First, I will note that I myself had a concussion when I was 7 after I fell off my bicycle and fractured my skull. I was "out" for four hours and don't recall anything of the hour before the accident. It is part of the reason that I am very interested in the research.
As an avid NFL fan since the late 70s, I found this book difficult to read. The stories of what many players have had to endure after they retired is heartbreaking. The first time that I recall concussions being discussed in the media were in the time of Al Toon's retirement at the age of 29 after he said he had 9 concussions. I vaguely remember it being said then that there was a belief that having had one made a person predisposed to another and also there was a theory that some players are more prone to them, like Toon.
In reading this book, it carefully lays out what was known about concussions by whom and when. And the startling thing is that a lot of what we take for granted, still wasn't considered hard science even 20 years ago. In 1990, a team doctor wanted to keep Bubby Brister out of a game and the Steelers Coach Chuck Noll wanted to know why and on what basis or evidence. At the time, they were guidelines. But the doctor had no conclusive proof exactly how much time was necessary to heal a concussion. Healing times are different. There was no test, no baseline.
What the book does well is take the reader from that time when things were murky to the death of Mike Webster when there was a change. A Nigerian, Dr. Omalu, made the decision to study the Hall of Famer's brain even though he died of a heart attack due to what the doctor had read about the player's odd behavior over the last few years. After the brain was "fixed", stained and placed the brain tissue under a microscope he saw something that had not been seen before. He saw Tau. Tau, a substance in the brain, was strangling portions of Websters brain. Tau also goes a little crazy in Alzheimer's patients in a different way. The brain damage in boxers is not the same either. It was something new. And it opened up a whole new can of craziness for the NFL.
There is so much in here that is infuriating. The NFL Retirement board paid benefits for brain damage, yet the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee said "football doesn't cause brain damage". There were people who wanted to help find out exactly what was going on and they were discredited or marginalized by the NFL.
I think the book is extremely well written and it lays out all the people who have been involved (including their flaws and all) and just tells the story without really trying to steer a person in a direction. One thing that is interesting is that many of the people involved in identifying the issue love football and they're working to benefit the players they love and respect.
The one thing that I wish were included is more about why the players are not reporting concussions to the team doctors. Of course, part of it is that they're competitive and want to play, but I feel that another part of it has to do with the fact that contracts aren't guaranteed. In baseball, someone like Mike Witt could have a 5 year guaranteed contract and only end up throwing a few innings over those five years. But in football, you can't play, you get cut. Dave Duerson's wife alluded to it briefly.
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Damaged book
The book was packaged with another item (even though it wasn’t supposed to be) and the book came damaged due to this. It looks as if it’s been used and all scratched up and pages weren’t bent. Not very presentable for a gift during the holiday season.
Top reviews from other countries
Mr J Maughan
Great book. I became interested in this after watching ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2017
joerg@aumann.org
I still love football but I'm going to watch the game different from now on. Thanks to the authors!
Reviewed in Germany on October 19, 2013