In September of 2002, Dr. Bennet Omalu met the corpse of the National Football League (NFL) player, Mike Webster. What Dr. Omalu did not realize is, Mr. Webster would help him change the NFL and medical world forever. On September 24, 2002, Steelers’ Offensive lineman, Mike Webster, died of what doctors considered “a heart attack”. However, Omalu was determined to find out what actually killed Mike Webster. Initially, other doctors determined that Webster had died from a heart-attack, but before his death, Webster suffered from depression, dementia, amnesia, and severe back pain. However, Omalu was troubled that Webster was experiencing these symptoms at a relatively young age. During his investigations, Omalu discovered what he originally called CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY…). As he began introducing his discoveries to Medical Journals, the media, and even the owners of the NFL, his effects on the atmosphere of American Football began to alter. “Naturally, he assumed the NFL would have a vested interest in how ‘repeated sub-concussive blows to the head can cause microscopic injuries to the brain.’ Those injuries can, in turn, lead to a range of nightmarish symptoms, including depression, drug abuse, sui-cidal behavior and mood changes” (Taking on the NFL…). Instead, Dr. Omalu faced a lot of opposition to football fans and especially the NFL itself. This included harassment, the NFL discrediting his work in any way possible, and informing people the dangers of what constant concussions can cause. Despite the effects of his findings, Omalu continued to fight to inform the people of the dangers football could have if disregarded.
When Dr. Omalu first introduced his findings, one of the first responses he received were immediate discreditation from the NFL. The NFL chose doctors to fight against Dr. Omalu’s findings. “Three handpicked NFL doctors, Ira Casson, Elliot Pellman and David Viano, gave opposing opinions and said that Omalu’s research had ‘serious flaws,’ calling for Omalu’s initial article to be retracted” (Concussion Movie vs True Story). However, none of these doctors were actual neuropathologists. Actually, Dr. Elliot Pellman, was a rheumatologist, or a doctor who specializes in joints and not the brain (Concussion Movie vs True Story). The NFL continued to request that Dr. Omlau would retract his findings from the Neuroscience Journal; in argument that he did not actually have any proof and any data he already had was false.
Another effect of Dr. Omalu sharing his findings,were threats to his wife’s and his wellbeings. According to Dr. Omalu, random people would constantly ask him, “How dare you, a foreigner like you from Nigeria? What is Nigeria known for, the eighth most corrupt country in the world? Who are you? Who do you think you are to come to tell us how to live our lives?” (The FRONTLINE). Other instances include random people following them around. Dr. Omalu’s girlfriend, Prema Mutiso was followed around by an unknown individual in a vehicle. At one point, Dr. Omalu and Prema were forced to move out of Pittsburgh for a while for their own safety.
After a few years, people began to accept Dr. Omalu’s findings and expert opinion. Even the NFL accepted his findings. This allowed people to be properly informed about the dangers of football and how they can properly play to prevent diseases like Mike Webster’s and other victims from occurring with youth football athletes. Dr. Omalu’s major concern with football is the effects blows to the head has on the youth. If children who play, use the same methods as Mike Webster, they would not live to be adults. His findings finally allowed the sport of football to properly develop safety equipment and methods of contact to be taught to all football athletes. Since the NFL had accepted this information as true, the total number of youth playing football has dropped by 10% (Concussion). It is obvious to see that mothers and fathers agree with Omalu’s standpoint that football is a sport that should be avoided by children, adolescents, and even adults.
Although Dr.Omalu met a lot of opposition in his fight to inform the public, he is saving a lot of lives from the same fate Mike Webster faced. Overall, Dr.Omalu created a chain reaction of events that would eventually humiliate “the sport that owns its own day of the week.” These effects were not only dangerous to Dr.Omalu’s career, but also his life. The reaction of football fans caused Omalu to move away from Pittsburgh to ensure the safety of his current wife and his lives. It is surprising that the NFL went through as much trouble as they did to prevent and money and supporters from being lost. The repercussions Dr.Omalu faced were intense and tough to go through, but the final result included the saving of many youth lives and the proper informing of the dangers of football. However, Dr. Omalu does not believe there are any football players who already have CTE. When asked on his thoughts about players having this disease, Dr. Omalu responded, “OK. Based on my experience, there has not been any NFL player I’ve examined that did not have CTE. Now, the degrees of advancement of the disease will be different, and they have different types. So my opinion is, based on my experience, is all of them…)” (The FRONTLINE). Although Dr. Omlau believes that the current players already have the disease, it is apparent that Omalu is doing whatever he can to inform the sport on how to prevent this disease from worsening in the youth.
Works Cited
- Cantu, Robert C. “CHRONIC TRAUMATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LE… : Neurosurgery.” LWW, Neurosurgery , journals.lww.com/neurosurgery/Citation/2007/08000/CHRONIC_TRAUMATIC_ENCEPHALOPATHY_IN_THE_NATIONAL.1.aspx. Accessed 10 May 2017.
- Dodd, Johnny, et al. “Taking on the Nfl His Fight to Make Football Safer.” People, vol. 85, no. 1, 04 Jan. 2016, p. 56. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=111982868&site=ehost-live.
- Omalu, Bennet. “Concussion Movie vs True Story.” History vs Hollywood, History vs Hollywood, 2015, www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/concussion/. Accessed 10 May 2017.
- “The FRONTLINE Interview: Dr. Bennet Omalu – League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 2013, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sports/league-of-denial/the-frontline-interview-dr-bennet-omalu/. Accessed 14 May 2017.