National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman took an odd stance this week, denying a relation to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (C.T.E), a disease of the brain found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma, and hockey. C.T.E., which many athletes suffer after taking multiple blows to the head, has shown up in almost all contact sports, including prominently in the NFL. Since Bettman believes there’s no link between hockey and the degenerative brain disease, lawyers for former players who are suing the league want to speak to him.
“We should have the chance now to walk him through some of his denials and find out why he has made his statements and ask him what makes him so sure,” lead counsel Charles Zimmerman said. “Why is he so willing to go against conventional science which says repeated blows to the head cause damage to the brain?”
Bettman’s goal here is not wanting to hand out a significant amount of money to former players due to the lawsuit. It’s a naive, dangerous take.
Connecticut’s U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal also voiced his opinion on the matter, tweeting he was disappointed in the league for the continual denial and said the NHL should take the issue more seriously for the future of the game.
Disappointed @NHL continues to deny link between concussions & #CTE. I will continue to press for real answers: https://t.co/NRvyqSgRvK
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) July 28, 2016
.@NHL has an obligation, not only to its players, but to countless parents & children to uncover real dangers of consistent head injuries.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) July 28, 2016
Bettman’s continued denial isn’t playing well to the public and it’s not surprising. The NFL put a lot of blood on their hands when they denied the connection and now it’s blowing up in their face. The NHL is destined for the same fate. Bettman needs to take the Senator’s advice and think about the game’s future and not his own bottom-line. C.T.E. can be deadly. The NHL needs to get ahead of it and ensure players, both past and present, are treated fairly.
[theScore]
