The NFL's Senior Vice President for Health and Safety Policy Jeff Miller admitted to the link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy last week — a sharp turn from the NFL's previous position, according to an NY Times report.
During a roundtable discussion about concussions with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky asked whether there is a link between football and degenerative brain disorders. Mr. Miller answered affirmatively, marking the first time an NFL representative acknowledged the link.
Here are five things to know:
1. There is extensive research on professional athletes — particularly NFL players — showing early as well as advanced stages of brain degeneration, including CTE. Dr. Ann McKee presented findings recently on dozens of former players who died with the disease.
2. The NFL faces lawsuits from lawyers representing players over how the organization handled brain injuries in the past. Those lawyers jumped on the Mr. Miller's words as League admission of the link. Players involved in the lawsuit argue the league should pay damages to players who have CTE, not just those who found the disease before an approved settlement last year.
3. The league's position on CTE could influence football at the youth, high school and college levels. The NFL has spent millions on CTE research to calm parents' fears about CTE and head trauma.
4. The recent movie, "Concussion" featuring Will Smith, documented Dr. Bennet Omalu's quest to prove the link between repeated concussions in NFL players and brain degeneration. He published an article first reporting the link in former NFL Hall of Famer's Mike Webster, who died in 2002. At the time, the NFL claimed the paper had "serious flaws" and asked for a retraction.
5. The League has paid settlements for all claims prior to 2015 and future players are "on notice" about the risks of degenerative brain disease. There are some players in recent years who have decided to retire early from the game to avoid additional head injury in the future.