68 replies to this topic

[Maxman]

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1241371

Former NY Jets running back says he can't say how many 'baby concussions' he suffered during 12 seasons in the NFL with five different teams.

Thomas Jones fears pro football did irreparable damage to his brain, and he wants science to prove it.

The former Jets running back told ESPN that he will donate his brain upon his death to the Sports Legacy Institute to look for evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease that has been linked to NFL players.

Barely a year into retirement, Jones is speaking out about the harm inflicted on his body during his 12 seasons on the gridiron, specifically the countless concussions that have him worried about his future.

"It's like taking a fresh, ripe apple and tapping it with your thumb over and over again," Jones said of the concussions, most of which went undiagnosed.

"I couldn't give you a number because you just play with them," Jones said. "You can't know; nobody does. I think the guys counting the concussions were the ones that got knocked out."

These "baby concussions," as Jones calls them, have also motivated more than 600 additional living athletes to donate their brains to the Sports Legacy Institute, which has already found evidence of CTE in 33 of 34 deceased former NFL players.

Most recently, Junior Seau was diagnosed with CTE by five brain specialists working for the National Institutes of Health. A future Hall-of-Fame linebacker, Seau shot himself to death in May of last year.

"His suicide, you see it on TV and it's just news," Jones said. "But to us, it's more than that."

The Jets' record holder for most rushing touchdowns in a season - with 14 in 2009 - Jones also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 2011 with over 10,000 rushing yards to his name. But these accolades may have come with a price.

The effects of CTE, primarily diagnosed in individuals with a history of concussions and other head trauma, include dementia, memory loss, vertigo, chronic headaches and has even been linked to psychosis and Parkinson's disease.

Convinced that CTE and pro football go hand in hand, Jones is set to release "The NFL: The Gift or the Curse?" a documentary series that examines this link.

"The fans look at it as money," Jones said. "But once you've bought everything you want, you realize there is more you want out of life."

[Matt39]

I like Jones, but this guy is a year out of the league that made him and rich and now he's saying there's more to life.....ok.

[#27TheDominator]

I think this is a good thing, but we need a few guys that aren't complaining about having CTE and undiagnosed concussions to donate their brains too. Jones wants more out of life, but he waited until a full year after nobody wanted to sign him to come up with this? Even though he is saying the game is bad for you and there is more to life, if somebody offered him a one year deal for 2013 he'd be in camp instead of burning the bridge.

[Jet27]

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.1241371

Former NY Jets running back says he can't say how many 'baby concussions' he suffered during 12 seasons in the NFL with five different teams.

Thomas Jones fears pro football did irreparable damage to his brain, and he wants science to prove it.

The former Jets running back told ESPN that he will donate his brain upon his death to the Sports Legacy Institute to look for evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease that has been linked to NFL players.

Barely a year into retirement, Jones is speaking out about the harm inflicted on his body during his 12 seasons on the gridiron, specifically the countless concussions that have him worried about his future.

"It's like taking a fresh, ripe apple and tapping it with your thumb over and over again," Jones said of the concussions, most of which went undiagnosed.

"I couldn't give you a number because you just play with them," Jones said. "You can't know; nobody does. I think the guys counting the concussions were the ones that got knocked out."

These "baby concussions," as Jones calls them, have also motivated more than 600 additional living athletes to donate their brains to the Sports Legacy Institute, which has already found evidence of CTE in 33 of 34 deceased former NFL players.

Most recently, Junior Seau was diagnosed with CTE by five brain specialists working for the National Institutes of Health. A future Hall-of-Fame linebacker, Seau shot himself to death in May of last year.

"His suicide, you see it on TV and it's just news," Jones said. "But to us, it's more than that."

The Jets' record holder for most rushing touchdowns in a season - with 14 in 2009 - Jones also played for the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring in 2011 with over 10,000 rushing yards to his name. But these accolades may have come with a price.

The effects of CTE, primarily diagnosed in individuals with a history of concussions and other head trauma, include dementia, memory loss, vertigo, chronic headaches and has even been linked to psychosis and Parkinson's disease.

Convinced that CTE and pro football go hand in hand, Jones is set to release "The NFL: The Gift or the Curse?" a documentary series that examines this link.

"The fans look at it as money," Jones said. "But once you've bought everything you want, you realize there is more you want out of life."

What if they don't want his brain?

[SenorGato]

That brain registered seeing Meagan Good's TIIIIIIIIIITSSSSSS.

[BleedGreen314]

Tommy baby. Dont like CTE? Get a job as a personal trainer. Oh, doesn't pay as well?

[SayNoToDMC]

Might have been a more noble pursuit if at the end there this article didn't turn into a plug for a documentary series he's releasing.

[T0mShane]

Convinced that CTE and pro football go hand in hand, Jones is set to release "The NFL: The Gift or the Curse?" a documentary series that examines this link

Is he going to finance it by selling his Rolls Royce Phantom?

[#27TheDominator]

Might have been a more noble pursuit if at the end there this article didn't turn into a plug for a documentary series he's releasing.

Agreed, but to be fair, the documentary series is about CTE vs. the wonders of the NFL. At least this fits the subject matter.

[Integrity28]

I think he plans to kill someone, and this gesture is just a precursory way of saying 'mah brain injuries made me do it'.

[SenorGato]

No really, he did a lot of this:

[SayNoToDMC]

Im going to donate my brain and join the lawsuits. The drinking and trauma causes by watching the Jets every weekend must add up and I have nothing to show for it now but a diminished quality of life.

Edited by SayNoToDMC, 17 January 2013 - 10:06 AM.

[pointman]

There are millions of guys who would take his place and play for peanuts. No one forced him to play in the NFL. It was a privilege. He should have worked as a cashier at the grocery instead then.

[SenorGato]

Is an earned privilege a privilege?

[pointman]

Is an earned privilege a privilege?

Yup. Tons of talented guys never get a shot. If Jones never played, no one would have known or cared. Had he not been an NFL caliber running back, he'd be working some minimum wage job for another 30 years.

[cr726]

Yup. Tons of talented guys never get a shot. If Jones never played, no one would have known or cared. Had he not been an NFL caliber running back, he'd be working some minimum wage job for another 30 years.

You are making a lot of assumptions. He graduated from the U of VA and has created a scholarship fund there as well.

[T0mShane]

It's like when Bob Guccione's daughter would give speeches against the evils of the porn industry, then drive away in her Mercedes to get back to the manse.

[Greenseed4]

So, does his brain go straight to the jar, or does it dance around for a while?

[pointman]

You are making a lot of assumptions. He graduated from the U of VA and has created a scholarship fund there as well.

Point being that many of them, most in fact, wouldn't be millionaires if it was for football. Congrats to Tom. That fund exists, most likely, cause he ran head first into other human beings.

[slats]

It's like when Bob Guccione's daughter would give speeches against the evils of the porn industry, then drive away in her Mercedes to get back to the manse.

It's really not, though. It's not like being Guccione's daughter was going to result in her having a shortened, pain-ridden life with an incurable depression brought on by CTE.

I get that these guy play for the money, the glory, the women, and maybe even the love of the game... but these ailments are well documented and real.