Another NFL Suicide Linked Directly to Brain Trauma
By Ken Reed
Former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling killed himself in April. Late last month his widow, and the rest of us, learned that there were clear signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in his brain, a progressive brain disease linked directly to repetitive blows to the head.
“It was consistent with what my expectations were,” said Dr. Gregory O’Shanick, Easterling’s neurologist. “Without question, the only time you see this is with multiple concussions.”
Mary Ann Easterling had to deal with her husband’s deteriorating condition for years. Ray Easterling, 62 when he shot himself, began suffering from dementia and depression only a decade into his retirement from the NFL.
The autopsy report, while not surprising to Easterling’s wife, was still impactful.
“The extent of the damage to his brain made me very sad,” said Easterline. “It amazed me to think about what he dealt with every day inside his head. It left me a little speechless.”
The NFL is being sued by more than 3,000 retired players, or their relatives, in a class-action lawsuit against the league based on how the NFL has dealt with concussions and head trauma through the years.
That lawsuit, and recent research on brain trauma, has spurred the NFL to make changes in their safety procedures, in particular relating to head trauma. That’s all well and good — especially for today’s players — but it won’t help the thousands of former players who are struggling mightily with the repercussions of having given their bodies and minds to a league that historically has been more interested in wins and profits than the wellbeing of its employees on the field.
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #33 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Ken Reed Announces His Retirement and Chats With League of Fans Founder Ralph Nader – Ken and Ralph talk about the history of League of Fans and the reasons it was created. They then move into a discussion of a variety of contemporary sports issues that League of Fans has been working on in recent years. Ken and Ralph end by talking about the need for sports fans, athletes, and other sports stakeholders to get involved in the sports reform movement and be activists and change agents on issues important to them, whether that be at the local, state, or national level.
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Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
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