Putting minds to good use
Three NFL players announced Monday they will donate their brains and spinal cord tissue to a Boston University medical school program that studies sports brain injuries.
Even though dozens of former NFL players have agreed to donate their brains after death, Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu and Arizona Cardinals receiver Sean Morey are the first active players to do so.
The goal of the university’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, a collaborative venture between BU Medical School and Sports Legacy Institute, is to better understand the long-term effects of repeated concussions.
“When you are active, your contract, what you get paid, is based on the perception of your health, and no player wants to be perceived as being prone to concussions,” said Chris Nowinski, the center’s co-director. “That’s why I am so impressed with these guys. I hope they are the first of many.”
More than 150 former athletes, including 40 retired NFL players, already are in the program’s brain donation registry.
Doctors see sports-related brain trauma as a growing health crisis due to the discovery of the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy in a number of athletes who have recently died. The condition is caused by repetitive trauma to the brain.
“This is a bigger threat than we are acknowledging,” said Nowinski, who suffered concussions as a college football player and professional wrestler.
Tatupu got involved through former Seahawks teammate Isaiah Kacyvenski, Nowinski’s roommate at Harvard.
“They approached me about the idea. Just thought it was a chance to give back to the game and the players playing it down the road,” Tatupu said inside the Seahawks’ locker room in Renton, Wash., on Monday. “Game’s been good to me, and I’d like to help people out if I can.”
Ruling on Jets’ injury reporting expected
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell expects to rule this week on the New York Jets’ failure to report Brett Favre’s arm injury last season.
“We’re following up, actually, today, with some interviews to various personnel so that we’ll, hopefully, have all the facts in the next couple of days and be able to make some decisions later this week,” Goodell said Monday.
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said last Thursday his team should have included Favre’s torn biceps tendon on mandatory weekly injury reports over the final third of last season. Favre is now with the Minnesota Vikings.
49ers consider new offer to Crabtree
Coach Mike Singletary said the San Francisco 49ers have discussed changing their offer to top draft pick Michael Crabtree, a receiver.
Whether the franchise has reached out to the former Texas Tech star formally, Singletary wasn’t sure. He has asked the brass to keep him completely out of it so he can focus on the 53 players he has on the active roster.
Crabtree, the 10th overall pick in April’s draft who turned 22 on Monday, hasn’t accepted the 49ers’ offer for approximately five years and $20 million with a reported $16 million guaranteed.
Around the league
Pittsburgh’s two-time All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu will not need surgery to repair the tear in his left medical collateral ligament. He is still, however, expected to miss 3-6 weeks. … Veteran quarterback Jeff Garcia and the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal. … Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Reggie Hayward will miss the rest of the season after breaking his left shin on Sunday. … Denver Broncos linebacker Spencer Larsen will miss a few weeks after injuring his shoulder in a fall in the locker room at Cincinnati.