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SPORTSTuesday 2 February 2016

AP survey: Concussions not most NFL players’ chief concern 

EDDIE PELLS                        In this Jan. 12, 2012, file photo, New York Giants defensive back Tyler Sash (39) runs with the ball                                  ball.
     AP Sports Writers             during NFL football practice, in East Rutherford, N.J. A member of the Giants’ 2012 Super Bowl                                        Just last week, a member
                                   championship team who died at age 27, safety Sash, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic en-                                           of the Giants’ 2012 Super
HOWARD FENDRICH                    cephalopathy (CTE). The disease is linked to repeated brain trauma and associated with symp-                                          Bowl championship team
AP Sports Writers                  toms such as memory loss, depression and progressive dementia.                                                                        who died at age 27, safety
During a 15-year NFL ca-                                                                                                                                                 Tyler Sash, was diagnosed
reer that sent him pinballing                                                                                                                          Associated Press  with chronic traumatic en-
over the middle of the field                                                                                                                                             cephalopathy (CTE). The
too many times to count,           fore that, the Indianapolis                        — only 39 of the 100 players   don’t affect me,” said Ni-                          disease is linked to repeat-
absorbing hits as wicked as        Colts. “But you mess your                          — said they are more wor-      kita Whitlock, a New York                           ed brain trauma and asso-
they come, former Denver           knee up, you’re out a year.                        ried about the long-term       Giants special teamer. “I                           ciated with symptoms such
Broncos receiver Brandon           You mess your shoulder up,                         effects of concussions than    wonder: What are my joints                          as memory loss, depression
Stokley endured injuries           you’re done for a year.”                           those of other injuries.       going to be like in 20 years?                       and progressive dementia.
that literally ran from head       That nonchalant attitude                           Of the remaining 61 play-      How will my knees hold up                           Sash was just the latest CTE
to toe.                            toward concussions that                            ers, 20 either said they are   in 20 years? What about my                          headline: The suicide of
And while, by his own es-          Stokley held while he was                          not concerned at all about     shoulders and wrists? These                         Pro Football Hall of Famer
timate, that included at           active in the league is not                        concussions or less con-       are the real weak points of                         Junior Seau. The sudden
least a dozen concus-              all that different from what                       cerned about them than         your body.”                                         retirement of San Francis-
sions, the only health issue       was expressed by many                              other injuries, while 41 said  That sort of sentiment was                          co 49ers linebacker Chris
that made him seriously            current NFL players in an AP                       the concern is equal for all   heard repeatedly by AP                              Borland. The concussion-
contemplate quitting the           survey conducted this sea-                         injuries.                      reporters, as if players were                       related lawsuits brought
game was a problem with            son and released Sunday.                           “Personally, I don’t think     ignoring everything related                         by former players. Various
a small bone in the middle         Less than half of the group                        about head injuries. They      to head trauma and foot-                            safeguards added by the
of his foot in his fourth sea-                                                                                                                                           NFL, including attempts to
son.                                                                                                                                                                     increase in-game monitor-
“I told my wife, ‘This is it. I’m                                                                                                                                        ing of head injuries and
done. I can’t deal with this                                                                                                                                             more vigilant policing of
pain every day,’” Stokley                                                                                                                                                illegal hits. During regular-
said in an interview with                                                                                                                                                season games, the NFL
The Associated Press.                                                                                                                                                    said Friday, there were 182
Yet he pressed on. Even-                                                                                                                                                 reported concussions, a 58
tually the foot pain sub-                                                                                                                                                percent increase from a
sided. The concussions?                                                                                                                                                  year ago.
Those kept accumulat-                                                                                                                                                    And yet ... “Not worried,”
ing. Stokley, essentially,                                                                                                                                               Oakland Raiders running
shrugged them off, despite                                                                                                                                               back Jamize Olawale said.
the seemingly unending                                                                                                                                                   “I think it’s blown out of
drumbeat of news about                                                                                                                                                   proportion.”
the dangers of head in-                                                                                                                                                  “You can get a head injury
juries. During his playing                                                                                                                                               from anywhere,” Houston
days, he was more worried                                                                                                                                                Texans cornerback Charles
about short-term effects                                                                                                                                                 James said. “A dude could
than later-in-life ones. “The                                                                                                                                            sucker-punch me, and I
thing with concussions is,                                                                                                                                               could get the same injury
usually, you’re out a week                                                                                                                                               I get from hitting a running
or two, and then you’re                                                                                                                                                  back head-on.”
back fine,” said Stokley, 39,                                                                                                                                            There is, to be sure, a seg-
who caught passes from                                                                                                                                                   ment of the NFL popula-
one of this week’s Super                                                                                                                                                 tion that takes concussions
Bowl quarterbacks, Peyton                                                                                                                                                and their consequences
Manning, while both were                                                                                                                                                 seriously.q
with the Broncos and, be-

                                                                                      Ex-heavyweight champion Frank
                                                                                      Bruno wants boxing comeback at age 54 

In this Thursday, Jan. 26, 1989 file photo, British heavyweight                       LONDON (AP) — Former           boxing, to get this out of                          grant Bruno a license to
champion Frank Bruno stretches his arms before sparring prac-                         world heavyweight cham-        my system, because I don’t                          box.
tice, at Club Mirage in Fountain Hills, Arizona.                                      pion Frank Bruno wants to      want to end up in (psy-                             “Mr. Bruno has not made
                                                                                      make a return to competi-      chiatric) hospital,” Bruno,                         an application for a Brit-
                                                                    Associated Press  tive boxing at the age of      who is back in training, told                       ish Boxing Board of Control
                                                                                      54.                            British broadcaster ITV on                          boxer’s licence,” Robert
                                                                                      Bruno was diagnosed with       Monday.                                             Smith, general-secretary of
                                                                                      bipolar disorder in 2003, an   Bruno won the WBC heavy-                            the BBBC, said in a emailed
                                                                                      illness he says has left him   weight belt in 1995, beating                        letter to The Associated
                                                                                      feeling “suicidal.” He has     Oliver McCall, and hasn’t                           Press, “and should such an
                                                                                      been involuntarily commit-     fought since losing to Mike                         application be received
                                                                                      ted to psychiatric care on     Tyson the following year.                           it will be considered in the
                                                                                      three occasions.               The British Boxing Board                            normal manner by the
                                                                                      “I’ve got to get back into     of Control would need to                            stewards of the board.”q
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