Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 2-2-16

Sports
Plant City Running Back
Dr. Bennet Omalu ‘Would Bet My Medical License’ That O. J. Simpson Has CTE
DR. BENNET OMALU AND O. J. SIMPSON
Dr. Bennet Omalu, the renowned neuropathologist whose discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in football players inspired the movie “Concussion,” is willing to “bet [his] medical license” that O. J. Simpson is suffer- ing from the disease.
“O. J. Simpson is more likely than not to suffer from CTE,” Omalu told ABC News earlier this week. “I would bet my medical license on it.”
CTE is believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head. It has been found mostly in ath- letes who play contact sports, such as football. Multiple NFL players — including Frank Gifford and Junior Seau — have been diagnosed with CTE after their deaths.
Omalu has not examined Simpson personally, and CTE can only be diagnosed after death via an examination of brain tissue, but he told ABC News that he can identify the tell-tale signs of CTE’s behav- ioral symptoms, which he said include explosive, impulsive behavior, impaired judgment, criminality and even mood dis- orders.
The strongest evidence that Simpson may have CTE, Omalu said, is that “he was ex- posed to thousands of blunt force trauma of his brain” dur- ing his playing career.
Simpson, who was in- ducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, played in the NFL for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he won the 1973 NFL MVP after becoming the first running back to gain 2,000 yards in a season, and the San Francisco 49ers. He also won the Heisman Trophy at USC.
In September 2007, Simp- son was arrested in Las Vegas for armed robbery after at- tempting to steal sports memo- rabilia that he said belonged to him. The following year — 13 years to the day after being ac- quitted in his criminal trial — he was found guilty of robbery and kidnapping and sentenced to up to 33 years in prison.
Simpson himself once used concussions as part of a legal strategy after his conviction in the armed robbery case, but he was denied a new trial.
While Omalu stressed that CTE does not cause the crimi- nal behavior that led to Simp- son’s incarceration, he wants the case to serve a reminder of the life-altering damage that can result from playing football.
Beauty Unlimited
COURTNEY
This week’s Beauty Unlimited feature, Courtney, definitely gets your attention. She is sure she will be successful, because she’s willing to make the sac- rifices and put in the work to reach her goals. Courtney is not at all shy when it comes to being in front of the camera, and invites all the opportuni- ties she can get. Congratulations to Courtney as this week’s Beauty Unlimited feature.
Wins Guy Toph Award
Plant City senior running back, Markese Hargrove, was announced as this year’s winner of the Guy Toph Award.
Hargrove enjoyed one of the best seasons in Hillsbor- ough County’s history, rushing for 1,731 yards and 13 touch- downs, leading Plant City to an 11-2 record, the most wins in the school’s history.
Hargrove, considered un- dersized at 5’9” tall and weigh- ing 170 pounds, has a work ethic and determination that proved contagious, as his atti- tude spread through the entire team.
Hargrove said it took a while for him to find the right place on the field, as he found himself switching from posi-
Markese Hargrove holds the 2016 Guy Toph Award trophy.
tion to position, and didn’t started excelling until his jun- ior year.
Hargrove’s award made him the first athlete from Plant City High School to win the trophy.
Hargrove has received a full scholarship to the Univer- sity of South Florida and has a 4.8 GPA. However, he hasn’t decided if he wants to play football at USF.
Remarkable Journey Of Broncos' Aqib Talib: 'Wild-Horse Rider' To Big Brother
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Former Tampa Bay Bucca- neers Aqib Talib sends a group text every night to his fellow defensive backs on the Denver Broncos. The wording varies, but the central theme remains the same:
Set your alarms. Be on time tomorrow.
Talib is the punctuality po- lice for the Denver secondary. He doesn’t dig tardiness, and he’ll make sure you hear about it if you fall asleep in a meet- ing or punch out early.
“He’s like the big brother,” safety Josh Bush said.
Talib used to be big trou- ble, going back to his wild days with the Tampa Bay Buc- caneers, but he has matured into a team leader at the wise old age of 29. Still supremely talented, the Pro Bowl corner- back has become a cerebral player -- a film-watching, note-taking homebody who approaches the game with a
AQIB TALIB
serious mind.
He received a glowing en-
dorsement from one of the all- time brainiacs, teammate Peyton Manning, who gushes about Talib’s football IQ and his ability to hold grad- uate-level conversations in the language of X's and O's. Man- ning called him “a great stu- dent of the game.”
“He was a wild-horse rider who could play football at a very high level,” said a former member of the Bucs’ organiza- tion, speaking on the condi- tion of anonymity. “At the time, I wondered if he’d ever see the light, if the switch would ever go on.”
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