House Judiciary Committee hearing calls attention to long-term effects of head injury among NFL Players
Co-Founder of the Brain Injury Research Institute Testifies Before Congress, Describes Scientific Evidence Showing Irrefutable Link Between Head Injury and Long-Term Brain Disease
The House Judiciary Committee called upon national experts and stakeholders in the fields of science and sport to better understand the effects of head injuries on players in the National Football League (NFL). Nationally recognized sports physician and neurosurgeon, Julian E. Bailes, M.D. was called to provide expert testimony based on decades of research detailing how repetitive head trauma on the field leads to long-term neurological damage among athletes.
“From the microscopic examination of brains of deceased athletes and the lives of retired NFL players, there is an overwhelming body of scientific evidence that shows an irrefutable link between head trauma in the sport of football and long-term brain disease,” said Dr. Julian E. Bailes, Co-Founder of the Brain Injury Research Institute and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine. “I’m here today because I love football and want to make the game safer.”
In 2002, Dr. Bailes’ colleague and Co-Founder of the Brain Injury Research Institute, Bennet Omalu, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., discovered the first physical signs of a condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a condition which occurs in people who have suffered multiple concussions and commonly manifests as dementia, declining mental ability, memory problems and Parkinsonism. They found an abnormal collection of Tau protein – commonly found in Alzheimer’s patients – in the brain of NFL Hall of Famer Mike Webster.
“Having identified the underlying typology in CTE, our objective now is to target the abnormality and prevent the accumulation of abnormal Tau protein and to develop a therapeutic cure for this disease,” said Dr. Omalu.
Since 2002, the Brain Injury Research Institute physicians have collectively examined over twenty brains, including former NFL players Mike Webster, Justin Strzelczyk, Terry Long, and Andre Waters. They have also examined and diagnosed CTE in WWE wrestler Chris Benoit – in a much-publicized tragic case.
“The Committee appreciated Dr. Bailes’ participation in today’s hearing,” said John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “Through his testimony, Dr. Bailes provided compelling scientific data about the lasting effects of head injuries on football players.”
Source: Brain Injury Research Institute
NFL PLAYERS launches YouTube Channel offering exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of NFL PLAYERS
New channel offers exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ footage of the NFL’s biggest stars.
NFL PLAYERS, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association, announced the launch of the NFL PLAYERS YouTube channel. The channel, which can be viewed at www.YouTube.com/NFLPLAYERS, features exclusive behind the scenes footage of the NFL’s brightest stars.
Fans of the NFL will have a unique opportunity to connect with their favorite players on the most popular online video platform, YouTube. The interactive site, www.YouTube.com/NFLPLAYERS, allows subscribers to view original video content and receive customized updates and alerts every time new content is uploaded.
A wide array of content, including player-generated videos and original programming produced by NFL PLAYERS, will be featured on the YouTube.com/NFLPLAYERS channel. Highlights include segments from NFL PLAYERS’ award winning original series “Helmets Off.” From rookies touring their hometowns to veterans working out before training camp, there’s nowhere else on the Web like YouTube.com/NFLPLAYERS for up-to-date videos on the biggest personalities in the NFL.
“The opportunity to circulate our unique player content through a highly trafficked channel like YouTube helps raise awareness and visibility for our players. It also provides an opportunity for partners and fans to engage our athletes on a much more personal (off-the-field) level,” said Keith Gordon, Acting President, NFL PLAYERS
The NFL PLAYERS YouTube Channel creative mirrors the theme of this season’s NFL PLAYERS brand campaign “Strength in Numbers.” The channel offers links back to NFLPLAYERS.COM where fans can experience the interactive campaign and browse additional behind-the-scenes content related to their favorite players.
Visit NFLPLAYERS.COM for more information or subscribe today at www.YouTube.com/NFLPLAYERS.
Source: NFL PLAYERS
Verizon Wireless Offers Football Fans New Ways To Keep Up With Their Favorite Teams All Season Long
College, NFL apps provide real-time scores, news and fantasy information
Missing the big game this weekend? Want to be the first to know when college and NFL news breaks? Wondering who to pluck off the waiver wire for your fantasy team? No problem. Verizon Wireless and its exciting suite of mobile phone apps have football fans covered all season long, no matter where they are.
When real life prevents fans from being in front of the TV or inside the stadium on fall Saturdays and Sundays, it’s possible to keep up with all the action with apps like ESPN MVP, Fox Sports Ultimate and College Superfans. Verizon Wireless, the nation’s leading wireless company with the largest and most reliable 3G network, offers customers a wide range of football-related apps for use on Verizon Wireless handsets. They include:
– ESPN MVP gives users instant access to the most in-depth mobile sports content with V CAST V Pak – including live gamecasts, exclusive commentary and video alerts sent right to your phone
– Fox Sports Ultimate shows users scores, stats, schedules, team news, fantasy information and league standings whenever and wherever you want. It also allows users to update fantasy league information
– College Superfans provides real-time access to favorite college teams, with up-to-the-minute scores, news stories, schedules, AP & BCS polls, conference standings, game previews and summaries at your fingertips. Select your favorite team, pick the sports you want to follow and you’re ready to go!
Additional Verizon Wireless apps offer sports fans unmatched access to athletes and provide excellent personalization options.
View video blogs, receive signed sports memorabilia and even chat live with your favorite athletes across the country with Playmaker Mobile, show your school spirit with College Fan Zone, or pledge your NFL allegiance with NFL Pix & Tones.
With all the technology that allows fans to follow their favorite teams in real-time when they can’t get to a TV or to the game, it’s a great time to be a sports fan.
For more information, visit http://products.vzw.com/.
Source: Verizon Wireless
NFL star helps youngsters tackle the environment
Atlanta Falcons Ovie Mughelli, Eco-Athlete and Founder of the Ovie Mughelli Foundation, to kick off the Greening Youth Foundation’s Green Speaker Series
Mughelli to be “deputized” by Gwinnett students as an Environmental Detective
Students at Brookwood Elementary School in Snellville, Georgia, are about to find out that environmental action and football can be a perfect match. Ovie Mughelli, starting fullback for the Atlanta Falcons and Eco-Athlete, will address the members of Brookwood’s Eco-Force environmental club on Friday, October 16, to kick off the Greening Youth Foundation’s Green Speakers series. Mughelli, whose Ovie Mughelli Foundation has made environmental activism a centerpiece of its work, will invite other Falcons players to address Greening Youth students throughout the 2009-2010 schoolyear as part of the Green Speakers series, which will also feature environmental activists and entrepreneurs.
When:
Friday, October 16 at 3 p.m. Eastern
(media check-in at 2:30)
Where:
Brookwood Elementary School
1330 Holly Brook Rd., Snellville, GA 30078
(770) 736-4360
Highlights:
Students will “deputize” Mughelli, presenting him with an official Greening Youth Detective badge
Mughelli will announce the “Mughelli Eco-Challenge”
The Greening Youth Foundation has formed a partnership with the Ovie Mughelli Foundation and the Atlanta Falcons to use these larger-than-life football heroes as role models to encourage students to be more protective of the environment. Mughelli said he is excited about the opportunity that he and his teammates have to connect with so many students on an issue that has become important to him.
“I started the Ovie Mughelli Foundation to make environmental activism the primary focus for our programs for youth,” he said. “We believe it is practical lifestyle changes that we all should make in our households and our surroundings to establish a better environment.”
The Greening Youth Foundation is based in metro Atlanta and its programs currently operate in a dozen schools in Atlanta and surrounding counties, including Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett. As part of its programming, Greening Youth Foundation uses a curriculum that fuses technology, music, sports, literature and old-fashioned fun to emphasize the importance of respecting and protecting the environment and to engage students as active participants in their own education.
In the Greening Youth Foundation schools, fourth and fifth grade students are invited to join the foundation’s Eco-Force club, in which they are “deputized” as environmental detectives and encouraged to become school-wide environmental leaders. The Eco-Force members conduct comprehensive school energy audits and encourage other students to recycle.
“We are so excited about this partnership with Ovie’s foundation because we know how excited our students will be to meet the Falcons players,” said Angelou Ezeilo, Executive Director of the Greening Youth Foundation. “We are also pleased to be able to show the players how much our youngsters are learning about the environment, and we hope our youngsters motivate the players just as much as they motivate our students. Perhaps the Falcons might set an example for the entire NFL with their environmental activism!”
Ezeilo revealed that the Brookwood students will “deputize” Mughelli at Friday’s event by presenting him with an “official” Greening Youth Detective badge. Mughelli also will announce that he is throwing down an “Eco-Challenge” to the 12 Greening Youth schools: the elementary school, middle school and high school that comes up with the most creative campaign to protect the environment each will receive a special prize.
Source: Greening Youth Foundation