to present some very preliminary data on—on some of these former NFL players. 

385 

I’d like now to review some of the imaging methods we’ve developed and applied to TBI. The unabashed emphasis of our work is 

the image traumatic axonal injury, also known as diffuse axonal injury, which I’m sure this panel is aware of, this panel and the committee, which is responsible for the bulk of chronic cognitive deficit 

following TBI. In addition, the most devastating consequence of repetitive TBI, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is thought to be 

the result of diffusion axonal injury, possibly caused by a series of 

concussions before full recovery occurs from the prior concussion, 

okay? 

This weekend I had the opportunity to e-mail Dr. McKee repeatedly in preparation for my testimony, and she gave me the go 

ahead to quote her. Specifically, there’s a hypothesis that she supports that phosphorylated tau, which we’ve heard something about, 

within damaged axons is toxic to these neurons, and in fact, Dr. 

Omalu mentions that amyloid—the precursor protein may be the 

catalyst for triggering the tau protein deposition, which is, as we 

understand, cytotoxic and may underlie CTE. 

Electrophysiologic data from an EEG, known as the event related 

potentials, indicate that even after symptoms have abated from 

sports concussion, the brain has not normalized, and again, Dr. 

Omalu mentions 99 days, all right? So certainly, it raises the question of whether people should be returning to activity before that 

3-month period. This suggests that clinical symptoms are not a reliable indicator of recovery and that to rely on symptoms exclusively to guide your turn is to put the athlete at risk. 

Okay. So now I’d like to show you a movie. Actually, this is a 

movie that was—it was made from a series of MRI images, okay, 

with a volunteer moving his head back and forth inside the MRI. 

And if we could cycle that a few times, what I want the attendees 

to appreciate is that this is sub-injury threshold movement, and I 

think what you can appreciate—now the matrix was something 

that was superimposed over the brain—is a movement of the brain, 

itself, within the cranial cavity, all right? 

And again, this is a person like you or me simply moving their 

head back and forth repeatedly. This work was done by Dr. Phil 

Bailey, who has his own neurotrauma lab at Washington University. I also have a similar image that was obtained by Dr. Van 

Wedeen at Mass. General Hospital and looks very, very similar. So 

again, the notion that you can sneeze and cause brain injury may 

be a little bit farfetched, but it’s not farfetched to think that there 

is brain movement occurring with relatively moderate head movement. 

Okay. Okay, next slide? Okay. So I don’t know that you can— 

I don’t know if we can turn the lights down, but I think that would 

maybe help with visualizing some of these images. So the first 

image type that I want to tell you about that we now have plenty 

of experience with is something called susceptibility weighted imaging. 

In 2004, we had the opportunity to scan an 11-year-old boy 

whose vehicle skidded off a mountain while his parents were driving in the mountains of Colorado, and his parents both died in the 

crash, he survived. He came to us in a coma. His family was originally from Michigan, and we scanned him with these new techVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00393 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.001 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA
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niques, and what I’d like to point out—I don’t know if you have a 

pointer, I’m not even sure it’s necessary—the image on the left is 

a standard conventional MRI, a so-called T1 weighted MRI. 

The image on the right is a susceptibility weighted image developed by Dr. Haacke, and what I want you to appreciate are the 

multiple black holes in that image. I trust that you can see those. 

And those are microhemorrhages. Those are an indicator of what 

we call diffuse axonal injury. He—he has gone on to come out of 

his coma. He is by no means normal, he’s quite impaired, and—and 

I think the imaging, certainly the way we do it, gave us some indication of what his prognosis was. 

Next? Okay. Another example, even more striking, I think, this 

is not a TBI case, this is a condition known as cerebral amyloid angiopathy. So it has that word ‘‘amyloid’’ in there, and there is a relationship. You tend to see this in older individuals, frequently 

with Alzheimer’s disease, and again, appreciate the absence of 

holes in the standard clinical T1 image and the plethora of hemorrhages, and the pathologists, I believe they did biopsy her. The imaging was done postbiopsy. The pathologist told me that there was 

an excellent correlation between the imaging and the pathology. 

Now, it’s also true that individuals can have more mild injuries, 

as we know. This—this patient was involved in—in a motor vehicle 

accident. We scanned her 3 days post her accident. Her Glasgow 

Coma Score was 13, which is classified as mild, and again, you see 

the hemorrhages which are apparent in the frontal lobe on the 

SWICN but not the conventional image. Next? 

Okay. Another mild case, this time, not diffuse axonal injury but 

a bruise or a contusion in her frontal lobe. This was an employee 

at Wayne State who slipped and fell and hit her head on an iron— 

an iron bar of some sort and went back to work but wasn’t right, 

and eventually, she took an early retirement because cognitively, 

she never did recover back to her prior baseline. Next? 

Okay. Now, we move on to really what I think is the most sensitive technique in looking at diffuse axonal injury, and this is 

called diffusion tensor imaging. Panel A shows you schematically 

what a normal axon looks like. B shows you changes that occur 

early after stretch trauma or other kind of deformation, and then 

C is the end stage. And the reason I’m showing you the change in 

shape is that this is what allows us to image and to identify axonal 

injury, all right? So C is the late stage. You see the so-called retraction ball? Okay. 

What we did is we looked at 20 patients with trauma that came 

through our doors, and we looked at 14 normals, and we plotted 

the distribution of an index which I won’t bore you with, it’s called 

fractional anisotropy, or FA, and what we find is that there’s clear 

separation between the trauma cases and the control cases, and 

furthermore, because of good correlation between the severity of 

the injury and what we find in the imaging, and we’ve gone on to 

refine this—can you back up one slide—and we now do a regional 

analysis. Well, we can now look at the injury in standard atlas defined regions rather than just looking at the global brain. Next? 

Okay. And we also compared each individual brain to 50 normal 

brains, and we did a statistical analysis, and this allows us now to 

identify specific voxels, specific pixels, if you will, that are showing 

387 

an abnormality in this diffusion in these. Okay? So now, this puts 

it altogether. This is a comparison for a single subject on a single 

slice showing the SWI with microhemorrhages and BTI with axonal 

injury, and something called MR spectroscopy, which is a way to 

look at the biochemistry, and they’re all showing us abnormalities 

in the lighting on it. 

All right, in the first NFL case, we actually had the opportunity 

to scan both in New York and at Wayne State, and this allowed 

us, in a sense, to calibrate the imaging that was done in New York 

for the NFL, and what I want to show you is that there’s striking 

similarity between the findings. The left column is the Wayne 

State image of the three select slices. The middle column was obtained in New York, and then the third column is the average of 

the two, all right? Clearly, this former NFL player has an axonal 

injury, I would say, based on my experience, that he does. 

Next slide, and the last slide. Thank you for indulging me. This 

person is a 36-year-old, 11-year vet of the NFL, he’s a fullback. He 

retired 3 years ago. Now, interestingly, I went back and looked at 

his questionnaire, he has by his report over 50 episodes of hits that 

rendered him blind for about a minute. He said that he needed 

help to get back to the huddle. He states he has no visual impairment now. The one area of abnormality he has in the area called 

the splenium of the corpus callosum, and that, of course, that contains crossing fibers from the two visual cortices of the brain. 

And so what I would suggest and my opinion is that if we’re 

going to get to the bottom of the issues, we need to do a large scale 

imaging study, not just imaging. We know about the individual 

variability. We need to look at ApoE. We need to look at many factors, but we need to do a cross-sectional study. We also then, possibly contemporaneously, need to look prospect—we need to follow 

NFL players throughout their career, charting concussions in order 

to identify the predictors of cognitive deficit and, in particular, 

CTE. Thank you for allowing me to testify. 

[The statements of Dr. Benson follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF RANDALL R. BENSON


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Dr. Benson. 

Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher comes from a bit different point of view, a 

hockey player since childhood, but at the same developed an interest in sports neurology at the University of Michigan and then 

served his neurology residency after graduating from Tulane Medical School. Since then, he’s been on the University of Michigan 

staff as director of Michigan NeuroSport, an academic and clinical 

program focused on improving the neurological care of athletes. His 


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interests focus on sports injury and the management of neurological diseases in the athlete. Particular areas of research include 

concussion, migraine headache, and sleep disorders. 

We welcome you and await your testimony, Dr. Kutcher. 

TESTIMONY OF JEFFREY KUTCHER, M.D., DIRECTOR, 

MICHIGAN NEUROSPORT 

Dr. KUTCHER. Thank you, Chairman Conyers, Congressman 

Cohen, Congresswoman Sa ́nchez, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today. As you mentioned, I’m a neurologist at 

the University of Michigan where I am both Chief of Inpatient 

Neurological Services, as well as the Director of Michigan 

NeuroSport. You mentioned it is a comprehensive academic program of sports neurology. We care for athletes of all levels from 

youth sports to professional leagues. We conduct research on concussion, provide education to healthcare providers and the community about concussion, as well. 

I’m also the team neurologist for the University of Michigan, 

Eastern Michigan University athletic programs, and through these 

roles, I conduct preseason baseline testing, diagnose and manage 

concussion on the sidelines, and follow patients after concussion in 

the training rooms and in my clinic. I’m also honored to be the 

Chair of the American Academy of Neurology’s Section on Sports 

Neurology, which was founded in 2009 with the express purpose of 

improving neurological care of athletes at all levels, through education, advocacy, and research. 

I should also note that I recently accepted an invitation from the 

National Football League to serve on their concussion committee as 

it’s being reformed. I look forward to working with the group to 

help ensure the safety of the sport. 

With that in mind, however, I’m encouraged that today’s hearing 

goes beyond the scope of the NFL. While professional contact sport 

athletes may have a longer period of exposure, they represent only 

a small fraction of those at risk. With my time, I’d like to address 

three particular points. 

First, concussion is a complicated injury. We’ve heard some testimony today to that effect. The brain is complicated in dynamic. We 

know from other brain disorders that there is a tremendous 

amount of variability between individuals. When a mechanical 

force is applied, we do not expect one brain to react the same as 

another. 

To understand the short-term and long-term effects of concussion, we must first understand how concussion varies between individuals, what risk factors lead to worse outcomes, and how much 

risk can be attributed to genetic versus environmental factors. To 

accomplish this, I urge researchers to focus on these specific questions and more importantly, funding agencies to help provide the 

support needed to find the answers. 

My second point is that because of the brain’s complexity and the 

degree of individual variation, concussion management does not 

lend itself well to the use of protocols, clinical protocols. It is an 

injury that is best managed on a case-by-case basis by people with 

neurological expertise and experience treating athletes. 

400 

Such a large portion of concussion management involves determining when an athlete is back to their neurological baseline, it is 

extremely helpful if the physician has personal preinjury knowledge of that athlete, including their cognitive abilities and personality. This makes the team physician and athletic training staff a 

central component of any comprehensive concussion program. 

At both the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan Universities, we use our own surveillance data to determine which 

sports to enroll in our concussion-monitoring programs. Sports like 

football, wrestling, and ice hockey are some obvious choices, but we 

have also found the need to include many other sports at our 

schools, including water polo, field hockey, cheerleading, and diving, among others. 

When each athlete enters our program as a new student athlete, 

we take a careful concussion history, we want to know what happened to them in the past before they came to us, as well as a detailed review of other diagnoses or family history that may be relevant to their concussion risk, such as dementing illnesses and 

headache disorders. We consider the acquisition of preinjury baseline data to be essential in conducting an evaluation that includes 

a neurological examination, neurocognitive testing, and a sideline 

concussion assessment tool in the preseason. 

When a concussion is suspected, the student athlete undergoes 

an immediate clinical evaluation by the onsite certified athletic 

trainer and/or the team physician if they are present. The team 

physician then follows the patient closely until that concussion has 

resolved. Return-to-play decisions are not entertained until the student athlete is completely free of symptoms, has a normal examination, and has progressed through a graded exercise challenge program that we use. 

Computerized neurocognitive testing is used as an extension of 

our physical examination, rather than a decision tool unto itself. 

Return-to-play decisions, as well as retirement decisions, are made 

with careful consideration of each athlete’s history, as well as looking for certain red flags, a few of which are any change in their 

baseline function that we can tell on objective testing or through 

school work or more personal stories from their family members, 

escalating severity of symptoms in subsequent injuries, or if they’re 

getting concussions too easily. We very carefully take a history of 

what caused each concussion, so we know what their threshold is, 

in other words. 

However, with little published clinical data to help make these 

decisions, there is very little that we can point to and say this is 

when it’s safe to go back. The key to making these programs work 

is the involvement of an experienced and knowledgeable medical 

staff. Relying on protocols is, in my opinion, potentially dangerous, 

clinical protocols, as they assume that conclussions are similar 

enough to each other to fit a predetermined paradigm. 

The final point I’ll make is that realizing that proper concussion 

management requires resources that are not available to the vast 

majority of high schools in the country and many colleges, we must 

address a larger public health need. To that end, the American 

Academy of Neurology has recently undergone a process of creating 

new practice perimeter guidelines. Dr. Casson in the first half was 

401 

talking about the ’97 American Academy Guidelines with the onetwo-three business, that is being revisited and we’ll be coming up 

with new guidelines, we started that process a couple of months 

ago. 

To accomplish that, we have assembled a panel of experts from 

the fields of neurology, neurosurgery, sports medicine, athletic 

training, emergency medicine, rehabilitation medicine and 

neuropsychology, being careful to choose members who are without 

a commercial conflict of interest. The sports neurology section of 

the academy is promoting awareness of concussion among primary 

caregivers and general neurologists, working to increase the number of neurologists specializing in sports neurology and developing 

the educational tools necessary to provide optimal care. We also 

feel that a central component of athlete safety is to increase the 

number of certified athletic trainers that are at all contact sport 

competitions and practices. 

As evidenced by this hearing today, the management of concussion is evolving, and I’m glad to see that it is. I’m also honored to 

be part of the effort, grateful to be working with colleagues of such 

talent and focus, and I’m confident that together as a group, we’ll 

be able to do what’s best for athletes at all levels. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Kutcher follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF JEFFREY KUTCHER


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Dr. Kutcher. 

Well, most people have seen Chris Nowinski, former world wrestling professional, entertainment, came out of Harvard playing 

football, and has been doing a lot of television work during his caVerDate Aug 31 2005 12:53 May 27, 2010 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00417 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 H:\WORK\FULL\102809\53092.001 HJUD1 PsN: DOUGA

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reer. Then he came into this state of his health diagnosed with 

postconcussion syndrome, and along with Dr. Robert Cantu, has 

put together the Sports Legacy Institute, and what I think is amazing about him is that his relentless effort to get into the sports concussion crisis has uncovered and changed the way concussions are 

treated in sports. 

These a pretty big order for a person who stakes no claim on 

medical background or expertise, but he began looking at the 

deaths of Chris Benoit, Andre Waters, and so some of that investigation to end up—ended up on HBO, Bryant Gumbel, SBN, CBC, 

The New York Times, Boston Globe, National Public Radio, and 

we’re interested in hearing about that journey. Chris Nowinski, 

welcome to our panel this evening. 

TESTIMONY OF CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI, CO-DIRECTOR FOR 

THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY, BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, 

PRESIDENT AND CEO, SPORTS LEGACY INSTITUTE 

Mr. NOWINSKI. Thank you, Chairman Conyers, thank you for 

that very kind introduction. And thank you, Members of the Committee, for having me again to testify as part of the second hearing 

on brain trauma in football. I’m not going to go into my personal 

history like I did last time, I’m going to focus on moving forward, 

but I’d like to say first it’s also an honor to be sitting on a panel 

with Kyle Turley, who’s 1 of the over 250 athletes who have 

pledged to donate his brain to our Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, 

and to be studied throughout his life and will be coming to Boston 

to be scanned this month. 

It’s also an honor to testify in Detroit where former Detroit Lions 

star and Hall of Famer, Lou Creekmur, played. Dr. Ann McKee recently diagnosed him with CTF after he died while suffering from 

dementia, one of the first victim who actually played definitively 

prior to the steroid era. I will not repeat the substance of my prior 

testimony, but I will reiterate that it focused on two major battles 

in what is appropriately described as a two-front concussion crisis. 

Football is plagued by a problem with concussions and also a 

problem with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which we’ve discussed, a disease caused by both concussions and subconcussion injuries. The disease has been known for nearly a hundred years. It 

was termed traumatic encephalopathy by Parker in 1934, and then 

the term chronic genetic encephalopathy was first used by Miller 

in 1966, and has been widely used by researchers since. 

The problem with concussions in football is that there are too 

many. They need to be better prevented, reported, diagnosed, and 

managed. The problem with CTE in football is that our research 

at the center has yet to find a brain of a deceased athlete who 

played football in college or beyond that doesn’t show signs of the 

disease. This becomes more and more shocking with each additional case. 

Unfortunately, we cannot predict with any accuracy the risk to 

athletes who only played football through high school, but there is 

evidence to suggest the brain damage may begin at the youth level. 

Fortunately, the solution to both problems appears to be virtually 

411 

the same, fewer impacts to the head reduce total brain trauma, 

fewer concussions, and better diagnosis and treatment from concussions. 

In October, the top problems were that truthful information on 

the risks of CTE and the magnitude of the problem, as well as 

meaningful information on how to reduce risks was not reaching 

these athletes, coaches, or parents. The National Football League 

by refusing to acknowledge the clear link between CTE and brain 

trauma was allowing this public health crisis to flourish. 

I’m amazed and delighted to see how much it changed in the last 

few months. The combination of the Congressional hearings, promoting research, and a changing culture appears to have motivated 

the NFL to now arguably set the standard on concussion-bearing 

research, along with finally acknowledging the link between brain 

trauma and CTE. 

Among the changes that have been announced since the previous 

hearing, the NFL, with input from the NFLPAs, changed the leadership of the committee and influenced change in youth education 

through public service announcements that have been approved by 

the CDC and also coach training. There have also been significant 

changes on the CTE research front. The National Football League 

Players Association has continued to strong push to address this 

issue in all levels by officially collaborating with our center at BU, 

and they will encourage actively retired players to participate in 

the center’s research. 

The NFL has also announced it will take an active role in our 

independent research, recently announcing that they will encourage athletes and retired players like Kyle to participate in our 

brain donation program and clinical research. In addition, the NFL 

has pledged to support the center’s research financially with at 

least a million-dollar donation. Our research team must always 

have complete independence from outside interests to maintain the 

integrity of the scientific vigor of the research. In early conversations with the NFL, they have expressed their willingness to support us in a way that will maintain our independence. We look forward at the NFL and Boston University Leadership ironing out 

these important issues in weeks to come. 

The changes the NFL’s made since October launched a dramatic 

step forward in addressing this crisis. The researchers and advocates can spend more time addressing the actual problem of concussions and CTE rather than the prior focus on changing the 

minds of the football leadership. It’s time focus on what needs to 

be accomplished going forward. 

In a perfect world, athletes do not suffer unnecessary concussions, do not suffer too many concussions, the concussions are actually reported, properly diagnosed, and properly managed. In a perfect world, sports evolve to reduce total brain trauma, (including 

those milder, repetitive subconcussive hits to the head) to a tolerable level, whatever that may be, so that athletes do not eventually 

develop CTE due to recreational sports. 

Reaching this perfect world has always required a culture 

change, and a culture change in football has always required a 

change in attitudes of NFL players. NFL players are role models 

and heros to younger football players. Because of the educational 

412 

efforts of outsiders and the change of incentives in the NFL, we’ve 

seen that attitude change happen virtually overnight. I was overjoyed to hear Kurt Warner, the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals after a concussion say in December he was tempted to lie 

about his concussion symptoms to the staff, but, ‘‘I had to go what 

are you thinking, this is bigger than that.’’ 

The culture change will almost certainly trickle down to youth 

sports, especially at the high school level, where athletes are mature enough to understand the risks but less able to incorporate 

that understanding into behaviors. We must always remember that 

95 percent of football players are under the age of 18 and under 

the age of consent, and so it is our responsibility to not let them 

throw away their futures with our endorsement. 

At the first hearing on this issue, I entered into the record the 

Sports Legacy Institute’s 10-point plan to save football. It provides 

a strong framework to assess our progress in addressing the options available to us to make sports saver. Using the framework, 

if I could snap my fingers and make changes prior to the 2010 season, I would change the following: 

First, education for coaches. We, the Sports Legacy Institute, 

gives live presentations about an hour and a half long, but we can’t 

be everywhere. The CDC informed me last week that they are in 

the process of developing a simple 20-minute certification course 

using their widely accepted Heads-Up program that they hope will 

be ready in 6 months. When it’s up and running, I would make an 

online concussion certification program mandatory for all coaches 

similar to CORI checks. That should be done voluntarily by leaders 

of these sports organizations, or if they drag their feet, it can also 

be done legislatively state by state like was done in Washington. 

I also plan to make sure parents know this program is available 

and to ask them the following question: ‘‘Is a coach that refuses to 

invest 20 minutes to protect your child’s health responsible enough 

to coach your child?’’ If they answer no, I would ask that parents 

refuse to sign their kids up for programs that do not require CDC 

certification. 

Number two, I would change concussion management. The latest 

concussion management guidelines support the recommendation 

that no youth player who is diagnosed with concussion be allowed 

to return to the same game. I would ask that all organizations formally adopt this guideline and expand this, as the NFL has, to include practices. 

And number three, I think we need to focus on practice. We need 

to put together a commission of medical experts, youth coaches, 

and youth sports organizations to investigate where we can reduce 

unnecessary brain trauma in practice, and consider reducing how 

many days of full contact younger players are allowed. If a handful 

of drills with higher risk for brain trauma aren’t discourage or 

banned by the fall of 2010, then we aren’t really trying. 

I believe the biggest barrier to making sports safer for the brain 

has been overcome. Now that the NFL is putting their immense resources behind solving the concussion crisis, it’s up to us to execute 

the solutions. Thank you for the opportunity to present today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Nowinski follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Mr. Nowinski, we appreciate your articulate presentation out of—it came out of your own experience, 

actually. 

Kyle Turley, 9 years NFL, and St. Louis, Kansas, and NFL All 

Pro. His life has been turned around and redirected as a result of 

what’s happened to him in the activity he loves. He’s now a member of a number of boards. He’s educating and raising money and, 


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I think, inspiring a lot of other people in this field who, probably 

like Mr. Turley, hadn’t really thought about this part of this profession, and I—I just believe he’s affecting lots of people. We’re 

pleased that you’re with us tonight. 

TESTIMONY OF KYLE TURLEY, RETIRED NFL PLAYER 

Mr. TURLEY. Thank you. It’s an honor to be here. Thank you, 

Chairman Conyers, and the respected panel. Before I get started, 

I’ve been requested to introduce a video statement by Mr. Mike 

Ditka, as I call him, ‘‘coach,’’ is the chairman and founder of the 

Gridiron Greats organization that I sit on the board of, so if we 

could bring that up before I get started, we would like to have this 

played. 

(Whereupon the following is the audio from the videotape that 

was played by Mr. Turley.) 

‘‘Mr. DITKA. Thank you, Chairman Conyers and Members of the 

Committee. My name’s Mike Ditka. I work with the Gridiron 

Greats assistance fund, and let me tell you a little bit how about 

we got all involved in this stuff so people—I’m not an expert about 

anything. All I know is we put a good thing together a few years 

ago called the Hall of Fame Assistance Trust to who try to help 

former hall-of-famers who were in dire need, and we raised some 

money and we did help some people. 

‘‘The reason it came to my attention, I notice (inaudible) of the 

guys that were in the Hall of Fame, people with mental problems, 

dementia, Alzheimers’, whatever you want to call it, and so we put 

this fund together, and we did help a certain amount of people, so 

we had a—some people came up against us and claimed this and 

that and like they always do. If you’re doing some something good, 

then you’re doing something bad, I guess. 

‘‘So we resolved that front and we started the Gridiron Greats, 

and we’ve tried to help all players, all retired players who need 

help regardless of whether they’re hall-of-famers or not, and over 

the last few years, we helped a significant number of people, but 

more than helping people, we’ve created an awareness of the problem, and even the NFLPA and the NFL now is starting to understand when we talked about concussions. And you can have all of 

the expert doctors, I’m sure you have some there, and they’re going 

to tell you well, this and that, and there’s no—no definite evidence 

that concussions cause dementia or Alzheimer’s, and you can say 

anything you want to. 

‘‘You know, some doctor might tell you smoking doesn’t cause 

cancer because in some people it probably wouldn’t. But you know, 

it gets silly after a while. The only thing we did—that we are trying to do is to help people, and like I said, we created a lot of 

awareness because there are people out there who need help. 

‘‘Now the National Football League Players Association is an association that we all pay dues into. I was here when it started. We 

all fought for it, we all went on strike, we all know what it’s all 

about. Whether we agree with everything they do or not, the core 

obligation and responsibility is to represent the players. The players are the National Football League. Present, future, and past. 

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dollar business, these owners didn’t get rich today or these players 

didn’t get rich just because somebody waved a magic wand. 

‘‘What happened is there was a time where guys played this 

game, played a lovely game, made very little money, got a lot of 

injuries, suffered a lot of hardships after football, always had to 

have two jobs, these guys are the foundation, whether it was in the 

thirties, the forties, the fifties, the sixties, or the seventies. These 

guys were the foundation of what now gets—what’s called the National Football League, which is a multi-billion-dollar business. Nobody’s losing any money. 

‘‘But there are guys losing their health. There ought to be some 

kind of a program where we can put in place to help these guys 

who are having these health problems, and that’s all we’re trying 

to do. But every time we try to do something, somebody points the 

finger at us and says, oh, you’re wrong, or somebody from the 

NFLPA says well, you can’t do that. Well, why can’t we do it? 

What’s wrong with it? Why haven’t you done it? Why haven’t you 

cared enough to do something? 

‘‘And the National Football League owners, too. They took every 

pound of blood they could out of these players. Give some of it 

back. Now (inaudible) why we paid them (inaudible). 

‘‘But there are certain risks that came with that playing and 

they gave you everything they had, give them something back. If 

you’re going to take a pound of flesh, give them a pound of flesh 

back, that’s all I’m trying to say. I don’t have the answers to all 

of this, and I don’t want to get into an argument with anybody. I’m 

just what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. 

‘‘Now if that’s wrong, then maybe you can assist us with doing 

what we’re doing. And we’ll let the might National Football League 

or the player’s association take care of the guys that need help 

then. But we’re not going to do that for the time being. 

‘‘So it’s about time somebody woke up. You know, we talk about 

all the things, we talk about politics and change and this and that. 

Let’s just use some common sense. Get away from this nonsense 

where everybody wants to get up there and pontificate about this 

and that and that, and we have this article, we came—you know, 

we don’t care about that. These are guys who helped found the National Football League. Give them a break, will you? Let them live 

out their life with some dignity. Do the right thing.’’ 

[Applause.] 

Mr. TURLEY. With that, I’d like to go into my prepared statement. Again, thank you, Chairman Conyers, Congresswoman 

Sa ́nchez and Congressman Cohen. It is an honor for me to be with 

you today to discuss this great interest to the public of the issue 

of head injuries in professional football or football in general. 

As this committee has begun to demonstrate, that issue extends 

to football at all levels, from youth leagues to NFL, from football 

to other sports. I feel a double measure of honor and responsibility 

today since I have been given the opportunity to speak for many 

who have no voice, for countless men, women, and children who, 

though they never played a ‘down’ in the NFL, nevertheless, face 

the reality of life after traumatic brain injuries. 

I am here to further assist the great work that has been done 

by this committee by some of the distinguished medical experts on 

423 

this panel—and I’d emphasize distinguished because there are 

some that aren’t, and by others, some of them ex-NFL players—to 

educate and find solutions for this epidemic. Having personally suffered multiple concussions, I can speak firsthand of the terrifying 

symptoms I continue to experience as a result, not only immediately following brain injury but years afterward as my faculties 

continue to degenerate, and my life continues to change. 

For myself, I can actually take some solace from the fact every 

one of my injuries is a direct result of living my dream of having 

a storied career in the NFL, even through the tough times I can 

say to myself that it was worth of all to have lived that dream and 

wear my scars like so many badges of honor, but there are others 

to think of, some of them ex-football players, some not. For their 

sake, for their pain, I cannot allow myself to be silenced by my own 

sense of consolation. 

Among those others is my newborn son. As we celebrated his 

first Christmas, I brooded on the thought that he might have his 

own future of playing sports and that if he does and the current 

mentality on head trauma does not change, he will likely face the 

same problems I’m facing now. No amount of consolation will make 

me silent for that prospect. Like anyone, I want my child to live 

in a better world than I did. 

My presence before you today represents my commitment to that 

idea. As I watched the hearing on—that your Committee held recently in Washington, I cannot help but to notice the comments of 

some Members of Congress, and in my view, all of the representatives of the NFL that still seem to be reactive rather than proactive 

in confronting the issue of traumatic brain injury in football, as if 

it had only recently been discovered. The fact that it is—the fact 

that has been represented by many is that the Center For Disease 

Control characterized second impact syndrome and traumatic brain 

injury in 1984 in a report that presented recommendations developed by the American Academy of Neurology to prevent recurrent 

brain injuries in sports and their adverse consequences. 

A subsequent version of that report includes the following case: 

During a 1991 game, a 17-year-old high school football player was 

tackled on the last play of the first half of a varsity game and 

struck his head on the ground. During halftime intermission he 

told the teammate that he felt ill and had a headache. He did not 

tell his coach. He played again during the third quarter and received several routine blows to the helmet during blocks and tackles. He then collapsed on the field and was taken to a local hospital 

in a coma. 

A computed tomography or CT scan revealed diffuse swelling of 

the brain and a small subdural hematoma. He was transferred to 

a regional trauma center where attempts to reduce elevated 

intracranial pressure were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced 

dead, brain dead 4 days later. Autopsy revealed diffuse brain swelling, focal areas of subcortical ischemia, and a small subdural hematoma. 

This example is not common, but it is not nearly as rare as it 

should be, either. This problem does not need more review. It 

doesn’t need more doctors, it needs action now. As Merril Hoge suggested in your last hearing, coaches at all levels of the game, but 

424 

particularly in high school and youth league football, need to be 

systematically educated about concussions and the implication of 

playing through the pain of a head injury, but all injuries in my 

mind, so that examples like this one that are not just rare, but 

nonexistent in the future. 

That educational effort must have the full public support of the 

NFL, the Player’s Association, and every player in the league, past 

and present. Like it or not, as professional football players, we are 

role models. Kids not only look up to us, they emulate us in every 

way we play the game. If human casualties are not enough to move 

us all to action, let us have a hard look at the financial toll traumatic brain injury has inflicted on the United States alone. 

According to another CDC study, at least 5.3 million Americans 

currently have a long-term or lifelong need for help to perform the 

tasks and engage in daily activities of living as a result of TBI, 

traumatic brain injury. In the year 2000 alone, the study confirmed 

that direct and indirect costs of traumatic brain injury in the 

United States totaled an estimated $60 billion. As we sit and continue to discuss these matters, our country continues to suffer from 

one of the worst medical epidemics and financial disasters it has 

ever known. 

Members of the Committee, what follows is a description for the 

diagnosis and treatment of a grade 3 concussion suggested by the 

American Academy of Neurology in a 1997 report and is contrary, 

as I go through my example of it, of what Dr. Casson believes is 

the medical practice of the National Football League since these 

studies came out. 

A grade 3 concussion, the definition is a loss of consciousness, either brief, seconds, or prolonged. The management, the athlete 

should be removed from sports activity one full week without symptoms if the loss of consciousness is brief or two full weeks without 

symptoms if the loss of consciousness is prolonged. If still unconscious or if abnormal neurological signs are present at the time of 

the initial evaluation, the athlete should be transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital emergency department. 

An athlete who suffers a second grade 3 concussion should be removed from sports activity until asymptomatic for 1 month. Any 

athlete with an abnormality on computed tomography or magnetic 

reconnaissance (sic) imaging/brain scan consistent with brain swelling, contusion, or other intracranial pathology should be removed 

from sports activities for the season and discouraged from future 

return and participation in contact sports. Pretty detailed. A lot of 

examples there, very detailed. 

Now, I would like to explain to you my experience. After having 

suffered a grade 3 concussion in 2003, again, 2003, while playing 

for the St. Louis Rams. On the last play of the third quarter in a 

Sunday game versus the Green Bay Packers, I was struck in the 

back of the head by an opposing player’s knee. I lay unconscious 

for close to a minute and was revived by the team medical staff by 

the use of ammonia caps. 

I was then guided to the sideline, placed on the bench. While sitting on the bench, I was approached by players, coaches, and medical staff, all of which I had very little recollection. Out of concern 

for my wife, I remember trying to look for her so that I could wave 

425 

and give her some peace of mind, but I was unable to remember 

that our seats, which we have all season long, were located just 

over my left shoulder. 

After what seemed like only a few minutes, I was approached by 

a member of the team medical staff and escorted to the locker 

room. While walking off the field, I glanced up at the scoreboard 

to see that there was just over a minute left in the game. I was 

knocked unconscious the last play of the third quarter. A quarter 

of football can take up to an hour. Yet, I sensed virtually no passage of time. 

After being taken to the locker room, I went through the usual 

motions of getting ready to go home. The medical staff then led me 

to a small room where they had my wife wait for me. They released 

me into her care with the suggestion that she take me to the hospital. As my wife guided me down to the hallway toward the stadium exit, I was fortunate enough to run into an old teammate who 

assessed the state I was in and told my wife that she needed to 

get someone to help her take me to the hospital since she could 

hardly hold me upright. 

She found a police officer who kindly took us in his car and drove 

us directly to the emergency room. There I was given an immediate 

CT scan and was kept overnight for observation. After being released from the hospital, I was told by the team to go home and 

rest and that I would be reevaluated by the team medical staff on 

Wednesday. After meeting with the Rams’ medical staff, I was not 

examined but merely asked how I felt. I was then told not to participate in practice that day and that they would reevaluate me the 

next day, Thursday. 

After their evaluation on Thursday, I was cleared for practice 

and full contact drills, though I still had a severe headache. I went 

on to practice that day, frustrated with being injured, and wanting 

to prove my toughness to my teammates and coaches, I used my 

head more aggressively than I normally would have in practice, not 

understanding the damage I was doing to my brain. 

I would like to tell you that this was an isolated incident, just 

as Dr. Casson would, and that the situation was unique, but my 

experience, both as a player and as a board member of the charity 

focused on the needs of injured and retired players, it is that the 

negligence of the NFL medical staff is fairly universal, that its effects are perpetuated and magnified by the NFL disability committees, the protection they enjoy under the collective bargaining 

agreement comprised of the owners and players’ union representatives which continually deny retired players disability claims 

wrongfully and that acting players continue to be put into the 

game after suffering concussions, which I viewed during this football season. 

Like my fellow Gridiron Greats board member, Mike Ditka, I 

hope that my fellow panelists today, DeMaurice Smith, who’s not 

with us now, will forge a new path for the NFL Players Association, but history has taught me to cast a very skeptical eye. As 

Mike said, if Mr. Smith’s deeds match his words and retired players, who found little help at the hands of his predecessor, begin to 

experience solid benefits as a result, he will have my firm support, 

426 

as many others. Like all of my retired brethren and their families, 

I will be watching. 

As a child, I dreamed of playing in the NFL and being a part of 

an elite fraternity of brothers. The reality of my exper—the reality 

I have experienced, however, is quite the contrary. From the inside, 

I have watched the continued arrogance of the NFL owners and 

player’s association as they neglect the health of those whose careers they should protect. In my retirement and in my work as an 

advocate for other retirees, I continue to see myself, my friends, 

and the heros of my youth dismissed and thrown away as if all the 

hard work and dedication they put into building the NFL into the 

success it is today meant absolutely nothing. 

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I’m here to say that 

we are not commodities. We are made of flesh and blood, we have 

families that need to be cared for as they care for us. It is my recommendation of the many others that it be a legal obligation 

backed by serious sanctions for every athletic team, professional or 

otherwise, to have the information of the CDC reports on concussions be prominently posted in every locker room that it be mandated that those materials be read and clearly explained to all 

players and coaches by a neurological medical professional. 

Moreover, once a player presents with complaints or symptoms 

associated with head injury, that player should be immediately 

taken out of the game or practice in which he is participating for 

the rest of that day and be examined by a neurological professional 

immediately. I also propose that this committee undertake an investigation of the history of benefit and disability denials by the 

NFL and National Football League Players Association a disability 

system that is conflicted in the way it serves to align the interests 

of both the NFL and the NFLPA against those of the disabled players whose welfare both organizations are supposed to consider objectively. To date, they have not. 

In closing, I would like to say the key element that has brought 

us together here is a general loss of focus on the most important 

purpose of playing sports, promoting health while having fun. Instead, the NFL has become a game literally about life and death. 

With the Committee’s help, I hope we can all work together to 

change that and put health back into the game. It has been sidelined long enough. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before 

you today. I yield. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Turley follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF KYLE TURLEY


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Mr. CONYERS. Thanks so much. [Applause.] 

Your testimony has been most moving. 

Mr. TURLEY. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. I appreciate your continued commitment to make 

sure that we do something. 

I yield to Linda Sa ́nchez to take her leave from us this evening. 


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Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I just wanted to 

let the second panel know I’ve heard about half of the testimony, 

and I’m sorry I’m going to miss the second half of the second panel. 

I have a flight to catch back home to my 7-month-old who just celebrated his first Christmas. But I wanted to assure you, Mr. Turley, 

based on your testimony, we started the investigation into this 

issue based on denied claims of disability for retired players, and 

that is still the goal of this committee, to continue that work until 

we feel like those have been taken care of in a way that they deserve to be. So rest assured that that is not forgotten about, that 

issue. 

I want to thank the Chairman again for holding the wonderful 

hearing here in Detroit, and we hope to continue working on this 

issue to follow up on some of these other issues that need to be addressed. 

Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much. 

We haven’t had a lawyer here today—— 

Mr. COHEN. Will you yield for a minute. 

Mr. CONYERS. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN. Ms. Sa ́nchez, when you see the sun, would you call 

me and remind me what it looks like. 

Ms. SA ́ NCHEZ. Yes. 

Mr. CONYERS. Robert L. Schmidt, Founder and Chairman of the 

Vincent Lombardi Foundation, former member of the Board of Governors of Georgetown University, distinguished lawyer in his own 

right, and who has spent so much time in the media industry, television and a whole variety of communications’ organizations, that 

he’s either led or been a part of, we’re certainly pleased that you 

could be with us today. 

TESTIMONY OF ROBERT L. SCHMIDT, CHAIRMAN AND 

CO-FOUNDER, VINCENT T. LOMBARDI FOUNDATION 

Mr. SCHMIDT. Mr. Chairman, Congressman Cohen, I’m humbled 

to be here. First of all I want to brag on the man sitting to my 

right. He’s the real deal, and as you know, there is been a schism 

that I think is on its way to being healed whereby the NFL owners 

and the NFL Players’ Association in previous hearings clearly stated they didn’t represent the retired players, and I remember your 

words specifically, Mr. Chairman, and I—I wrote them down. 

Kyle Turley was one of the first players who was still employed 

as a player to donate a game check. He was severely criticized for 

doing so by many of his fellow players and others. Now, that shows 

you the absolute irony that Mike Ditka was talking about in his 

video, and to me, you know, the issue here, which I’ll get into about 

concussions, and so on, begs the question. The question is your 

oversight is absolutely critical to maintain some level of equity that 

these players, retired and soon to be retired, do not have the leverage in this equation. The 32 owners of the NFL teams have built a $40 billion business, it generates $8 billion annually. How I got involved goes back 

to 2006. I’m still a working man. I’m an entrepreneur, I have a 

small business in the broadband wireless area, but I’m here today 

because of my passion and commitment to a teammate. Willie 

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fornia. Willie Wood has an incredible distinguished career. I transferred from the University of Notre Dame, where I had brief experience as a quarterback there and showed up at USC, and Willie 

was the first Black quarterback in post World War II in college, in 

a major college environment. Willie beat me out for the quarterback job, but I say I got even, I became his lawyer. Now I’m his 

guardian, and as I tell people, we’ve been friends for over 50 years, 

he’s my Black brother from another mother, and that’s the way it’s 

gonna be. 

Now, what we can do about it is something that I want to play 

whatever role necessary to help facilitate. I think Willie Woods’ 

story is not unique. I think it’s very, very similar to many, many 

players, and in his case, he’s living a quality of life today because 

he has friends and family and others who’ve surrounded him. 

There are many players who don’t have that. And specifically, I 

don’t want to be ungrateful, there is a program called the John 

Mackey 88 Fund. 

And you should know that John’s wife, Sylvia, is probably the 

single reason why that program is in existence. She personally lobbied Paul Tagliabue, then-head of the NFLPA Dean Upshaw, to 

make it happen. We now receive benefits because Willie is declared 

a beneficiary of that because of his dementia. In addition to his dementia, Willie’s had two major knee surgeries, two new hips, and 

three major back surgeries. 

Today, I have him in an assisted living facility in Washington, 

D.C., a wonderful place that takes great care of him, but he has 

to be lifted out of bed, he cannot get out himself. He will always 

be in a wheelchair, but I have to tell you he’s got the same sunny 

disposition he’s always had since the day we met. He hasn’t got an 

unkind word for anybody, but he did say to me, ‘‘Bob, you have to 

give the best you can to help my brethren.’’ 

These men, in my opinion, are the modern day version of gladiators, and they have, as Kyle said aptly, been treated like a commodity. Now, I can’t say that it’s universal. There’s one owner that 

I can speak of, Al Davis, who happened to recruit Willie out of high 

school at the University of Southern California, who’s maintained 

his loyalty and has given financial support to us, but I can’t name 

any other owner. Now, the point is the 88 Fund is a good attempt, 

but it needs to be revised. 

If you tell me that a program that’s designed for dementia is 

geared to the former players’ number, No. 88, and this is the maximum benefits of $88,000, I’m telling you something’s wrong with 

that plan. Today, we receive $7,333 a month for Willie’s support. 

We have a deficit of about a hundred dollars a day that we make 

up through card signing, his small NFL pension, and his Social Security, but it’s a struggle every month. But guess, what? It’s our 

struggle. And I can’t think enough the Gridiron Greats, the Pro 

Football Hall of Fame, Mike Ditka’s foundation, his former NFL 

teammates, his Packer teammates. 

The people who care have rallied, but that begs the question. The 

system is broken; it needs to be fixed. Concussions is a huge part 

of the problem. But at the same time, as long as the leverage is 

in the hands of those 32 owners—and that’s why your role is so important—you have to help continue to create this oversight because 

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the light you put on this issue keeps the issue burning, and as long 

as it’s burning, you’re going to see results like you’ve been able to 

get in this big step of acknowledgment of concussions and a correlation with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Thank you very much. 

[The statement of Mr. Schmidt follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF ROBERT L. SCHMIDT


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you, Mr. Schmidt, that was a very moving 

statement. I’m so glad that you’re here. 

Mr. SCHMIDT. Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. George Martin is a—has been elected by the 

search committee going through 140 candidates to be the executive 

director of the NFL Alumni Association, my congratulations to you. 

Mr. MARTIN. Thanks. 

Mr. CONYERS. The record is another one of those kinds of records 

that go down in the history books. You’ve played with the New 

York Giants for 14 years, and like some of the rest of you, his commitment has led him to do things quite unusual. He’s walked 

across the country to raise medical care for first responders in 9/ 

11 and raised close to $3 million for those families. 

I’ll let you tell the rest of the—your story and the views that you 

bring with you after being in the game so long. Welcome to the 

Committee, Mr. Martin. 

TESTIMONY OF GEORGE MARTIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 

NFL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Mr. MARTIN. Thank you very much, Chairman. Again, I’d like to 

reiterate to Chairman Conyers it is an honor to be here, so thank 

you so very much. I’d like to sort of highlight some of the things 

that the respected Mike Ditka said, and certainly my colleague, 

Turk, said as well. 

This marks the second such illustrious occasion in which key, 

high-profile, notable dignitaries from all facets of the sporting 

world have been summoned and assembled in order to provide valuable testimony toward the growing and mounting health issue in 

sports. I, myself, am once again honored to lend both my personal 

experience as well as sharing real-life events that have sharply 

added to this mounting debate. By my presence here today, it is my 

sincere hope that we can move closer to identifying the scope of the 

existing problems in all sports effecting and preventing any such 

future medical occurrence, and most importantly, identifying and 

implementing meaningful and practical solutions for those that 

have been adversely impacted going forward. 

As a former professional athlete, I wish to reiterate once again 

for the record that my unique perspective lends valuable credence 

to the overall severity of this potentially tragic and devastating situation. As a seasoned veteran of the National Football League, 14 

improbable years as a defensive lineman, I brutally toiled in the 

very trenches of NFL warfare delivering, as well as being the recipient of countless acts of physical depravity (sic). 

I will also add that 14 NFL seasons of yesteryear, from 1975 to 

1988, would actually calculate into more than one full year, more 

than 365 full complete days of unimaginable physicality. Realizing 

that what was then two a day, and sometimes three full-contact 

practice seasons (sic) per day, oftentimes without the benefit of a 

single drop of water today would constitute the very definition of 

insanity. 

It is extremely noteworthy that the standard nomenclature of the 

bygone era must be properly translated for the unsuspecting public 

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versely, it would represent the height of naivete on my part for me 

to believe that I could ever adequately replicate the overall scope 

of afflictions that occurred during this era to you, the audience in 

the allotted time frame. 

Nevertheless, the terms of combative engagement, drills such as 

1 on 1, 3 on 3, 5 on 5, and 7 on 7 are representative events and 

practice segments that were devised to brutally segment, as was 

popular in its day, the men from the boys. These daily activities 

represented the epitome of physical combat or trench warfare during the course of an entire NFL season and was particularly highlighted and emphatically implemented during the NFL training 

camps. 

Additionally, industry terms such as ‘‘bull in the ring,’’ as well 

as the infamous ‘‘nut cracker’’ drill, were certainly not references 

to Spanish traditions of domestic cows running down the streets of 

Spain, nor a holiday ballet performances at the Lincoln Center. 

These signified a physical tariff measured in bloody noses and extremities, persistent headaches, broken bones, and mangled limbs. 

Yes, these were the immediate prices of sacrifice that I and far too 

many of my comrades paid in order to become, as was said earlier, 

modern day gladiators of the NFL, and I might add that this situation, this injurious impact was merely exacerbated on Sunday 

afternoons. 

Now, unfortunately, a shocking day of reckoning is occurring at 

an alarming rate among NFL alumni, and thankfully, the world is 

finally taking notice. As a former NFL player representative for 12 

of my 14 years, it quickly became evident to me that far too many 

of our predecessors were falling victim to the same sense of invincibility that we so foolishly exhibited during our earlier respective 

careers. However, as an NFL player rep, we cannot ignore the constant clamor for assistance in hearing grievances while filing and 

pursuing the necessary post career benefits. 

Little did we realize their prophetic predictions and eventual 

medical destinations were representative of an eerily identical foreshadowing of our own futures. As they say, ‘‘Youth is, after all, 

wasted on the young.’’ 

The progressive need for continuous medical attention, diagnosis, 

and eventual treatment for former professional athletes reads like 

a contiguous sequential almanac. The overall situation, to coin a 

phrase, this is complicated. It’s predictable, though, not preventable. It’s treatable but not necessarily identifiable. It’s pervasive, 

but as yet, undetermined. So it was said at that time that more 

study needs to be done. But little did any of us realize it then that 

with the passage of time, some of us would pay an even greater 

physical tariff for our youthful indiscretions. 

As a former president of the National Football League Players’ 

Association, with longevity, oftentimes, comes wisdom. Witnessing 

the deteriorating plight of the pre 1959 NFL alumni gave rise to 

the sense of fraternal obligation, and, thus, a collective approval 

was consented by players to include those warriors of yesterday era 

into the progressive and updated pension benefit package of the 

NFLPA. At that time, it was simply an act of responsibleness and 

good stewardship on our part as then acting players. 

453 

Now, for us, in retrospect to this day, I’d say none of us, in retrospect to this day, have ever regretted making that initial and intricate part of our marquee demands for a collective bargaining agreement. Perhaps we realized that eventually, the future would—the 

future fortunes would be reversed, and we would sincerely hope 

that history with repeat itself and that the simple act of fraternal 

respect and obligations would be enacted on behalf of us as NFL 

alumni by our successors. However, it remains a desire that is, as 

yet, unfulfilled. 

As representative of such senior alumnis (sic), it is our hope that 

this Congressional action will have that desired effect. Today as the 

executive director of NFL Alumni Association, as one who represents a vast and diverse constituency of NFL alumni, I want to 

personally and wholeheartedly commend Congressman Conyers 

and this distinguished assembly on its noble pursuits. 

Obviously, there have been careful and concise considerations to 

the widely diverse representatives who have been called upon to 

bear witness to the state of affairs regarding this issue, despite, 

however, the casualty of senatorial statesmen, commissioners, executive directors, doctors, and endless inconclusive data, there still 

remains an indeterminate impact along with insufficient data to 

conclusively ascertain the magnitude of this situation. 

I, myself, am acutely aware of the necessary protocols and due 

diligence that are vital requisites in order to derive upon an accurate conclusion. However, I would humbly and respectfully add the 

following indelible element into our ongoing equation, and that is 

simple. Expedience. Expedience without sacrifice. For I represent a 

segment of NFL alumnis whose hourglass of hope diminishes with 

each passing day, and their optimism is fading as the patient has 

worn thin through the passage of time. 

Their contribution and recognition to the success of this industry 

should not be cloaked in posthumous accolades, but, rather, 

extolled proudly, publicly, prominently while they still live. Thank 

you very much, sir. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Martin follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF GEORGE MARTIN


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Mr. CONYERS. Thank you very much, Mr. Martin. 

Our next witness is Luther Campbell, who after a distinguished 

football, pro football career, has turned with great energy and competence to the training of athletes from not only football but basketball and boxing, as well, and he not only trains athletes, young 

ones that are up and coming, but he trains the—many of the pros 

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well. He’s distinguished in this, the metropolitan area for his passion for young people getting the proper training and attitude to 

make contributions that they might not otherwise make in their 

life experience. 

So I’m very happy to welcome him here tonight, Lu Campbell. 

TESTIMONY OF LUTHER CAMPBELL, 

TRAINER OF PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES 

Mr. CAMPBELL. I appreciate that, Honorable Congressman John 

Conyers. Mr. 89. That’s a personal joke. 

What we’ve experienced here, or at least what I’ve experienced 

here today is by pure definition of the word, expostulating, to earnestly, to earnestly plead with someone, some institution about a 

warning that is there and that’s so evident. Yes, this is a hearing 

technically, but it’s an expostulating event that we’re having and 

we’re sharing all, one with another. 

I’m a former educator in the public school system, and I have a 

love for the English language, I’m not a grammarian, nor a polyglot, nor a linguist, or an etymologist, but I have a love for the 

English language, and I always like to understand it, so when I’m 

in the gym, I teach. I heard the word ‘‘amyloid’’ used today. I use 

that quite frequently in the gym, and I tell the fellows—many of 

professional athletes were here today, eight or nine of them were 

sitting in the audience today, and they know—I’m sure they sat 

straight up in their seats when they heard that term, and they said 

that’s what Lu gave us, and they remembered what it was, where 

there was a mass of protein in the brain that causes Alzheimer’s 

disease, that’s one of the first things I told them. 

No, I’m not a clinician, no, I’m not a doctor, I’m a self-taught individual about the human body, and I pride myself in that. I’m sort 

of like the Johnny Mercer, if you will, and some of you don’t know 

who Johnny Mercer was. Well, Johnny Mercer founded Capital 

Records. He sided Nat King Cole and Billie Holliday, virtually unknown but extremely productive. 

I talked about—and this is not in my—in my notes. By the way, 

I’d like to say this. If I known it was going to be this way, I would 

have double-spaced and in bold-lettered and everything else so I 

could see what I’m doing. I can say everything is blurry at this 

point. 

But the number one injury that I found out in the gym—and I 

have to digress on this, and just bear with me for a minute. The 

number one injury in the gym is a rotator cuff glenoid joint. The 

number two injury we find out is your ACL and PCL, your lateral 

collateral ligament, your MCL, your medial collateral ligament. 

Those are the things that, as late as yesterday, if we looked at the 

football games of the NFL, we had more collateral ACL injuries 

than you have anything else. 

Yes, trauma to the head is paramount, yes, we have to do that, 

and in my testimony, you’ll hear me say about that event that happened to me while playing football, but there are—there are a lot 

more severe injuries, and we must turn our attention to the youth. 

It was said that there are approximately 3.5 million youth that are 

engaged between the ages of 8 and 14 in contact football, a million, 

one million in high school football, approximately, approximately a 

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hundred thousand in professional football. That means arena (ph.) 

Football, too, and the statistics go on and on and on with this. 

But I’m going to get into my written testimony, and I’ll read it 

verbatim in here, and I’ll read it rather slowly trying to discern 

what I’ve read (sic) in these late hours. 

Mr. Chairman, again, I’m Luther Campbell. My moniker, my sobriquet is Big Lu, (I started my Ph.D. work in 1975 at Wayne, at 

this illustrious institution here, Wayne State University, ‘‘Apocope 

and Apheresis in the Black esoteric idiom’’), and breaking that 

down, not trying to be too wordy for you, but understand why we 

as Black folk talk to each other and leave out a syllable or a letter 

at the end of a word: ‘‘Why did you dis’ me, man?’’ In other words, 

why did you disrespect me? That was going to be my main thrust, 

not what they so-called Ebonics. 

The title affixed to my name during the past decade is trainer 

of professional athletes. Among those I have helped prepare for 

their professional careers are Tommy Hearns, who was with me for 

any number of years, eight-time World Boxing champ; Chris 

Weber, first-round draft choice; Leon Spinks, World Boxing champ; 

Jalen Rose, who we see on ESPN now, first round NBA for many 

years; Braylon Edwards since he’s been 13 years of age; Brian 

Westbrook, No. 1, first round NFL; Derrick Coleman, first round 

NFL (sic); Robert Traylor, first round NBA; Rod Hill, Dallas Cowboys; and the list continues. It’s not stroking, but the list continues. 

I was recruited by former Michigan All-American Mike Keller, 

general manager of the United States Football League, Michigan 

Panthers to lead our first tryout camp at Oakland University in 

1982. Some of you are trying to figure out my age, I’m closer to 70 

than I am to 60, now you go from there. 

The late judge, Judge Peter Spivak, and former commissioner of 

the United States Football League, and his partner, Al Low, currently Commissioner of the Unarmed Combat Commission, State of 

Michigan, acclaimed me as, quote/unquote their ‘‘greatest asset’’ 

when the Panthers subsequently became world champs, excuse me, 

in 1983. 

Joe Paterno, the incomparable head coach of Penn State University, flew to Detroit and asked me to come and lecture to his entire 

team on the importance of winning, as well as being and staying 

healthy and in shape, especially, his concern was the consumption 

of alcohol, and he had a very passionate concern on that and about 

that. 

I have done both the same lectures at Tennessee State University with Joe Gilliam, Florida A&M University, Dr. Al Lawson; Columbia University up in New York right outside of Harlem, and an 

array of other institutions, coaches, and various individuals including many actors, singers, and politicians (notably the Honorable 

and most distinguished Congressman John Conyers), have been 

under my guidance and health concern and fitness and nutritional 

needs for many, many years. 

My brother, Wayne Campbell, bless him—— 

Mr. CONYERS. If you want, Mr. Campbell, let me go to Bernie 

Parrish and come back to you if that would be appropriate. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. I’m all right, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. My 

brother, Wayne Campbell, who left us several years ago, played 

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football with the Oakland Raiders. When Jack Tatum placed that 

draconian, crippling blow on Darryl Stingly, resulting in lifelong 

paralysis, Wayne was never the same after that. He faded out of 

professional football. 

We must concern ourselves with the entire physicality of the 

game. Surely, we are absorbed with the closed-head injuries. However, if we populate the discussion with connective issues, one may, 

perhaps, help resolve another. We need formative discussion, not 

debate; resolution of issues, not dissolvement and stalemates. 

The possible contributory symptoms for those players might have 

the following incorporated in the evaluation of the injury: Headaches, which, in my opinion, is an elementary step in diagnosing 

even from a trainer’s standpoint, a coach’s standpoint, or a health 

professional’s observation, intellectual impairment where the player responds with practical judgment, confusion, accompanied with 

mild hearing loss. We did not touch on that to date. Difficulty with 

short-term memory, I find this especially important. All you have 

to do ‘‘What day is it? What time is it? Where are you? What is 

happening?’’ 

These are elementary questions we should be asking the young 

folk as well as older folk that play this game. Drowsiness, eye problems, and focusing and clarity, personality and behavior modifications, especially in a negative manner. Problems, the youth, the 

coach, in discerning his opinion and delivering of transparency— 

bear with me—or clearness of his speech, clarity of speech, including spelling and pronunciation. Look for balance of movement, especially linear, back and forth. Walking the sidelines for five to ten 

yards is just one simple thing that you can do in what we call deductive reasoning. 

I’ve trained six world boxing champions, and I want to reiterate 

that, six of them. I can attest to the debilitating results can occur 

from constant beating to the head. Muhammad Ali, one of my 

greatest—Muhammad Ali and I sat together at ringside in Toronto 

(4-26-1975) right next to each other, not at ringside but juxtaposed 

to each other. After George Foreman’s initial fight with him, he 

was taunting him at ringside, and I thought I would do it, too, 

until George threw the chair at me, but in any event, as we discussed body punishment, both giving and taking, you’d be amazed 

by how much he took. Today because of who I am and what I’ve 

accomplished over these years, I’ll qualify in saying that much of 

his physicality, his physical breakdown is and was due to constant 

blows to his body, as well as directly to his head. 

Empirical knowledge, empirical knowledge allows me to qualify 

my judgment. Ali’s apparent and demonstrative changes and his 

physical condition should have been noted earlier, and a proactive 

medical intervention should have taken place at that time. I know 

you say well, Lu, that’s hindsight, 20/20, that was 1973, it should 

have been taken place. The individuals that are around him should 

have known. We talk about it in the game of football, people, your 

coaches, your players see those—those things happening to you in 

life, as with my brother and see those things happening and should 

have stepped in and said something about it at that point in time. 

Three years prior to the Lions moving to Ford Field—I hope I 

didn’t skip—I skipped a paragraph, I’m very sorry. All coaches 

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must know and certainly be credentialed, and this is very important by the way, I’m very sorry, all coaches must know and certainly be credentialed and authentically educated on what signs, 

conditions, and physical impairments to look for and determine 

what disposition is called for. You don’t have to be a doctor or a 

clinic or a functioning clinician, just have the knowledge and 

coachable judgment to assess the problem and move on from there. 

Have a fatherly degree of empathy when a player’s hurt and not 

so dispassionate. 

The grammatical conjunction ‘‘if’’ always leaves us wondering 

what the supposition implies. Now, let’s role play. What if your son 

was lying on the 50-yard line unconscious as a result of a legal 

blow? And a legal blow to the head? Stay with me on this analogy 

and the strategy. Tell me truthfully who would you point to? How 

many tears would you have? How many what ifs? Let’s continue to 

meet, to prod, to search, to possibly research until we have some 

acceptable resolvement of this problem. 

Three years ago, prior to the Lions moving to Ford Field, I’m 

sorry, that should not have been three, that should have been 8 

years ago, prior to the Lions moving to Ford Field, Detroit Lions 

Vice-President, Larry Lee, invited me to his Silverdome office and 

suggested the Lions were working on bringing me on as the Lions’ 

strength coach. That was probably based on the fact that seemingly 

ever year, the Lions sent me all their new players that needed to 

be redefined, including All-Pro William Gay, Allen Hughes, and the 

insidious Kerwin Waldrop, and the list continues. I met with Matt 

Millen immediately after that, he took charge, and he shook the 

shut the door in my face. Hurray for the Lions. 

During preseason football in 1965, I suffered a very, very severe 

concussion. Years after, reflecting on my personality, disposition, 

and headaches, I assessed the traumatic blow. It amazes me that 

I have not yet recovered. 1965. This is the year 2010. I have not 

yet recovered. Ensuing information will show you why. One obvious 

factor is so overwhelming that I didn’t even come full circle with 

it is my attention span. 

Over all these years, the vision problems still come and go, and 

the absolute number one thing is the grinding in my neck, because 

when you get a very severe head problem, it has an effect on your 

spinal cord. That hasn’t been touched on today, but I’m here to attest to that and can testify to that. And every time I turn my head, 

it just grinds and grinds and grinds on that axis. And I see George, 

you’re nodding your head, so you understand. 

Those are played this game and have had concussions understand that. Not only do I have firsthand testimony but empathetic 

transference of knowledge to those who have suffered. There’s not 

much someone can offer me in terms of injury and how the injury 

feels or occurs, but how I can chronicle it and you can possibly 

learn from me and certainly, it should not happen on your watch. 

The game is violent, and the rules are adjusted and modified 

yearly. Penalties, again, are regulated along with other obligatory 

changes. They feel it’s necessary to change this and change that if 

it’s necessary to look good on paper. However, injuries haven’t 

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position, absorption, and possibly buoyancy of the field, making 

orthopaedists and neurologists mandatory, mandatory on staff 

would address some of the problems. The caveat, however, when 

you make them mandatory, is to get the doctors to engage themselves more objectively about the player’s condition instead of possibly thinking subjectively, meaning fix you up, put you in to win. 

Articles on my ability have been listed in several local papers, 

Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and Michigan Chronicle on 48 occasions, and numerous times on electronic media. Perhaps one that 

has received more international attention appeared on the front 

page of the Detroit News and subsequently took up four pages to 

explain on how I took all 544 pounds, I’ll repeat that, 544 pounds 

off of three individuals in less than 6 months. That was Tuesday, 

March 30th, 1999, pages 1F, 6F, 7 and 8F in the Detroit News. 

Just the opposite, I put muscle mass on naturally, I’m a vegetarian. I’ve been a vegetarian for 35 years, and thus believe in a 

more natural wholistic approach to the human body. I don’t smoke. 

I don’t drink. I won’t and don’t approve of it being used, especially 

by athletes. As an example, the Detroit News Health and Fitness 

Magazine, front page again, Wednesday, December 22, 2001, section 8, headlines, ‘‘How he built his body, Novi Man Goings From 

Skinny 144 pounds at age 18 to 210 Pounds of Pure Muscle,’’ (A 

Gain of 66 Pounds Under the Training of Big Lu). 

A subsequent story appears in Men’s Fitness magazine. October 

2004, page 64-66, the Oakland—the current—the current, as we sit 

here today, the current center at Oakland University, Keith Benson was sent to me as a high school junior by Chris Weber’s brother. It doesn’t say that in here, but that’s who sent him. His sixeleven frame, please imagine this if you close our eyes, or keep 

them open, whatever your pleasure is, he’s 6’11’’ and 172 pounds. 

I’ll let you soak that in for a minute. 

It had to be a dramatic change that was getting ready to happen. 

Keith didn’t start as a junior and rarely played as a senior at 

Country Day. He listened, came to the gym and listened to me, 

bought into my abilities, and last week, last week was projected as 

an NBA first-round draft choice, minimum signing, $40 million. 

Over the years, I’ve trained seven Mr. Basketballs here in the state 

of Michigan, Robert ‘‘Tractor’’ Traylor, who I took 48 pounds off of, 

Willie Mitchell, Mike Tally, who appeared in today’s paper, led 

Michigan basketball to three State championships at Cooley High 

School, and his son right is in the papers of All-American Basketball. Chris Webber, Derrick Nix of—starting center at Michigan 

State, Dion Harris, Winfred Walton who was placed above Kobe 

Bryant when he came out of high school, as well as Miss Basketball, Maxanne Reese, and I’m currently training Nick Perry, 2001 

at USC, and if you saw the high school All-American game last 

night, William Gholston, who was most valuable, 2009, he’s headed 

for Michigan State, both Mr. Footballs, and a plethora of 

unheralded other athletes. 

This fall, and I will conclude it with this one, this my favorite 

and this is that touches me, I hope my son is still here, he’s the 

tall, good looking gentleman back in the back. This fall, my grandson, Jayru Campbell, age 13, led the P.A.L. Westside Steelers to a 

perfect season, undefeated, and unscored on regular season play, 

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during the championship game at Ford Field, November 14, 2009, 

Jayru threw three touchdown passes. He was named MVP of the 

game. In 5 years, he has never lost a game as a starter. 

The Steelers are the same team with the same coaches as Devin 

Gardner, University of Michigan No. 1 recruit quarterback. The 

Detroit Free Press this past Tuesday, December 29, 2009, page 2B, 

quote: ‘‘ESPN Scouts, Inc., National Recruiting Director Tom 

Luginbill said ‘‘Devin has been far more prepared in the passing 

game and playing in a scheme that has required him to do some 

things with his arm on a more—much more consistent basis than 

Terrelle Pryor, who’s the current quarterback at Ohio State, ever 

was. I write this because Jayru came up just one TD short of 

Devin’s record. Devin had 18. 

My son Shawn, who again is sitting in back, the good looking tall 

one, Jayru’s father, ex-pro basketball player, 6’8, 242 pounds, and 

of course, I am 6’6 at 278. I talked to Jayru about it, I said ’Ru— 

I call him ’Ru, I said Jayru, what is your genetic projection? Your 

genetic projection at age 17 will be 6’7, possibly 250 pounds. Imagine that. 

He hasn’t had any head injuries because Shawn made sure that 

he has incorporated special training and education, especially with 

technique tackling, and I’m ending this now, and I’m sorry to be 

so long with this. Shawn will not allow him to lead with his head. 

I will repeat that. Shawn won’t allow Jayru to lead with his head. 

He also wears the proper and best helmets. Now you see why I’m 

overly involved in this direct attention bringing to football players 

and the whole conference on head injuries to a climax today. I plan 

to see Jayru through until his name is called as the No. 1 draft 

choice in the NFL. By the way, he averages 20 points in basketball, 

also league MVP, and he maintains a 3.4 GP or better, and I won’t 

continue this. I’ll leave it at that point. [Applause.] 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Campbell follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF LUTHER CAMPBELL


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Mr. CONYERS. Well, thank you. 

Mr. COHEN. There’s a spot at the University of Memphis for him, 

I’ll offer him the scholarship here. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. That’s his daddy over there. 

Mr. MARTIN. I must take my leave, sir. 

Thank you. 

Mr. CONYERS. We close with Bernie Parrish, and I think appropriately so. He’s the author of a best selling book ‘‘They Call It A 


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Game,’’ about the economics and politics of the NFL, and he has 

the distinction of being named an All-American in both basketball 

and football. 

Mr. PARRISH. Baseball. 

Mr. CONYERS. Oh, in baseball, I’m sorry, and I’m delighted that 

you had the staying power to be with us and close us out. Thank 

you very much. 

TESTIMONY OF BERNIE PARRISH, RETIRED NFL PLAYER 

Mr. PARRISH. Thank you very much for having me here, and I’m, 

well, a fan of yours, Chairperson Conyers, and I particularly want 

to thank you for being here, Mr. Cohen, and Linda Sa ́nchez is just 

terrific. She’s been a wonderful advocate for us, and we got to give 

credit to Maxine—Representative Maxine Waters, who has been 

our angel, and Sheila Jackson Lee, as well, from Houston, who has 

been a great asset and a great advocate for us, and I want to thank 

Alan Schwarz, whether he’s here or not, for the articles that have 

moved this ahead, and I haven’t always agreed with everything 

he’s written, but he’s done a terrific job. So he deserves credit for 

it. 

I did—I wrote They Call It A Game some decades ago, and the 

subtitle of it is An Indictment of the Pro Football Establishment, 

How It Manipulates and Protects It’s Billion Dollar Monopoly At 

the Expense of the Players and the Public. It was 1971 when I published that, and nothing’s changed except the numbers are bigger. 

This hearing sort of reminds me of the Watergate era. I—I—and 

two of my other personal heros, Senator Sam Ervin and Senator 

Philip Hart, and I was fortunate enough to meet those two political 

giants at a hearing much like this one, focused on the NFL and 

abuses of their antitrust exemptions, and here’s what—here’s what 

Senator Ervin had to say at that hearing: ‘‘Mr. President, I shall 

vote against the bill for two reasons. First, the bill makes it lawful 

for persons who operate professional football clubs to do things for 

which other Americans are to be subjected to damages, fines, or imprisoned. Second, the bill makes every person in America who possesses skill in a athletic career the economic slave of those who are 

engaged in these sports on a professional basis for commercial 

gain.’’ 

The wheels turn slowly. This yellowed copy of the Congressional 

record is from August 31, 1965. That’s what Senator Sam had to 

say, and I was at that hearing, so I’ve been—I’ve been at this a 

long time. I’m as yellow as the book, probably, at 73. 

In 1976, there was another hearing, and I won’t bore you with 

this but this is my statement to the Subcommittee on Antitrust 

and Monopoly of the United States Senate in 1976, and I can make 

it available if you—— 

Mr. CONYERS. We’ll accept it into the record and return it to you. 

Mr. PARRISH. One of the reasons that I really was so happy that 

you had this in Detroit is my brother is—teaches here at Wayne 

State as a political science professor. He helped edit that book, and 

he is head of the teacher’s union here at Wayne State. So I’m—I’m 

very happy to get to spend some time with him, too. 

You know, when I got here and I heard that first panel, I 

thought I had come to the wrong room and that I was at a tobacco 

469 

industry hearing where the tobacco industry spokespersons, the 

doctors, the experts that they created were here talking on their 

behalf, and actually, the NFL uses the same merchants-of-death 

business model as the tobacco industries do, and it was—has created a tobacco council just the way Covington & Burling who represent the NFL today represented Philip Morris and the other tobacco companies when they set up the tobacco council. 

This mild traumatic brain injury committee is the sequel to the 

tobacco council which produced its own bogus studies, paid experts 

to testify that tobacco products do not cause cancer, and it exactly 

parallels the way that Covington & Burling partnered Paul 

Tagliabue, who was commissioner of the NFL, set up and created 

the NFL’s Mild Traumatic Injury Committee. 

He named the first chairman, Elliott Pellman, who was his personal physician and a graduate of Guadalajara’s Medical School in 

Rheumatology, who had absolutely no expertise on brain injuries, 

was forced to resign when he testified at the steroid hearings for 

baseball. The New York Times then exposed him as having padded 

his resum and not being an expert on steroids anymore than he 

was an expert on concussions. But he had to step down. 

He resigned just as these two fellows, Casson and Viano, had resigned but remained on the payroll. In fact, he—Mr. Pellman is described as the—NFL’s liaison for Commissioner Goodell, so he gets 

all of his information on—oh, the concussions through this filter of 

Pellman today. The people—the Dr. No here, Dr. Casson was, you 

know, telling us about the progress they had made. Well, the neurological training physicians on the sidelines, and now, we’re, you 

know—they were—they are being selected by Dr. Pellman and Dr. 

Mayer, who is the expert, who’s the medical expert from the 

NFLPA, and Dr. Pellman have selected those particular doctors to 

be on the sidelines. 

Well, I’m—Mr. Mayer doesn’t have anymore brain injury training 

or expertise than Mr. Pellman does. So we’re, you know, we’re kind 

of—keep going back to square one, and I keep going back—it takes 

me right back to the tobacco industry, the way they sold the fact 

that using tobacco products doesn’t cause cancer, playing professional football doesn’t cause dementia eventually, etcetera. And the 

idea that the—they have perfected deny—the delay and deny process, delay, delay, study it, study it to death, and make magnanimous statements about what they’re going to do, etcetera, etcetera, 

wind up denying. 

We’ve sort of gotten the mild brain trauma committee mixed up 

with the retirement board. It is the retirement board that turns 

down all of the disabled fellows who apply for disability and get 

turned down, and that is composed of three players and three owners’ representatives, and the commissioner of the National Football 

League, who doesn’t get his due credit for being the chairman of 

that committee that Mike—I was interested in hearing Dr. Maroon’s testimony about concussions, and then after it was over, I 

asked him if he was Mike Webster’s doctor ever since he was the 

team doctor for the Steelers. He said yes. 

Well, the appeals court said that the—that the NFL had abused 

its discretion when it had turned down Mike Webster, and the appellate court approved him and approved—or disapproved turning 

470 

him down, and he won. He finally won, like, a million and a half 

dollars and which is certainly not due compensation for what he 

went through, and his son Garret is here, and I’m sure he can assure you of that. But it is—it was a—not just a very sad event, but 

far too typical of what has gone on in the National Football League, 

and it ought—and the thing is you have to relate it back to the operation of the league, and the—if there has ever been an example 

of medical—oh, medical fraud and abuse, it is the disapproval of so 

many disabled players. That money has to come from somewhere 

when they are disabled, and they have to be treated, anyway, and 

that comes from Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, and if 

that’s not medical fraud and abuse, I don’t know what is. 

They do it by hiring doctors and experts who will make the denials that are needed in order for them to keep their money in their 

pocket, the same way that the tobacco industry does it. I’m—I 

heard so many—you know, look, what can Congress do it about it? 

Okay? You’ve been at this thing since at least 1965, but it’s still— 

you know, we’re still at it. You know, what in the hell can we do? 

I heard so many times Gene Upshaw repeat that retired players 

are not in the bargaining union, the union, the NFLPA, does not 

represent retired players. Well, actually, nobody represents retired 

players. Mr. Martin does not represent retired players. That’s— 

that’s—the NFL alumni is a hoax being perpetrated by Roger 

Goodell in order to make it appear that the retired players have 

a representative. There are less than a hundred players in the NFL 

alumni, less than a hundred retired players. They don’t represent 

diddly in the—in the overall scheme of things. 

Now, I had had an interesting go-around with Gerald Toner, who 

is the chief of labor racketeering for the Department of Justice, and 

in the mid-term elections in 2006, I got a 32-page e-mail from Mr. 

Toner apologizing and—for holding my complaints to him about the 

NFLPA and the NFL since June of the—of that year, and he waited until the elections had been determined that the Democrats had 

carried both houses, the House and the Senate, and then sends me 

this 32-page e-mail saying sorry, but—sorry, but I’m separating 

these, whoever—Mrs. Elizabeth Bond’s labor department, well, Liz 

Bond has danced this around already for 2 years before he sent it 

to her, and his conclusion to me was you need to get a lawyer and 

sue him, so I did. And I won $28.1 million for—for 2000 players 

who supported me. 

There really were more players involved, but they—there—the 

scheme was devised by my—our lawyers and the NFLPA lawyers, 

and the judge, in order to—to minimize the damages you had to, 

in order to be included in the lawsuit, you had to have signed what 

was called a group licensing agreement, and only a certain number 

of guys even had an opportunity to sign it. They—there were 2,062, 

according to what the NFLPA produced in the way of records there, 

we actually know that there were many more than that, but 

there—at least over 3,000, but they produced 2,062, which minimized the damages, and we—but we wound up—we are now in the 

process of settling this lawsuit for $26.25 million, and in this process of settling we’ve—we had—we gave up our attorney and our 

class representative gave up the rights to sue Electronic Arts Video 

Games, which were using our images without paying us anything, 

471 

Magna Video Games, who collected over $130 million of royalties 

and paid us nothing, and there are 80 other vendors who are included, and—and our guys, our lawyers, and Herb Adderley, who 

is your class representative, gave up the rights to those. 

So since I’m the only one who reads any of the case stuff, I found 

out that wait a minute, you know, they can’t do that. So I sent out 

an e-mail to all—all around 1800 retired players that I stay in contact with, and the judge reversed that, he threw that part of the— 

of the settlement out and changed wording, and so now we can sue 

VA, and Madden, and these are—it was a $300 million giveaway 

had we not found it and the judge not responded it to it. Thank 

God the judge responded to it. 

But now I’m sorry that DeMaurice Smith wasn’t here because he 

was the other side of the 300 million. He—he and our attorneys 

made the deal, and we were—we were screwed temporarily for 300 

million so—but that is—is a—is the way—that’s the sort of business that we have faced for years and years, and we need your 

help. 

We need Congress to do some things for us. Now you have—well, 

I won’t say you, but government, the NLRB made a ruling that 

the—that the retired players could not be represented by the 

union. You have—so you have no vote in the union. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Parrish follows:] 

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PREPARED STATEMENT OF BERNIE PARRISH


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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, may I have the floor for a moment. 

Mr. CONYERS. Yes. 

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Parrish, I skimmed your book, and I appreciate 

your references, but were you here for the testimony earlier by Dr. 

No and Dr. Yes. 


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Mr. PARRISH. Yes, I was. 

Mr. COHEN. Is that a proper synopsis of your evaluation of their 

testimonies. 

Mr. PARRISH. I have never heard more P.R. B.S. In my life. It 

was absurd. Is this—I understand from—from Linda, Representative Sa ́nchez, that you cannot lie with this Committee even though 

you didn’t swear us in, you still can’t lie to the Committee, it is still 

perjury; is that correct?[No verbal response.] 

Mr. PARRISH. Well, there was a lot of lying going on, fellas. 

Mr. CONYERS. Well, that’s why we have transcripts. 

Mr. COHEN. If you don’t mind, Mr. Parrish, for a second, I’d like 

to ask Dr. Benson and Dr. Kutcher did you find anything that Dr. 

Casson said that you all agreed with? In essence, the bulk of his 

testimony that there’s not any reasonable scientific foundation to 

the beliefs that concussions cause dementia or other type of brain 

damage, there’s not sound evidence at this time, do you concur in 

that, or do you find that to be a little bit—— 

Dr. BENSON. Ridiculous. 

Mr. COHEN [continuing]. Yeah, that’s a nice—— 

Dr. BENSON. Yeah, I think that it’s easy in medicine and science 

to wait for absolutes. There are no absolutes, though, in what we 

do. I think Dr. Omalu said it right. You know, our first priority is— 

is the welfare of the citizenry, in this case, the athletes and to wait 

for absolute truth, and I’m not sure he really addressed that question that Congressman Sa ́nchez posed, which was why the difference between the studies on the boxers, with 17, I think was the 

number that he throughout, versus what Boston U has, for instance. 

So I think every point he refuted, negated, turned around the 

question, and I think that it’s—I think it’s common sense that playing football causes brain injuries. I showed you a movie showing 

you with just normal movement how much movement there is of 

the brain within the cranium. So it’s not a stretch, and, you know, 

frankly, I—I think it was somewhat a waste of time, the questioning, because I think we all knew what Dr. Casson was going 

to respond with. I think we need to remove on, get past that, 

and—— 

Mr. COHEN. So if I can synthesize your response, you don’t to be 

a brain surgeon to figure this out. 

Dr. BENSON. Or a brain scientist. 

Mr. COHEN. Dr. Kutcher, what’s your thought about that testimony. 

Dr. KUTCHER. I would actually have to say that in a lot of ways, 

they were saying similar things. I know you don’t—may find that 

hard to believe, but from a scientific standpoint, they were. Dr. 

Casson was saying that, as a scientist, you can’t say X. Dr. Omalu 

was also saying that as a scientist, I can’t tell you that head trauma is the only factor. They said similar things, but they were emphasizing the exact opposite ends of the spectrum. 

I saw some common ground there, believe it or not. I think that 

it’s reasonable to make a judgment that repetitive head injuries to 

the degree that athletes experience can lead to dementing illness, 

I think that’s a reasonable medical opinion to make. I agree with 

477 

Dr. Omalu that medical science is not an absolute science like 

physics, and so there’s got to be some kind of guesswork there. 

But I think it’s also important to note that the medical argument 

and the policy argument, you can make policies and you can make 

decisions that make sense as a physician without having the 

science all lined up yet, and I think that’s kind of the difference 

that those two guys are explaining. 

Mr. PARRISH. There was no doubt in Dr. No’s answers when Representative Sa ́nchez showed the video at the last hearing. He answered three times ‘‘no’’ when he was asked if there was any connection. He didn’t equivocate, he didn’t say that it wasn’t good 

science or any of that. All he said was ‘‘no.’’ Three times, right? 

Mr. COHEN. Yes, sir. 

Mr. PARRISH. You guys remember it? I mean I’m not the only— 

I mean I didn’t even make it to the last one for some unforeseen 

reasons, and I want to apologize for not being there, but it really 

wasn’t my fault. 

Mr. COHEN. Thank you, sir. And a digression before I go to Mr. 

Turley, I think Chairman Conyers might want him to close, did— 

and in skimming your book, I saw Tommy Bronson, I grew up in 

Memphis, and there was a Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods, is that 

the same—— 

Mr. PARRISH. No, Tommy Bronson, we grew up together in 

Gainesville, Florida, and then he went to the University of Tennessee and made All American 2 years in a row. 

Mr. COHEN. He didn’t get in the sporting goods business. 

Mr. PARRISH. No, he’s not in the sporting—— 

Mr. COHEN. Just a coincidence. 

Mr. PARRISH. No, he owned—they owned mining companies all 

around. 

Mr. COHEN. And Mr. Turley. 

Mr. TURLEY. I’m not a doctor, but since we have a distinguished 

panel, Mr.—or Dr. Casson made a few statements that I would like 

to bring to light in relating boxing compared to football, and since 

we have Mr. Campbell here, my question to Mr. Campbell is in 

your experience as a trainer to boxing professionals, how often in 

the practice and training sessions are boxers submitted to full contact before entering the fight? 

Mr. CAMPBELL. Sparring sessions or training sessions. 

Mr. TURLEY. Training sessions, sparring sessions, how frequently 

in preparing for a competition is a boxer submitted to full contact 

blows. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. Well, they do have it, and sometimes they have 

the head gear on, and sometimes it’s without the head gear. That 

depends on their trainer. 

Mr. TURLEY. So they do wear head gear. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. Sometimes. 

Mr. TURLEY. Right, and in a boxing competition, how many fights 

that you experienced would you say blows to the head consisted of 

per fight on the relative scale. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. Sometimes two to—two to—— 

Mr. TURLEY. On an average fight, how many blows to the head 

would a fighter take. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. Say upwards of 125, 140. 

478 

Mr. TURLEY. 125, 140. In my 9-year career, I played in over a 

hundred football games. During those years, I never missed one 

practice, maybe—well, maybe one or two. As a football—as a linemen on the football team, we are expected to go a hundred percent 

in every play and—as many of the linemen here can attest to that. 

That being said, over that career span, I suffered probably over 

130,000 blows to the head, and that includes probably training 

camp where we’re expected to go full speed every play. 

Might not be the same for other positions, but as a lineman, as 

Mike Webster, as Justin Strelzyk, others who have, unfortunately, 

had to experience what I’ve gone through, Andre Waters, Chris Benoit, who’s chalked up to having his incident be blamed on his steroid use when his signature move was a folding aluminum chair to 

the head off the ropes. 

I find it offensive that Dr. Casson would make such statements 

and a complete contradiction and a lack of credibility to his medical 

career that he would make such statements without understanding 

the knowledge of head trauma that actually goes on in professional 

football, being that he was the chairman of that committee. He 

made a lot of statements that I find offensive and would like to 

place that in the record, and thank you Mr. Campbell, for your 

statements on that. I kind of find that it’s very comparable to a 

boxing career, to a football career, and yet, I find it hard to believe 

that a doctor of his so-called qualifications would not understand 

that. 

Mr. CAMPBELL. I agree with you and concur. He was very evasive 

on the undefinable, and he didn’t vacillate, he just didn’t want to 

answer. 

Mr. COHEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time to the Chair. 

Thank you, sir. 

Mr. CONYERS. Do you have a concluding comment, Mr. Parrish. 

Mr. PARRISH. I do, and I will conclude, but John Updike once 

said in a quote ‘‘It is difficult to make someone understand when 

his salary depends on him not understanding.’’ That suits Roger 

Goodell, as well as Mr. Casson, but if you—what my conclusion is 

is that Congress—Chris Nowinski his left, I had agreed to donate 

my brain, but I’m here to tell you I’m taking it back if he takes 

the money from the league. I want my brain back. 

If the league is putting a million dollars into a project, they’re 

going to control it, believe me. I’ve only been at this for a while, 

so you know, no, I’m not participating if that’s the way it’s going 

to go. And the Government should fund this through the NIH, and 

the Government show oversee it. OSHA should be out watching the 

practices and watching the games and what the hell’s going on, and 

it’s, basically, you know, we feel as though this is—this is a—we 

don’t want—going to court was a long, hard battle, and you guys 

can change things a whole lot quicker than we can. 

I mean there are things that can be done, give the retired players a vote in the union. I mean that would change a lot of things 

in a hurry. So we’re looking to guys, you folks for help, and actually, you’re giving it to us. And I’ve been waiting since Senator 

Sam in 1965, but you folks, and including the ladies, Linda 

Sa ́nchez, Maxine Waters, and Sheila Jackson Lee, and any other 

Members of the Committee. In fact, you have one owner, NFL 

479 

owner on your committee, don’t you, Tom Rudy? Is it Tim Rudy? 

Rooney? From Florida, a representative? 

Mr. CONYERS. Yes. 

Mr. PARRISH. He’s an owner. Be careful of him. But I thank you 

for having this, and we can’t do it without you, that’s all. We’re 

asking for your help, and you know, we got to have it, and it—all 

the things that Mr. Turley and all the other fellows have said, I 

agree wholeheartedly with, and you can do us more good than anybody else, and we don’t have to—I mean all—every time I turn 

around, Monty Clark here died, one of my old teammates, and believe me, I’m 73, okay, and I’m—and most of my guys are looking 

at the calendar now to tell time, and we need—we need some help 

now. 

Mr. CONYERS. Of course your brother is a great help and assistance to you, he looks like he’s in pretty good condition. 

Mr. PARRISH. Well, he’s doing all right. He loves this Detroit 

weather and all the folks here, he’s been here forever, I’m trying 

to get him to come back to Florida, and he won’t do it. He just loves 

it here. 

Mr. CONYERS. I thank you so much. Mr. Schmidt, you have the 

last word this evening before we close down. 

Mr. SCHMIDT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, I’m a great 

believer that there—there’s—the glass is half full, and I have a lot 

of respect for Bernie and Bernie’s advocacy over time, but I don’t 

want to live on the history. I happen to believe that we can go forward here, but you have to stay and play, you and other Members 

of the Committee and other Members of the Senate as a referee. 

We don’t need you to be on our side. That’s not the name of this 

game. But we need you to be the referee to ensure the game is 

played fair, and right now, the balance of equities is way, way disproportionate. 

All the leverage is in the hands of the owners, and I can speak 

from my relationship with Willie, I can speak for my son’s—my 

youngest son played in the NFL 3 years ago. He injured himself 

after he played for the Jets and the Lions in NFL Europe. They 

brought him to Alabama to the famous Dr. Andrews, and they said 

we can’t certify you to play anymore. This is a young man, 24 years 

old. They said we’re going to settle with you for $2500. 

Now, if you think this is an old person’s issue, this affects everybody. So these folks, you know, have way, way too much leverage, 

and you’ve got to continue to be the referee. That’s where the equity’s going to be balanced. 

Mr. PARRISH. Let me make one more important statement here. 

There is a Supreme Court case going right now, American Needle, 

all right? That is a—that will give—if the Supreme Court rules in 

favor of the NFL over American Needle, that will be the most devastating blow that we have—that we retired players, also, all players, and the public will have suffered at the hands of the NFL owners. 

Now, Eric Holder is—was the—was working for Covington & 

Burling, and he represented the NFL against American Needle, 

and we—he needs to recuse himself from having anything to do 

with that case, and we need—we need for them—and I know that, 

you know, you—you can’t influence the—the Supreme Court but 

480 

the—the—oh, the Solicitor General has—has asked the Supreme 

Court to send it back to the Appeal Court who ruled against us, 

okay? We need you on our side. Yes, we do. Believe me, we do, 

but—and if it goes back and for further clarification and they still 

uphold the—the victory for the NFL owners, we—we’re going—it’s 

going to—this will be the most devastating blow that we have ever 

suffered at the hands of the NFL. 

Mr. CONYERS. I’m going to thank my staff, which has worked 

with me. This has been several—well, it’s been a couple of months 

that it took to put all of the pieces together for this hearing, and 

they have been with me and worked many hours and on occasions 

when I didn’t even know that they were working. I’d like to thank 

them from the bottom of my heart. [Applause.] 

And, also, all of you because those of you here have made a 

record that has never been compiled before. As you know, these 

transcripts become public. They’re published in the course of our 

work. This is an official hearing. 

We invited every Member of the House Judiciary Committee that 

wanted to to come to be in attendance in this hearing, and so this 

is a huge step forward. As a matter of fact, we’ve received so much 

new information, so much past history, so many court decisions, so 

much other extraordinary government agency activity and executive branch activity that we’re going to take a while before we 

make our next step so as to very carefully go over this. Fortunately, I have an incredible staff, both here in Detroit and in 

Washington, of a combination of lawyers, investigators, and scholars that can help us parse through the tremendous record that has 

been compiled here at Wayne University Medical School. I’m grateful to you all, and with that, the hearing is declared to be ended. 

[Whereupon, at 6:56 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

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E-4.eps
490 

FOLLOW-UP MATERIAL SUBMITTED BY ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER, 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE


F-1.eps
491 

f 


F-2.eps
492 

POST-HEARING QUESTIONS SUBMITTED TO ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER, 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

f 


N-1.eps
493 

LETTER FROM ROGER GOODELL, COMMISSIONER, NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, TO

THE HONORABLE STEVE KING, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE

OF IOWA, AND MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY


N-2.eps
494 

Æ 


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