10 Protector of the league: Bob Cantu interview, 2012.
11 Conclusions of NFL Paper Number 6: Elliot J. Pellman et al., “Concussion in Professional Football, Part 6,” Neurosurgery, Dec. 2004.
12 The response: Elliot J. Pellman et al., “Concussion in Professional Football, Part 6,” Neurosurgery, Dec. 2004 (comments).
13 A lark: Bill Barr interview, 2012.
14 Coauthored a chapter: Mark R. Lovell and William Barr, “American Professional Football,” Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports, pp. 209–219.
15 Madison Square Garden: Barr interview, 2012.
16 He was incredulous: Barr interview, 2012.
17 Pellman later denied: “Doctor Yes,” ESPN The Magazine, Oct. 28, 2006.
18 Barr began to contact: Barr e-mail correspondence with Rick Naugle, Chris Randolph, and John Woodward.
19 This was false: “Doctor Yes,” ESPN The Magazine, Oct. 28, 2006.
20 Lovell denied: Mark Lovell interview.
21 Maroon seemed taken aback: Pellman et al., “Concussion in Professional Football, Part 6,” Neurosurgery, Dec. 2004 (comments).
22 A letter to his dean: Letter from Barr to Richard I. Levin, Vice Dean for Education, Faculty and Academic Affairs, NYU School of Medicine, April 29, 2005.
23 Five papers in as many months: “Concussion in Professional Football,” Parts 4–8, ran monthly between Oct. 2004 and Feb. 2005 in Neurosurgery. Committee members told the authors that the NFL project evolved into a series of 16 papers but that no specific number was originally planned.
24 Concussions were so minor: Elliot J. Pellman et al., “Concussion in Professional Football, Part 7,” Neurosurgery, Jan. 2007.
25 “Concussion prone”: Elliot J. Pellman et al., “Concussion in Professional Football, Part 12,” Neurosurgery, Feb. 2006.
26 For $500,000: “NFL Helmet Manufacturer Warned on Concussion Risk,” Frontline, May 1, 2013. This article, written by Sabrina Shankman, was part of a reporting partnership between Frontline and ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The original article can be found at pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/concussion-watch/nfl-helmet-manufacturer-warned-on-concussion-risk; and espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9228260/report-warned-riddell-no-helmet-prevent-concussions-nfl-helmet-maker-marketed-one-such-anyway/.
27 A confidential report: Report from Chris Withnall, senior engineer, Biokinetics, prepared for Riddell Inc., Nov. 15, 2000.
28 “Full stop”: Frontline, May 1, 2013.
29 Riddell provided the helmets: Mark Lovell interview, 2012.
30 Collins, who led the study: Micky Collins et al., “Examining Concussion Rates and Return to Play in High School Football Players Wearing Newer Helmet Technology: A Three-Year Prospective Cohort Study,” Neurosurgery, Feb. 2006.
31 A blistering commentary: Micky Collins et al., “Examining Concussion Rates and Return to Play in High School Football Players Wearing Newer Helmet Technology: A Three-Year Prospective Cohort Study,” Neurosurgery, Feb. 2006 (comments).
CHAPTER 10
1 Apuzzo continued to rubber-stamp: Cantu, the section editor, said other peer reviewers were recruited to evaluate the papers after he and Guskiewicz refused; the publication of the NFL concussion series continued until just before the MTBI committee was disbanded.
2 Agreed to publish Omalu’s paper: Omalu e-mails.
3 Support Cantu’s theory: Cantu interview, 2012.
4 The torturous review process: Omalu e-mails and interview, 2012.
5 An original version: Omalu and Hamilton e-mails.
6 The paper was published: Bennet I. Omalu et al., “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player,” Neurosurgery, July 2005.
7 Donald Marion: Omalu interview, 2012; Hamilton e-mails; Donald Marion interview, 2012.
8 Omalu wrote to his colleagues: Omalu e-mail to DeKosky and Hamilton.
9 The NFL’s letter: Ira R. Casson, Elliot J. Pellman, and David C. Viano, “Correspondence,” Neurosurgery, May 2006.
10 A shot of Johnnie Walker Red: Omalu interview, 2012; Omalu, Play Hard, Die Young: Football Dementia, Depression, and Death.
11 He did some quick research: Omalu interview, 2012; Omalu, Play Hard, Die Young: Football Dementia, Depression, and Death.
12 Omalu e-mailed: Hamilton e-mails.
13 Hamilton wasn’t at all amused: Hamilton interview, 2012, and e-mails.
14 The men exchanged e-mails: Hamilton e-mails.
15 Dug further into the history: Omalu, Hamilton, and DeKosky interviews, 2012.
16 He had discovered another case of CTE: Omalu, Hamilton, DeKosky, and Wecht interviews; Hamilton e-mails.
17 Terry Long killed himself: Long autopsy report.
18 Long was like Webster: Long biography from ProFootball Reference.com; Bailes interview, 2012; “Long, Terrence L,” TribLive, obituaries; and “Long Carries His Weight with Steelers,” Pittsburgh Press, Aug. 6, 1985.
19 Tested positive for steroids: “Long’s Road Back,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 4, 1991.
20 Dramatic downward spiral: Omalu, Play Hard, Die Young: Football Dementia, Depression, and Death; “Final Days Were Troubled for Former Steeler,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 10, 2005.
21 “Ground Zero”: “Heads Up,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 7, 2000. Upon launching the UPMC concussion program, Micky Collins told Chuck Finder: “What we really want to do is make Pittsburgh ground zero.”
22 The autopsy: Dr. Abdulrezak Shakir interview, 2012; Long autopsy; Omalu interview, 2012.
23 Omalu repeated the process: Bennet I. Omalu et al., “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player: Part II,” Neurosurgery, Nov. 2006.
24 Omalu sent the slides to Hamilton: Omalu and Hamilton interviews, 2012; Hamilton e-mails.
25 He went straight to the media: “Wecht: Long Died from Brain Injury; Had Head Trauma from NFL Days,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 14, 2005.
26 The NFL responded swiftly: “Surgeon Disputes Findings; Disagrees with Wecht That Football Killed Long,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 15, 2005.
27 Wecht called Omalu at home: Omalu and Wecht interviews, 2012.
28 A 1987 letter written by Maroon: “Cause of Death Sparks Debate,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 16, 2005.
29 Even more confusing: “Suicide Ruling in Long’s Death Hasn’t Ended Controversy,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 26, 2006.
30 Finishing touches: Hamilton e-mails.
31 Omalu, Hamilton, and DeKosky wrote: Bennet I. Omalu et al., “Correspondence,” Neurosurgery, May 2006.
32 Published the Long study six months later: Bennet I. Omalu et al., “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player: Part II,” Neurosurgery, Nov. 2006.
33 The phone rang at Omalu’s desk: Omalu and Bailes interviews, 2012; Omalu, Play Hard, Die Young: Football Dementia, Depression, and Death, 2008.
34 Bailes told Omalu: Bailes and Omalu interviews, 2012.
35 One of Cantu’s former patients: Chris Nowinski and Omalu interviews, 2012; Omalu, Play Hard, Die Young: Football Dementia, Depression, and Death.
36 A new breed of Dissenter: Nowinski biography from Nowinski interview, 2012; Christopher Nowinski, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis.
37 Killer Kowalski’s Pro Wrestling School: www.killerkowalskis.com.
38 “A dynamic individual”: Cantu interview, 2012.
39 Nowinski was checking SI.com: Nowinski interview, 2012.
40 Andre Waters: Biography from ProFootballReference.com; “Pro Football’s Necessary Headaches to NFL Players,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 30, 1994.
41 Nowinski played a hunch: Nowinski interview, 2012.
42 While trying to get his book published: Nowinski and Alan Schwarz interviews, 2012.
43 Primarily a baseball writer: Schwarz interview, 2012; Alan Schwarz, T
he Numbers Game: Baseball’s Lifelong Fascination with Statistics, 2005.
44 The story on the Waters results: This account of the background on how the Andre Waters story developed is drawn from 2012 interviews with Schwarz, Nowinski, and Omalu.
45 Waters had brain damage: “Expert Ties Ex-Players’ Brain Damage to Football,” New York Times, Jan. 18, 2007.
46 When Bailes contacted Omalu: Bailes and Omalu interviews, 2012.
47 Omalu and Maroon had struck a truce: Omalu and Maroon interviews, 2012; Hamilton e-mails.
48 Gathered in Hamilton’s office: This account of the meeting is drawn from 2012 interviews with Omalu, Bailes, Hamilton, DeKosky, and Maroon.
CHAPTER 11
1 Profoundly affected: Harry Carson interview, 2012.
2 “Dick in the dirt”: Harry Carson, Captain for Life, p. 209 (electronic).
3 No player had hit him harder: Harry Carson, Captain for Life, p. 184 (electronic). He confessed: Carson interview, 2012.
4 He went back: “Two Authors of N.F.L. Study on Concussions Dispute Finding,” New York Times, June 10, 2007.
5 Riddell developed PowerPoint presentations: A history of the controversial Revolution helmet study, Riddell’s marketing strategy, and the relationship between Riddell and ImPACT is summarized in a partial opinion issued in Riddell’s lawsuit against Schutt. The court established a series of “undisputed facts,” which included the findings that Riddell provided salary support for Collins and Lovell; ImPACT agreed not to sell concussion software at “any places in conflict with Riddell”; ImPACT agreed to pay Riddell for any sale “completed through a Riddell initiated contact”; and data compiled in 2002 and 2003, the first two years of the three-year study, produced “nearly identical concussion rates” in Year 1 and a difference that was “not statistically significant” in Year 2. The opinion granted Riddell summary judgment to toss out Schutt’s claims that Riddell falsely advertised the concussion-reducing properties of the Revolution helmet. Schutt “has failed to identify literally false statements or show that it has been harmed by plaintiff statements,” Judge Barbara B. Crabb wrote. See Riddell, Inc. v. Schutt Sports, Inc.
6 The two pieces ran: “ ‘I don’t want anyone to end up like me’; Plagued by postconcussion syndrome and battling an amphetamine addiction, former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson is a shell of his former self,” Boston Globe, Feb. 2, 2007; and “Dark Days Follow Hard-Hitting Career in N.F.L.,” New York Times, Feb. 2, 2007. The main difference in the two pieces was MacMullan’s revealing interview with Belichick. The Patriots’ coach declined comment to the Times.
7 “88 Plan”: “Wives United by Husbands’ Post-N.F.L. Trauma,” New York Times, March 14, 2007.
8 “Many elderly people”: New York Times, March 14, 2007.
9 1982 study: Ira R. Casson et al., “Neurological and CT Evaluation of Knocked Out Boxers,” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 1982. Sports Illustrated
10 brought in Casson: Robert Boyle and Wilmer Ames, “Too Many Punches, Too Little Concern,” Sports Illustrated, April 11, 1983.
11 In a 2010 article: Ira R. Casson, “Do the ‘Facts’ Really Support an Association between NFL Players’ Concussions, Dementia and Depression?” Neurology Today, June 3, 2010.
12 Goldberg said he walked away thinking: Bernard Goldberg interview, 2013.
13 Inherited a nightmare: Bob Stern interview, 2013.
14 After taking office: Don Van Natta Jr., “His Game, His Rules,” ESPN The Magazine, March 5, 2013.
15 “Why did they ask you?”: Julian Bailes interview, 2012.
16 The daylong meeting: Unless otherwise noted, this account of the NFL’s tumultuous 2007 concussion summit comes primarily from interviews with Mark Lovell, Micky Collins, Julian Bailes, Kevin Guskiewicz, Bob Cantu, and Bill Barr. The timeline is drawn from a written agenda issued by the league to the participants.
17 “You’re looking for an answer”: This quote is from an interview Times reporter Alan Schwarz conducted with Pellman and Casson. A recording of the interview was provided by Schwarz.
18 Goodell also weighed in: “NFL Personnel Discuss Concussion Management,” St. Petersburg Times (FL), June 20, 2007.
19 A bit heated: Schwarz interview with Pellman.
CHAPTER 12
1 Omalu wanted to travel to Florida: Details of Florida trip from 2012 interviews with Omalu and Nowinski as well as their respective books.
2 A two-page document: Document was provided by Nowinski.
3 Tossed around names: Omalu and Nowinski interviews, 2012; Omalu e-mails.
4 “He can be trusted”: Omalu e-mails.
5 Omalu brought in his own champion: The account of how SLI was formed is drawn from interviews with Omalu, Nowinski, Bailes, and Fitzsimmons, and Omalu e-mails.
6 Resurrected his own concussion summits: Leigh Steinberg, Nowinski, Omalu, and Bailes interviews, 2012; 2007 National Concussion Summit pamphlet.
7 “Ticking time bomb”: “Steinberg Labels Concussions ‘Time Bomb,’ ” Associated Press, April 20, 2007.
8 More disturbing story to tell: Omalu, Nowinski, Bailes, Lovell, and Guskiewicz interviews, 2012; Omalu PowerPoint presentation.
9 Sights on the brain of another player: Bailes and Nowinski interviews, 2012; Omalu e-mails.
10 Steelers offensive lineman: Strzelczyk biography from ProFootballReference.com; “What Drove Justin Strzelczyk to His Death?” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Oct. 21, 2004.
11 He remembered Strzelczyk: Bailes interview, 2012.
12 Schwarz had another story: “Lineman, Dead at 36, Exposes Brain Injuries,” New York Times, June 15, 2007.
13 The NFL needed a new strategy: Peter Davies interview, 2012, and e-mails.
14 Bailes continued to be shaken: Colleen Bailes and Julian Bailes, interview, 2012.
15 Casson set out to find an independent expert: Davies interview, 2012.
16 A leader in Alzheimer’s research: www.einstein.yu.edu; DeKosky interview, 2012.
17 Met with the committee at the NFL’s headquarters: Davies interview, 2012.
18 West Virginia University: Details of the meeting and the events that followed are from 2012 interviews with Davies, Omalu, Bailes, and Maroon; Omalu and Davies e-mails; the PowerPoint presentation Davies prepared for the NFL; and “Game Brain,” GQ, Oct. 2009.
19 “What are you going to do about this?”: This account of Jason Luckasevic’s friendship with Omalu and the early conversations about the NFL lawsuit are from 2012 interviews with Luckasevic and Omalu.
20 On September 18, 2007: Transcripts from “Oversight of the NFL Retirement System,” hearing convened by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.
21 His name was Dave Duerson: Biography from ProFootballReference.com; Duerson testimony; “Dave Duerson: The Ferocious Life and Tragic Death of a Super Bowl Star,” Men’s Journal, May 2011.
22 A screaming match: “Dave Duerson Knew Nothing about Concussions and Players’ Best Interests,” www.concussioninc.net, Feb. 24, 2011.
23 Charged with assaulting his wife: “Dave Duerson: The Ferocious Life and Tragic Death of a Super Bowl Star,” Men’s Journal, May 2011.
CHAPTER 13
1 Chris Benoit: “The Last Days of Chris Benoit,” Maxim, Nov. 14, 2007; “Steroids Discovered in Probe of Slayings, Suicide,” Associated Press, June 27, 2007.
2 “I knew him well”: Nowinski e-mail to Omalu and others.
3 Within days of the murders: Nowinski interview, 2012, and Omalu e-mails.
4 ESPN crew showed up: Arty Berko and Omalu interviews, 2012.
5 Riddled with CTE: Omalu, Nowinski, Bailes, Cantu, and Fitzsimmons interviews, 2012.
6 Raise its national profile: Omalu and Nowinski interviews; Omalu e-mails; “Why Did Wrestler Kill Wife, Son, Self,” Larry King Live transcripts, Sept. 6, 2007.
7 Larry could take only one brain researcher: Omalu, Nowinski, Bailes, and Fitzsimmons interviews, 2
012.
8 The ESPN piece: “Brain Chasers,” ESPN, Outside the Lines, July 28, 2007.
9 Almost from the beginning: Omalu and Nowinski interviews, 2012.
10 SLI began to split apart: This account of the split is drawn from 2012 interviews with Nowinski, Omalu, Bailes, Cantu, and Fitzsimmons.
11 “Our Story”: www.sportslegacy.org.
12 Nowinski had made the connection: Nowinski and Stern interviews, 2012.
13 Her name was Ann McKee: Details of McKee’s biography were drawn from interviews with Ann McKee, Chuck McKee, Nowinski, Cantu, and Stern, 2012; “The Woman Who Would Save Football,” Grantland, Aug. 17, 2012; and www.bu.edu.
14 Appleton: “A Place to Place,” Sports Illustrated, Aug. 11, 1986.
15 During her Alzheimer’s studies: Ann McKee interview, 2012.
16 Nowinski got McKee her first brain: McKee and Nowinski interviews, 2012.
17 John Grimsley: Biography derived from ProFootballReference.com; “Former Oiler Grimsley Found Shot to Death,” Houston Chronicle, Feb. 6, 2008; “Ex-Oilers Shocked by Loss of Teammate Grimsley,” Houston Chronicle, Feb. 6, 2008; “Football-Related Head Injuries Affect Players’ Loved Ones,” Houston Chronicle, Oct. 25, 2008.
18 Two days later, Nowinski called: Nowinski and McKee interviews, 2012.
19 She was excited: McKee interview, 2012.
20 Her first call: Ann McKee and Chuck McKee interviews, 2012.
21 Schwarz broke the story: “12 Athletes Leaving Brains to Concussion Study,” New York Times, Sept. 23, 2008.
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