The new Chris Benoit Brain Damage Thread

[DiBiase is Good]

Seeing as some people are incapable of discussing a subject without flaming, the last thread on this was locked.

The rules:

2. NO FLAMING - Not even "you're an idiot" or "get your head out of your ass". You want to seriously argue a point fine. But remember that an opinion is not a fact.
Instigating other posters and/or purposely "trolling" for a dispute/argument will not be tolerated.

Now, please continue.

[Pgarodactyl]

To Summarize... by which I mean repeat the entire story....

CHRIS BENOIT'S BRAIN HAD MAJOR DAMAGE AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH
by Dave Scherer @ 9:39:43 AM on 9/5/2007

When I heard that Chris Benoit murdered his family and then killed himself, my first thought was to wonder if he had dementia associated with repeated blows to the head. There have been a number of professional athletes (mostly football players) that have suffered from this due to repeated blows to the head and undiagnosed concussions, whose cumulative effects destroyed the athletes' brain.

Today, an ABC News story today states that was, in fact, a condition from which Benoit suffered.

According to Michael Benoit, Chris' father, tests conducted by Julian Bailes of the Sports Legacy Institute show that Benoit's brain was so severely damaged it resembled that of an 85-year-old Alzheimer's patient. Bailes and his research team say that this damage was the result of a lifetime of chronic concussions and head trauma suffered while Benoit was in the wrestling ring.

Benoit was famous for his flying headbutt, which put stress on his brain every time he did it. It's now entirely possible that we know why he committed the acts.

SPORTS LEGACY INSTITUTE ISSUES RELEASE REGARDING FINDINGS OF CHRIS BENOIT BRAIN STUDY
by Mike Johnson @ 8:05:29 PM on 9/5/2007

The Sports Legacy Institute, headed by former WWE star Chris Nowinski, issued the following press release this afternoon:

Sports Legacy Institute Announces Findings of Forensic Examinations on Wrestler Chris Benoit's Brain

NEW YORK, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading medical experts associated with the Sports Legacy Institute today appeared with Michael Benoit, father of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, to release the results of neuropathological tests that demonstrate his son suffered from a type of brain damage called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which was found in all regions of his brain. The Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), which oversaw and coordinated the testing, is an independent medical research organization dedicated to studying the long-term effects of head injuries in sports. SLI President Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit on June 28th, the Thursday after his son's death, to obtain permission to study the wrestler's brain. SLI's research has indicated there is a connection between the repeated head injuries suffered by many athletes involved in contact sports and an aggregation of abnormal Tau proteins in the brain, causing CTE. CTE's most common symptoms include depression, cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinsonism and erratic behavior. Experts believe that CTE may have been a cause or contributing factor in the Benoit tragedy. While CTE has long been found in boxers, and more recently in NFL football players, the findings of CTE in Benoit suggest that athletes involved in other contact sports may also be at a heightened risk for this type of brain injury.

"When Chris Nowinski contacted me about conducting tests on Chris' brain, I was extremely hesitant given the circumstances surrounding my son's death," said Michael Benoit. "I agreed to the testing after he explained their desire to expand knowledge about the potential brain damage that athletes can suffer from repetitive head injuries in contact sports. When the results were explained to me by the SLI doctors, I was shocked to learn the extent of damage and saddened that he could have been suffering from this without anyone's knowledge. I hope the examination of Chris' brain leads to greater understanding and ultimately helps protect athletes of all ages."

Bennet Omalu, MD, MPH, a leading forensic neuropathologist, the Chief Medical Examiner of San Joaquin County, CA, and founding member of the Sports Legacy Institute examined Chris Benoit's brain as part of the Sports Legacy Project and had also examined the brains of Mike Webster, Terry Long, Andre Waters, and Justin Strzelczyk all of whom were professional football players, died by the age of fifty, and displayed similar psychological and behavioral profiles. Their brains showed evidence of CTE and two of the players -- Long, and Waters -- committed suicide.

Mike Webster died of a heart attack, but suffered from dementia, depression, and exhibited erratic behavior after retiring from football. When Justin Strzelczyk died at the age of 36, he had been telling relatives he was hearing voices from "the evil ones" and then led police on a 40 mile high- speed chase through central New York at speeds up to 100 mph on the wrong side of the highway, which resulted in an explosive crash and his death

"When the SLI approached Michael Benoit about testing Chris' brain as part of the Sports Legacy Project, our goal was to determine if there was evidence of CTE caused by repeated trauma to the head sustained during Chris Benoit's career. We have now confirmed multiple concussions are part of his medical history, along with clinical symptoms associated with CTE," said Julian Bailes, MD, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine and an SLI founding member. "Because my SLI colleagues and I have found evidence of CTE in the brains of four former professional football players, we felt an examination of Chris Benoit's brain may bring awareness to CTE's existence outside of boxers and football players. The findings of CTE in Chris Benoit suggest that there may be a common syndrome among athletes who suffer multiple head injuries in contact sports."

The neuropathological findings were confirmed by other neuropathologists, and correlate with recent findings of an increased risk of depression and cognitive impairment in professional football players who have suffered multiple concussions, according to research conducted by Dr. Bailes and another SLI founding member, Robert Cantu, MD, Chief of Neurosurgery Service and Director of Sports Medicine at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, and Co- Director of the Neurologic Sports Injury Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a form of brain damage that is best documented in boxers, but can also occur in athletes who played football, ice hockey, rugby, soccer, or any sport associated with impacts to the head. It can only be confirmed by a post-mortem neuropathological immunohistochemical study. While studies show that as many as 20 percent of professional boxers show evidence of CTE, there has been little study of CTE in athletes involved in other contact sports.

According to the examinations, Mr. Benoit's brain exhibited large amounts of abnormal Tau protein, manifested as Neurofibrillary Tangles (NFTs) and Neuropil Threads [NTs]. These represent aggregates of abnormal Tau protein, which are remnants of the cytoskeleton of the brain cells and their connections. Frequent NFTs and NTs were distributed in all regions of the brain including the neocortex, the limbic cortex, subcortical ganglia and brainstem ganglia accompanied by loss of brain cells. Accumulation of abnormal Tau protein in the form of NFTs and NTs in the brain has been confirmed to cause neurodegeneration, cognitive impairment and dementia. There was no other neuropathological evidence for any chronic or acute disorder to explain his clinical symptoms.

"The findings of CTE in Chris Benoit's brain, which are consistent with the previous examinations of athletes who suffered from repeated head traumas, confirm the need for a large-scale study of CTE in athletes who participate in contact sports," said Chris Nowinski, who retired from professional sports after multiple concussions and conceived SLI, a collaboration of doctors and advocates that includes renowned attorney Robert Fitzsimmons, who played an integral role. "The link between CTE and contact sports is clear. We need to conduct more research to understand the full spectrum of the disease and raise awareness so parents, coaches, medical staff and athletic officials know how to respond when athletes, including children, sustain head injuries. If we apply this knowledge we believe we can successfully prevent future cases."

The Sports Legacy Institute is dedicated to studying the effects of concussions and other sports related brain injuries. Through its efforts, SLI aims to maximize the safety and vitality of all athletes who participate in contact and collision sports around the globe. The designation of the Sports Legacy Institute as a 501©3 nonprofit corporation is in the process of being submitted. The Sports Legacy Institute relies on donations from concerned parties to fund its work.
Sports Legacy Institute

WWE COMMENTS ON FINDING OF CHRIS BENOIT STUDY
by Mike Johnson @ 11:01:04 AM on 9/6/2007

The Los Angeles Times has a long article on the Sports Legacy Institute's findings of their Chris Benoit study. In the article, World Wrestling Entertainment issued the following statement in response:

"Today's attempt to explain that Chris Benoit's murder of his family was possibly caused by some form of dementia as a result of alleged concussions is speculative. WWE can certainly understand the anguish of a father having to deal with the fact that his son allegedly murdered his wife and young son, as Chris Benoit is alleged to have done. We respect the desire of that father to do whatever he can to find some explanation as to why his son might commit such horrible acts."

WWE spokeswoman Jennifer McIntosh also commented on the study findings that Benoit had suffered massive brain damage from chronic traume including concussions, stating that WWE found, "no medical records of [Benoit] suffering a concussion. We don't have any answers as to why Chris did what he did. We're still awaiting the law enforcement investigation to be concluded."

[STMP]

I haven't read the previous topic, so I don't know if this has been mentioned.

But Chris Benoit probably isn't the only wrestler with brain damage. Like Nowinski said on his website, working trough serious head injuries will worsen the situation and taking a lot of blows to the head will damage the brain, a lot more then people think.

How many pro-wrestlers are there with a similair condition? Take Kurt Angle for example, he had a serious concussion in the triple threat match against HHH and The Rock and was forced by McMahon to come back and finish the match. How about Mick Foley who doesn't even remember his Hell in the Cell match.

Foley seems like a normal guy, and his memory seems to be ok but Angle has shown some really weird behaviour. And brain damage can be the cause of his strange comments.

Then there is the Iron Sheik, there is definately something wrong with him.

But lets look at guys who seem to have done very well in their lives. Hulk Hogan for example. We see Hogan's lack of knowledge about simple facts (when Andre died, the crowd at WM3, the montreal screwjob) as arrogance. But what if he just can't remember? What if his memory has been so damaged that he simply can't remember?

And a lot of wrestlers have changed history in interviews. According to Sycho Sid he himself was one of the biggest draws of the 90's, it's funny he thinks that way but what if he doesn't remember much and just fills in the blanks and hopes nobody notices. Even Ultimate Warrior says he doesn't remember a lot about his carreer, it could be because he really doesn't care and could care less who he wrestled, how he wrestled, and how he felt about it. Or maybe he really doesn't remember.

And how about Jimmy Snuka? Throwing a hooker out of the window and acting like an idiot in interviews. Caused by brain damage or is he simply a far out asshole?

There are tons of stories about wrestlers showing weird behaviour. Showing violent behaviour and showing that a lot of their memory is gone.

Is brain damage the cause of that? I don't know. But I do think that Chris Benoit was not the only man with a damaged brain. And pro-wrestlers need to see a doctor, need to get checked up and find out if they suffer from brain damage and how serious it is.

[Hypnotix]

Thus proving once again, Chris Nowinski is smarter than us all.

[doytch]

this is sad. i feel bad for all of chris benoits family and friends.

[kawalimus]

hypnotix said:

Thus proving once again, Chris Nowinski is smarter than us all.

I said the same damn thing he did. So I'm smarter than us all too ;D

[Pgarodactyl]

I said the same thing on the TNA boards... can I be as smart as you two as well?

[fes1]

ABC news has a picture of Benoit's brain tissue compared to a healthy brain.

abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3560015&page=1

We will never know what happened, perhaps this new info can keep a similar tragedy from happening

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

hypnotix said:

Thus proving once again, Chris Nowinski is smarter than us all.

And I thought Brian Pillman lived his gimmick.

[BrodietheSlayer]

Foley seems like a normal guy, and his memory seems to be ok

He seems OK, but one of the reasons he decided to retire was that he was getting to the point (and might be still) where he was forgetting the way to his own house while driving home from events.

Both he and his wife have mentioned that.

I remember a promo in ECW during his Anti-Hardcore era, where he mentioned that he was late getting to the ECW arena that night, because he had forgotten the way. Foley had a way of mixing a lot of his real life and real feelings into his promos (specifically his ECW promos), so I don't really doubt that was far from the Truth.

The sad thing for Foley too is.....I imagine that as he gets older, he'll start feeling the effects of his High Impact Style a LOT more.

[Captain Wonderful]

"No medical records of Benoit suffering a concussion."

Wait...WHAT?

[thwak is T.hawk]

I think the main difference between foley and benoit is that foley probably got treated for all the problems he went through.

benoit seems like the guy who would suck it up, and judging by the statement the wwe made it makes that assumption more likely.

[jfpierce]

survivalism said:

"No medical records of Benoit suffering a concussion."

Wait...WHAT?

I'm guessing that just means that he never saw a doctor after any of his concussions.

If states still regulated wrestling like they do boxing, they could force the performers to be checked on before and after competing.

[infrared]

A good idea for WWE would be to reduce their schedule a bit so wrestlers can recover, spend time with their families etc. WE DON'T NEED TO SEE OUR FAVOURITE WRESTLERS EVERY SINGLE FREAKING WEEK!!!!

Other alternatives include a possible off-season, or a union, despite the fact it would be fairly unlikely that we will see a union in the Vince McMahon era due to te egos and political b.s. games eg) refusing toput over "the competition."

They should also centre storylines around one certain feud/event every month or so instead of them being all wlly-nilly absoloutely everywhere, and have title matches other than the World title in the main event picture.

[Painz_Daughter:HD]

There has been something that has been on my mind in regards to the WWE possibly implementing C.A.T scans, and M.R.I's to their wellness policy that I feel the need to state here in this thread.

Honestly I don't see the WWE requiring C.A.T scans or M.R.I's of the brain as apart of their Wellness Policy because unlike the required Cardiac tests, I know and I think everyone here knows that alot of the wrestlers and I mean alot would show signs of brain damage and there is no way the WWE would implement it because they could lose alot of their stars, eventhough it could save wrestler's lives.

That's all I wanted to say.

[kawalimus]

painzdaughter said:

There has been something that has been on my mind in regards to the WWE possibly implementing C.A.T scans, and M.R.I's to their wellness policy that I feel the need to state here in this thread.

Honestly I don't see the WWE requiring C.A.T scans or M.R.I's of the brain as apart of their Wellness Policy because unlike the required Cardiac tests, I know and I think everyone here knows that alot of the wrestlers and I mean alot would show signs of brain damage and there is no way the WWE would implement it because they could lose alot of their stars, eventhough it could save wrestler's lives.

That's all I wanted to say.

Yep and you're exactly right. That's exactlywhy they don't want this news and just like in their statement will do anything to discredit it.

That's why I keep saying Vince is nothing but a PIG!!!

[Super Nimieboo]

brodietheslayer said:

Foley seems like a normal guy, and his memory seems to be ok

He seems OK, but one of the reasons he decided to retire was that he was getting to the point (and might be still) where he was forgetting the way to his own house while driving home from events.

Both he and his wife have mentioned that.

I remember a promo in ECW during his Anti-Hardcore era, where he mentioned that he was late getting to the ECW arena that night, because he had forgotten the way. Foley had a way of mixing a lot of his real life and real feelings into his promos (specifically his ECW promos), so I don't really doubt that was far from the Truth.

The sad thing for Foley too is.....I imagine that as he gets older, he'll start feeling the effects of his High Impact Style a LOT more.

For some reason that made me think of a Piper promo where Piper was talking about how before wrestling he boxed and due to that sometimes he can't remember anything and his wife could attest to that.

[Gillberg: 0-175]

I think another problem is that wrestling is promoted under "sports entertainment". I'm not sure how pro wrestling is regulated, but I know it's not regulated the way real sports are, and it really should be. Hopefully, this will change that. Pro wrestling is not strictly entertainment, Vince. These guys need to be checked like real athletes, like a previous poster mentioned, like how they are in boxing.

[STMP]

doinksdoodoo said:

I think another problem is that wrestling is promoted under "sports entertainment". I'm not sure how pro wrestling is regulated, but I know it's not regulated the way real sports are, and it really should be. Hopefully, this will change that. Pro wrestling is not strictly entertainment, Vince. These guys need to be checked like real athletes, like a previous poster mentioned, like how they are in boxing.

I remember watching a news report on youtube from late 80's or early 90's about pro-wrestling being fake. McMahon himself came out with that 'news' so he could get away from certain regulations or taxes that other legit sports did have to deal with.

Pro-wrestling has the advantage right now of not fitting in. They are not considered a 'real sport', so they can get away from certain regulations. Pro-wrestlings needs to be considered a legit sport, because that will force rules upon them, because the past has shown that selfregulation doesn't work in the WWE.

[The Ichi]

Never thought I would ever see Chris Benoit's brain tissue...