Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Case Study

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“Just like a Mack Truck hitting a Volkswagen,” states former NFL running back, Tony Dorsett, regarding the hardest hit to his head during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1984. He was charging up the field and out of nowhere, Ray Ellis, the opposing safety slammed into him, plowing one helmet into another. Dorsett’s helmet knocked askew and his head snapped back. “I don’t remember the second half of that game, but I do remember that hit,” he expressed in utter reflection (Zucker 1). Almost 34 years later, Tony Dorsett is still dealing with the consequences of that dreadful moment in the game. His friends and family claim that he is becoming less of an outgoing person and his quality of living deteriorates on a daily basis. Even Dorsett himself believes he is not the same person who had an unconditional love for the game those many years before. He is prone to outbursts at everything, including his daughters, and it is extremely painful for him to hear that his daughters might be afraid of him. After years of living with these cognitive and emotional problems, doctors at UCLA diagnosed him with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease commonly found in…show more content…
Brain traumas and concussions have been a primary issue since the 1920s when NFL football became a major source of entertainment in America, but the problem has increased in recent years. The rate of concussions and other severe injuries have been consistently high for over a decade and the NFL has taken very little effort in eliminating the matter at hand. In order to minimize the number of head injuries football players receive, the NFL should protect athletes’ mental and physical health by getting better gear and by having a quality health assessment that guarantees athletes will not be allowed back on the field until their injury has completely
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