Hamilton Spectator

WEDNESDAY 87 DAYS TO THE VANIER CUP AUGUST 30, 2017 Tim horTons field • nov. 25 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR THESPEC.COM CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY ‘We made a large and serious mistake’ was an opportunity to give somebody a Ticats owner Bob Young apologizes to fans for briefly hiring former U.S. second chance was clearly not accept- college coach fired after school mishandled sexual assault allegations able in relation to what had previously happened and what (Briles) had been DREW EDWARDS Team owner Bob Young and CEO “Clearly, what was being contem- involved with.” The Hamilton Spectator Scott Mitchell apologized for adding plated was totally unacceptable to the Briles was fired as the head coach of Ticats owner Bob Briles as assistant head coach on Mon- general public and the media,” Mitch- Baylor University last May after an in- Young: inundated IN A SPAN OF LESS than a day, the day, an offer that was rescinded hours ell said Tuesday. “I think when we took vestigation discovered theWaco, Texas Hamilton Tiger-Cats went from con- later following an outcry from fans and a step back and had a chance to talk to school mishandled numerous sexual troversy to contrition over the hiring of an intervention by the Canadian Foot- the league and some of our partners assault allegations, including some disgraced former coach Art Briles. ball League. and some of our fans, what we thought against football players. Ticats continues // A4

BY STEVE BUIST, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

Football can be a dangerous, brutal sport. sessment, prevention and manage- crease in depression symptoms. ment of concussions,” according to Sixteen of 22 retired players report- It’s particularly bad for brains. So far, most the statement. “We are focused on ed some level of memory problems, continuing to develop a culture of compared to two of 20 control sub- of the supporting evidence for that has health and safety across our entire jects. come from studying the brains of dead play- league, including players, coaches Many of the players who took part and management.” in the project said they were ers. Today, we’re going to change that. alarmed, but not surprised by the COMPARED TO HEALTHY results. FOR MORE THAN two years, On average, the retired players’ control subjects of similar ages, the “I know some of us are really in The Spectator has been involved in a brains showed a 20 per cent reduc- retired players showed: trouble while others are coping,” unique collaboration with a team of tion in the mass of the cerebral cor- said Bob Macoritti, who played six McMaster University researchers. tex, where billions of nerve cell bod- Widespread thinning of the cere- seasons, mostly with Saskatche- We’ve been conducting sophisticat- ies reside. bral cortex, which helps organize wan, in the mid to late 1970s. ed brain scanning experiments on “There’s something really serious thought and high-level processing. “I guess I’m a bit of a fatalist — it is nearly two dozen retired CFL foot- happening,” said Luciano Minuzzi, The findings suggest the players, on what it is and I can’t do anything to ball players to measure the long- a McMaster University brain imag- average, have lost significant num- make it different.” term impacts of concussions and re- ing expert and part of our research bers of nerve cells in the brain; “We were putting ourselves peated hits to the head. team. Significant areas of differences in through multiple car accidents ev- We believe this is the first study The results raise critical concerns the bundles of nerve fibres that con- ery game,” said one former Toronto anywhere to report findings from about the long-term damage from nect various parts of the brain, Argonaut receiver now in his 50s. living former football players using concussions and the safety of the which suggest potential problems Robyn Wishart, a Vancouver- such a wide array of tests. sport. with information processing in the based lawyer who specializes in The results are “shocking,” one of Concussions are linked to an in- brain; brain trauma cases involving ath- MORE our experts said. creased risk of degenerative neuro- Sharply lower levels of electrical ac- letes, said the project’s findings will ONLINE logical diseases, such as dementia, tivity in the brain from EEG record- help parents better understand the Podcast, videos IN SOME CASES, the results Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and CTE. ings, which supports the finding risks of the sport for their children. and interviews from former players were no differ- The CFL provided a written state- that nerve cells have been lost in the “I think the parents have a right to with our research ent than the results that would be ment in response to the Spectator’s cortex; know what a long career in the sport study participants seen in coma patients. Brain images scientific findings. A 10-fold increase of memory-relat- of football could mean to the long- and the project from some retired players in their “The health and safety of our played symptoms and a four-times in- term health of their child,” she said. researchers: 40s looked like the images of men in ers is a top priority for our league, thespec.com their 80s. particularly when it comes to the as- PART ONE OF THE FOUR-PART CONCUSSION SERIES STARTS A8

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C M Y A8 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM MCMASTER UNIVERSITY / ST. JOSEPH'S HEALTHCARE HAMILTON HEALTHCARE JOSEPH'S ST. / UNIVERSITY MCMASTER CORTICAL THICKNESS ❯ LEFT HEMISPHERE CORTICAL THICKNESS ❯ RIGHT HEMISPHERE

CORTICAL THICKNESS: PLAYERS VS. CONTROLS THE HARD SCIENCE Left and right lateral images of the cerebral cortex. Any areas in blue represent areas where the retired CFL players, OF HARD KNOCKS on average, showed significant thinning compared to controls. The lighter the blue, the more significant the thinning. About 65 per cent of the cortical area was thinner in players. CONTINUED FROM // A1

STORIES BY STEVE BUIST Minuzzi said the cortical thinning Minuzzi went back their lives, they probably drove The Hamilton Spectator experienced by the players are “very, themselves here, some of them are very strong results that we were not and re-analyzed each running businesses. LUCIANO MINUZZI had finished expecting.” subject four times “I’m not suggesting they’re in a co- his very precise and very complicated “It’s almost like seeing the brains of because he couldn’t ma, quite the contrary,” he added. analyses of brain scans from dozens much older people,” said Minuzzi. “They came in, we chatted to all of of retired CFL football players and “They are not matching in terms of believe what he was them. healthy volunteer subjects. Now it age. seeing. “Are there ways they’re getting was time to look at the results. “I was shocked,” he added. around this? I think there must be. As Minuzzi performed his calcula- “There’s something really serious “There must be some way they’re tions, he was blind to the subject’s happening.” The retired players also under- compensating for what amounts to a identity — a key part of the scientific Minuzzi is part of the research went electroencephalogram (EEG) really disastrous attentional prob- process. He didn’t know if he was ex- team for the Spectator’s CFL concus- testing to measure the strength of the lem.” amining the brain of a retired player sion project, a unique collaboration brain’s electrical activity as they paid The disturbing differences found or a control subject. between the newspaper and six re- attention to different stimuli, again between the players and controls For each of the subjects, Minuzzi searchers from McMaster University. compared to healthy volunteers. throughout the various forms of test- was analyzing the thickness of the The project, which took more than In some cases, the EEG results ing suggest strong evidence of a link brain’s cortex — the thin outer shell of two years to complete, involved com- from players were no different than between football, repeated hits to the the cerebrum where the bodies of bil- prehensive testing of 22 retired CFL the results that would be seen in head and long-term effects on the lions and billions of nerve cells re- players and another 20 healthy men some types of coma patients. brain. side. It’s also the part of the brain that of similar ages with no history of con- The findings are almost hard to be- The findings raise very serious smacks the inside of the skull during cussions who acted as control sub- lieve, said John Connolly, a McMas- concerns about the future health a concussion. jects. ter professor and the Senator Wil- prospects of former football players. When the results were unlocked Using a variety of sophisticated liam McMaster Chair in Cognitive “It seems that their brains are al- and Minuzzi was able to compare the tests, the goal of the project was to ex- Neuroscience, who specializes in ready very fragile,” said Minuzzi. retired players to the controls, he was amine the long-term effects of con- EEG analysis and concussions. “The saddest part of this is that if stunned. cussions and repeated hits to the “In the coma patient, you can un- the cortical thinning has been caused Everywhere he looked, it seemed, head suffered by former football derstand it — the person has had a by neuronal loss, once those cells are the cortex of the players, on average, players. catastrophic brain injury of some de- dead, they are dead,” he added. was significantly thinner than it was The dramatic amounts of cortical scription,” said Connolly, a member “It’s not something where we can for the controls — whether it was the thinning weren’t the only horrifying of the project’s research team. do physiotherapy and recover, like a top of the brain, the front, the back, results to emerge. “But these men we tested are living Concussion continues // A9 the sides and even the inner surfaces down the middle. A thinning of the cortex is important because it suggests a substantial loss of nerve cells, supporting cells or both. His first reaction? “When I saw the images, I thought that must be wrong,” said Minuzzi, a brain imaging expert and a clinical EEG RESULTS: psychiatrist at McMaster University Top left: P300 and St. Joseph’s Healthcare. “I must (conscious have done something wrong. attention) results “So I did it again.” And again. And again. And again. when the tone Minuzzi went back and re-ana- changed in lyzed each subject four times because loudness. he couldn’t believe what he was see- Bottom left: ing. Each time, his results were con- MMN firmed. (unconscious attention) results ON AVERAGE, about 65 per cent of when the tone the cerebral cortex showed significant thinning in the CFL players changed in compared to the control subjects. length. That’s a staggering amount of dam- Top and bottom age that has accumulated in the play- right: Two retired ers over time. players showing By comparison, Minuzzi said he P300 responses might see five per cent of cortical thin- no different than ning when he analyzes patients suf- results from fering some types of brain disorders. coma patients. THE SERIES TODAY: PART 1 Hard science of hard knocks Spec study: CFLers’ brains show ‘shocking’ damage THURSDAY: PART 2 ‘One every game’ Players react with shock, but no surprise to findings FRIDAY: PART 3 Nowhere to turn Few options for CFL players COLLISION COURSE COLLISION hurt on the job SATURDAY: PART 4 The ticking time bomb No diagnosis, no treatment, no cure for CTE The goal of the project was to examine the long-term effects of concussions and repeated hits to the head suffered by former football players.

C M Y THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 A9

JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR

Concussion continued from // A8 HOW WE DID IT The McMaster scientific team, muscle can be increased with exer- THE CONCUSSION PROJECT from left, of cise.” Rober Boshra, Michael Noseworthy, an MRI im- THE IDEA WAS TO CONDUCT a scientific research sure the strength of the electrical activity in response to Dr. Michael aging expert and part of the research project using sophisticated brain imaging technology to stimuli, which corresponds to the amount of nerve cells Noseworthy, team, said he too was shocked by the examine the long-term effects of concussions and re- being activated. It can also measure very precisely how Mitch Doughty, results. peated hits to the head on retired CFL players. Our team long it takes the brain to respond to the stimuli. Kyle Ruiter, Dr. “These players are unquestionably included experts from McMaster University and St. ImPACT testing John Connolly abnormal compared to the normal Joseph’s Healthcare. and Dr. Luciano population of the same age,” said Our project used four different components that ImPACT, which stands for “Immediate Post-Concussion Minuzzi. Noseworthy, director of McMaster’s provide a comprehensive overview of brain function and Assessment and Cognitive Testing,” is a computer-based School of Biomedical Engineering health. The project was a properly designed experiment module developed by concussion experts at the Uni- and director of Imaging Physics and that followed rigorous scientific standards. versity of Pittsburgh. The ImPACT test measures motor Engineering at St. Joseph’s Health- The project took more than two years to complete, processing speed, reaction time, visual memory, impulse care. from designing the initial research protocol, to approval, control and verbal memory. “I feel really bad for these players,” to recruiting and testing players and healthy control Physical and mental health survey he said. “And the current players, subjects. A self-reported health survey and the Beck Depression too.” This project is believed to be the first of its kind any- Inventory; a self-reported series of multiple-choice Noseworthy was asked if there’s where to report results from retired football players questions used to detect and measure the severity of any chance the players’ results aren’t across such a wide-ranging array of tests. depression. connected to football. We recruited 22 retired CFL players from around The results from the retired players and the control “No, this is football,” he said. southern Ontario, ranging in age from 44 to 66, with subjects were analyzed and then compared to each “That’s the common denominator.” professional careers ranging from one season to 14 sea- other. The findings from this project are sons. The average length of a CFL career for the partici- The research from this project is being submitted by believed to be the first to report such pants was 7.9 seasons. our team to scientific journals for consideration. a wide array of brain imaging and We also examined one player who didn’t play in the EEG results from living former pro- CFL, but spent more than a decade playing semi-profes- OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM fessional football players. sional football. “I’ve never seen a study that’s done For the four components studied, the performances Dr. John Connolly what you’ve done,” said Robyn of the retired players were compared to results from 20 McMaster professor and the Senator William McMaster Wishart, a Vancouver-based lawyer control subjects — men of a similar age range who had no Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. He is who specializes in the litigation of history of concussions. the director of the new Centre for Advanced Research in brain trauma cases involving ath- Experimental and Applied Linguistics, and co-directs the letes. “It’s mind-blowing what your THE COMPONENTS MEASURED Language, Memory and Brain Laboratories. He is an ex- images show.” Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging pert in the field of EEG analysis. Wishart has launched two sepa- Dr. Luciano Minuzzi rate lawsuits against the CFL on behalf of more than 200 former players (fMRI) Professor in McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry and who allege the league’s negligence Each player spent roughly one hour in the MRI machine at Behavioural Neurosciences and a member of McMaster’s caused them to suffer brain injuries. St. Joseph’s Healthcare undergoing a number of different Mood Disorders Program based at St. Joseph’s Health- The project’s findings raise grave types of brain scans. An fMRI is a method of taking highly- care’s West 5th Campus. He is also a psychiatrist and an questions about the safety of a dan- detailed images of the brain in thin slices. These scans can expert in the analysis of functional MRI imaging. gerous sport that is popular precisely be assembled to show the anatomy of the brain, but they Dr. Michael Noseworthy because of its violent nature. can also show which areas of the brain are activated in real Director of McMaster’s School of Biomedical Engineer- “The players are getting stronger time — and how much activation is taking place in those ing, and director of Imaging Physics and Engineering at and faster and that’s just adding to areas — when tasks are being performed during the the Imaging Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He’s this issue,” said Bob Macoritti, a scans. also an associate professor of electrical and computer study participant who played six sea- We also used the scans to measure the thickness of the engineering, radiology and medical physics and applied sons, mostly with Saskatchewan, in cerebral cortex, the outer folded shell of so-called “grey radiation sciences. He is an expert in the field of func- the mid to late 1970s. matter” that covers the two halves of the cerebrum. The tional MRI imaging. “You can’t get stronger, faster and cortex is made up of the bodies of nerve cells, called heavier and not have more damaging neurons, which are responsible for organizing many of Kyle Ruiter and Rober Boshra collisions.” the higher-level functions of the human brain, such as PhD candidates working under the supervision of Dr. The research results, Wishart memory, attention, emotion and problem solving. John Connolly, with expertise in EEG analysis. said, will help parents better under- Electroencephalogram (EEG) testing Mitch Doughty stand the risks of the sport for their children. Players were fitted with caps connected to 64 electrodes A master’s candidate in biomedical engineering, working “I think the parents have a right to that measure the electrical activity of the brain as it re- under the supervision of Dr. Michael Noseworthy, with know what a long career in the sport sponds to stimuli and sends out signals. An EEG can mea- expertise in MRI imaging. of football could mean to the long- term health of their child,” she said.

In the second part of the series, “People wanted to see train change that. year to a $1-billion settlement of law- you’ll read stories from the retired wrecks,” Ticat hall of famer Ben suits related to brain trauma, the players who took part in this project Zambiasi added. “People paid to see And in the final part, you’ll read league acknowledged as many as — the hardest hits they ever took, train wrecks.” about the ticking time bomb that 6,000 former players may develop their thoughts on the damage they hangs over the heads of retired play- Alzheimer’s or other forms of de- may have suffered and the fears they In the third part, you’ll read about ers: CTE — chronic traumatic en- mentia. have for the future. the shocking lack of options that ex- cephalopathy — the degenerative Research into concussions and “We were putting ourselves ists for CFL players, past and pre- neurological disease that has been their connection to sports is now an through multiple car accidents every sent, when it comes to compensation linked to repeated brain trauma. area of growing interest across North game,” said one former Toronto Ar- for on-the-job injuries — and the two America. gonaut receiver now in his 50s. lawsuits against the CFL that could WHEN THE NFL agreed last A long-term study of concussions and CFL players has been underway for more than two years at Toronto’s The project’s findings raise grave questions about the safety of Krembil Neuroscience Centre, which is affiliated with Toronto Western a sport that is popular precisely because of its violent nature. Concussion continues // A10

C M Y A10 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

“These players are unquestionably abnormal compared to the normal population of the same age. I feel really bad for these players.” MICHAEL NOSEWORTHY DIRECTOR, MCMASTER SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Concussion continued from // A9 Hospital and the University of To- ronto. In addition to brain imaging research of living retired players, the Toronto project is also analyzing the brains of deceased players that have been donated for the study of CTE.

BY VIRTUALLY EVERY measurement examined in The Spectator project, the retired players’ results were worse than those of the healthy control subjects. In many cases, the results were shockingly worse. Here’s what we found: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) MRI is a method of using very strong magnetic fields to generate highly detailed images of organs and tissues. It’s particularly well-suited to looking at the brain. MRI can show in real time which areas of the brain are activated — and how much activation is taking place in those areas — during the resting state or when tasks are being performed during the scans. One main use of MRI scans is to look at so-called “white matter tracts” in the brain. These are the various bundles of nerve fibres — much like electrical cables — that join different areas of the brain and distribute the signals between nerve cells. Some of these tracts join the two halves of the cerebrum through a broad C-shaped band in the centre called the corpus callosum, and some WHAT HAPPENS IN A CONCUSSION? of the tracts join together different THE QUARTERBACK scans the field, finds his target and insulation that wraps around each wire, or axon, appears areas within each half of the cere- fires a tight spiral to his receiver. The linebacker, mean- white. brum. while, tracks the quarterback’s eyes and reacts to the The cerebrum is divided into four sections. Damage to these bundles could in- throw. Within a couple of seconds, he’s hit his top speed as The temporal lobe, just above the ears, handles hearing, terfere with brain function or pro- he closes in on his prey. speech, writing and language recognition. The occipital cessing speed. The receiver pulls in the pass, ducks his head and turns up lobe, at the very back of the brain, is the visual processing Four different types of analyses the field. But before he can take a step, two helmets smash centre. were applied to the MRI data and together and the receiver is rocked in a collision, not that The back top half of the cerebrum is the parietal lobe, each analysis looks at different mea- much different than a car crash. which processes sensory information. sures of the structural integrity of the As the receiver crumples to the ground, physics tells us The front top half is the frontal lobe, which handles nerve fibres that connect various ar- about 4,500 joules of energy are generated from the im- so-called higher-level processes — behaviour, decision- eas of the brain. pact. That’s about the same amount of energy as being hit making, planning, thought and voluntary movement. OUR RESULTS COURSE COLLISION by a bowling ball dropped from the top of a 28-storey Right behind the forehead is the prefrontal cortex, the apartment building. thin layer of nerve cell bodies involved in problem solving, The MRI analyses showed signifi- In tests where special devices have been implanted in emotion and complex thinking. This is one area of the cant differences between the retired football helmets, hits between players that cause a con- brain that has attracted considerable interest when it players on average and the controls cussion are often recorded with G-forces between 100 and comes to concussions. in a number of white matter tracts 120. That’s about the same force recorded when a crash across the cerebrum. THE BRAIN is already packed inside a bony protective test dummy’s head hits the windshield in a 40-km/h car About 95 per cent of the players helmet, bathed in a shock-absorbing cushion of fluid. crash. showed decreased activity in some of Most of the time that’s a good thing, and most of the time the brain’s networks — specifically, a A CONCUSSION is defined simply as a traumatic brain that’s enough to protect the brain from serious injury. part of the prefrontal cortex believed injury that results in the temporary loss of normal brain But the skull becomes a liability when the head is in- to be associated with decision-mak- function. The injury can be the result of a bump of the volved in a violent collision. The first thing that happens is ing. head, a blow to the head, or a jolt to the body that causes the thin cortex, with its billions of nerve cell bodies, The area showing the most consis- the brain to move rapidly back and forth within the skull. smashes into bone, followed by a second impact when tent differences across all measures What makes a concussion sometimes difficult to diag- the brain rebounds and hits the opposite side of the skull. was the corpus callosum, the large nose is that there is no defined threshold for the amount Some of the nerve cells can be crushed and killed out- band that connects the left and right of force necessary to cause a concussion and there isn’t right. That’s important because once nerve cells die, halves of the brain. always a uniform pattern of symptoms experienced from they’re lost forever. The differences seen in the retired person to person. When they die, they also lose all those connections to players suggest two separate issues So what happens to the brain during a concussion? the other nerve cells, so the networks are weakened. at work. The three main parts of the brain are the medulla, the During the initial impact, the internal structures of the The first is that the nerve fibres in cerebellum and the cerebrum. brain can move at different speeds, which can cause bun- these bundles are showing signs of The medulla, which is the part that connects with the dles of axons to stretch, twist and shear. Since these are injury, degeneration, or the loss of top of the spinal cord, controls the body’s automated the wires that carry electrical signals across the brain, the insulation around the fibres that functions, such as heart rate and breathing. messaging gets disrupted. help transmit the electrical signal The cerebellum, perched behind the medulla, co-ordi- Those nerve cells that are damaged can become leaky smoothly. nates movement — what we’d call fine motor control — and dysfunctional, starting a cascade of actions and re- The second is that large swaths of and balance, among other things. actions. the corpus callosum showed signs of And then there’s the cerebrum, the two large hemi- A neurotransmitter called glutamate flows out of the premature aging in the retired play- spheres of humps and folds that make up the bulk of the damaged cells and binds with certain receptors, shutting ers compared to the control group. human brain. The cerebrum is the processor that makes down surrounding nerve cells. Potassium ions also flow Previous studies have shown the sense of everything, files away the information and co- out, which leads to swelling. corpus callosum to be a common ordinates our responses. Language, memory, speech, emo- The immune system sends in cells in response to the point of trauma in repetitive brain in- tion, decision-making and that nebulous thing we call damage, which causes inflammation. Tiny blood vessels juries. Because this large band con- consciousness — they’re all organized by the cerebrum. can rupture, causing microscopic areas of bleeding. nects the two halves of the brain, it The cerebrum’s thin outer layer — called the cortex, or Blood flow to the damaged area is reduced, causing an can be damaged as the force of a blow the “grey matter” — is just a few millimetres thick. It’s energy crisis. As the pumps in the nerve cell membrane is transferred back and forth home to billions and billions of nerve cell bodies. Each furiously try to restore a proper chemical balance, they through it, like a shock wave. nerve cell sends out projections that are much like electri- run out of fuel. What’s most disturbing about the cal wires. There’s also evidence that the blood-brain barrier can results is that the differences seen in In fact, it’s an electrical impulse that travels down the be damaged during a concussion. the retired players’ brains were wire to send a signal from one nerve cell to the next. Each The blood-brain barrier is a special filter that protects more consistent with the results of these projections have many, many fingerlike append- the brain by keeping certain types of chemicals out. When that would be seen in someone who ages, meaning one signal sent from one nerve cell can spark the blood-brain barrier is damaged, chemicals that would had just recently suffered a concus- a response in many other nerve cells. normally get caught in the filter can flow back and forth. sion. The long-term effects of concussions or repeated blows Yet in the case of the retired play- BENEATH THE CORTEX is the “white matter,” where all the to the head can depend on which lobes or internal brain ers, it had been years — perhaps de- electrical wiring runs. It’s called white matter because the structures sustain damage. cades — since they’d last suffered a concussion or repeated blows to the The thin cortex, with its billions of nerve cell bodies, smashes into bone, followed head. by a second impact when the brain rebounds and hits the opposite side of the skull. Concussion continues // A11

C M Y THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 A11

“I’ve never seen a study that’s done what you’ve done. It’s mind-blowing what your images show.” ROBYN WISHART LAWYER, SPECIALIZING IN BRAIN TRAUMA CASES INVOLVING ATHLETES

Concussion continued from // A10 “For these players, with who knows how many concussive hits or sub-concussive hits, it’s pretty strik- ing and clear that the damage has never been repaired,” said Nosewor- thy. The MRI scans also showed significant areas of premature aging in several of the white matter tracts that join areas within one hemisphere or the other. The results also suggest JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR that it’s not necessarily the violent but less frequent concussive types of hits that cause the most damage. Offensive and defensive linemen, who endure frequent but less violent blows to the head, showed greater damage to the white matter tracts of the brain than players such as receivers and defensive backs, who suffer higher-energy hits but fewer of Dr. John Connolly is McMaster professor and the Senator William McMaster Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. them. The results also showed that there was a significant and accelerated de- cline in the integrity of the white matter tracts as the age of the retired players increased. Cortical thickness MRI scans can provide details about the brain’s anatomy. This is useful for measuring the thickness of the cerebral cortex, the outer folded shell of so-called “grey matter” that covers the two halves of the cerebrum. The cortex is made up of the bodies of billions of nerve cells, called neurons, which are responsible for organizing many of the higher-level functions of the human brain, such as memory, attention, emotion and problem solving. Using some high-powered math, the thickness of the cortex can be cal- culated across the brain. A thinning of the cortex suggests either a loss of the neurons themselves, a loss of connections between the neurons, a loss of blood vessels that supply the

nerve cells, or a combination of all JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR three. Cortical thickness is a very important measure because once nerve cells are lost, they can’t be regenerat- ed. OUR RESULTS These were the most shocking of all our findings. On average, 65 per cent of the cere- Dr. Luciano Minuzzi is a professor in McMaster’s department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. bral cortex area showed significant thinning in the players compared to the control group. erative disorder. The area showing the most consistent Minuzzi, the psychiatrist and “Something really wrong is hap- brain imaging expert, said he expec- pening here,” he said. differences across all measures was the ted to see small spots of cortical thin- “It’s impossible to fake this. This is ning, perhaps localized to the areas an objective measure of the thickness corpus callosum, the band connecting where concussions occurred. of your brain.” Instead, “they show global reduc- Altogether, the results showed, on the left and right halves of the brain. tion,” Minuzzi said. “The whole average, that about 20 per cent of the brain has been affected.” mass of the cerebral cortex has been Some of the players are in their lost in the retired CFL players com- question of what functional conse- It’s well established from research 40s, Minuzzi said, but “they have the pared to the controls, which is a stun- quences arise from these structural that the electrical spike occurs brain of an 80-year-old, maybe 90- ning amount of damage. changes. around 300 milliseconds after the year-old.” As Minuzzi studied the brain A series of 64 electrodes scattered stimulus and this is called the “P300 The images from the players and scans of the players, one image across the outside of the skull pick up wave.” the thinning of the cortex, he added, popped into his head — “the gladia- changes in electrical activity caused Recordings from the electrodes al- were “compatible to someone very tors of the past,” he said. when nerve cells fire. The more cells lowed us to measure the size of the old or someone with a neurodegen- “People were cheering for some- that fire, the stronger the electrical wave — which corresponds to the one to die,” he said. “I was wondering signal. amount of electrical activity — and if that’s what’s happening now when In addition, an EEG is very good at whether there was a delay in the re- we turn the TV on. picking up the timing of nerve cell ac- sponse between the players and the “Are we seeing people who are be- tivity in response to stimuli. controls. ing exposed to something that is Our EEG experiment was de- In the second part of the experi- quite negative that will change their signed to measure two different ment, the subjects watched a nature lives forever?” states — how does the brain respond movie while the same beep-beep- Compared to the control subjects, when a subject is consciously paying beep tones were being played 85 per cent of the retired players attention to stimuli, and how does through their earphones. Again, the THE AUTHOR showed significant amounts of corti- the brain respond when a subject is tone would differ every so often, as it cal thinning. not paying attention to the same did in the first part. Spectator reporter Steve Buist The area of the cortex most affect- stimuli? The subjects were told to disregard is responsible for investigations ed were the occipital and temporal In the first case, the subjects were the background sounds of the tones and features, including the lobes. The occipital lobe, at the back told to pay attention to the sound of and simply watch the movie. acclaimed Code Red project of the head, is involved in vision. The tones being played through ear- Even though the subjects aren’t that has examined the temporal lobe, located just above the phones. consciously paying attention to the ear, is responsible for such things as Most of the time, the tone was ex- tones, the brain is still monitoring connections between health hearing and understanding speech. actly the same and it was repeated the sounds. and wealth. He has won three over and over — beep, beep, beep, And the same process is at play — National Newspaper Awards, Electroencephalogram (EEG) beep. The brain’s electrical response the response to the normal tones be- been named Canada’s testing to the regular tone dulls quickly as it comes habituated and there’s a spike investigative journalist of the An EEG is a measurement of the becomes habituated to it. in electrical activity when the tone year three times and Ontario’s electrical activity taking place across But every so often, the tone would changes. COLLISION COURSE COLLISION journalist of the year five times. the brain. differ — perhaps it was longer, or In this case, the phenomenon is While MRI imaging and cortical louder, or a different pitch. known as the Mismatch Negativity thickness analysis reflect the struc- When the abnormal tone is played, effect, or MMN, and the spike occurs [email protected] ture of the brain, EEG measure- the electrical activity spikes in re- about 150 to 250 milliseconds after 905-526-3226 ments help provide answers to the sponse to this new stimulus. the abnormal stimulus. Concussion continues // A12

C M Y A12 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

For some of the retired players, there were no signs of P300 “I think a lot of guys probably know they electrical activity shown, a result that would be consistent have damage. They’re with some types of coma patients. just not aware of how bad that damage is.” DAN FERRONE FORMER TORONTO ARGONAUT OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

Concussion continued from // A11 Our experiment measured the conscious (P300) and unconscious (MMN) responses to the abnormal tones for the retired players and controls. OUR RESULTS When consciously listening to the tones, the P300 responses of the players on average were only half as strong as the control group responses, regardless of whether the tone changed in pitch, length or loudness. These results were highly statisti- Toronto Argonaut cally significant. offensive lineman Since an EEG measures the Dan Ferrone strength of electrical activity, the re- carries the Grey sults suggest there was considerably Cup as the Argos less firing of nerve cells, on average in celebrate winning the players’ brains compared to the the 1983 CFL controls. championship. “You can have various theories as HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO to what’s going on, but it means that they cannot pay sustained attention,” said Connolly. For some of the retired players, there were no signs of P300 electrical activity shown, regardless of how the tone changed — a result that would be consistent with some types of coma patients. “To show a P300 is not something only shown by geniuses or only people in peak physical condition,” Con- nolly said. “Everybody shows this thing. Dr. Michael “But some of these fellows do not Noseworthy is show P300s and that to me is simply director of stunning. McMaster’s “It might be that someone has a re- School of duced one or a delayed one but to not Biomedical see it at all, I’d never seen that before, Engineering, and literally,” Connolly added. “And I’ve director of been doing this for 30-plus years.” Imaging Physics The players, on average, also ex- and Engineering hibited a delay in response when the at the Imaging abnormal tones were louder or lon- Research Centre, ger. St. Joseph’s A delay in response suggests that it Healthcare. JOHN RENNISON, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR might be taking longer for the signal to be processed in the brain. When subconsciously listening to When it came to the symptom tistically significant. played 12 seasons as an offensive line- the tones, the players’ MMN re- scoring for measures such as irrita- The players performed better than man, said the results are “conclusive sponses were significantly reduced bility, difficulty in remembering and the controls in the visual memory proof that football does have an im- compared to the control group, par- emotional sensitivity, the results and motor processing speed catego- pact on your brain matter.” ticularly when the abnormal tones were even worse. ries, which might be a residual effect “I think a lot of guys probably were longer or of a different pitch. The players’ total concussion of excelling in a sport that requires know they have damage,” added Fer- These responses come from areas symptom scores were five times quick decision-making and the abili- rone, now 59. “They’re just not aware in the brain that include the auditory higher than the control subjects. ty to remember visual patterns on of how bad that damage is.” (hearing) cortex and areas that con- For every one of the six categories, the field. In addition to his 12 years playing trol our ability to pay attention and the players scored worse than the professional football, he also played focus. controls. THE SPECTATOR provided the another nine years of high school and Both the P300 and MMN respons- What’s most disturbing is that for CFL with a lengthy summary of the university football. es are linked to different types of many of the retired players, it had project’s scientific results and a num- “That’s a lot of abuse,” he said. memory formation. been years — if not decades — since ber of questions related to issues Ferrone said he was diagnosed One possible explanation for the they last suffered a concussion. In raised by this series. with one or two concussions during reduced strength of the electrical ac- fact, a few of the players reported The league did not make new com- his career, but now suspects in hind- tivity in the players is that the overall they had not been officially diag- missioner Randy Ambrosie avail- sight he may have suffered as many number of nerve cells in their brains nosed with a concussion during their able for an interview. Minutes before as 10 concussions. has been reduced because of the cor- playing careers. the series’ deadline, the CFL sent a That’s not unusual, given the find- tical thinning that’s taken place. Yet on average, the players consis- written statement to the Spectator by ings of a joint Harvard-Boston Uni- tently reported the types of symp- email. versity study published in 2015. Health and depression surveys toms expected to be found in people The statement cites a number of In a survey of 730 U.S. collegiate All of the retired players and con- who were recovering from a recent initiatives taken by the league — in- football players over one season, the trol subjects were asked to fill out a concussion. cluding changes to rules and training study showed that for every one di- self-reported health survey, a con- The results were particularly dra- protocols — designed to improve agnosed concussion, there were 26 cussion symptom survey, as well as matic when it came to self-reported player safety, particularly with re- potential concussions that went un- the Beck Depression Inventory, a problems with memory. The average spect to concussions. reported or undiagnosed. standardized test that can show if a symptom score was 10 times higher “The health and safety of our play- “These results are clearly an indi- subject exhibits signs of depression for the players than it was for the con- ers is a top priority for our league, cation of the trauma that can happen and if so, how severe it might be. trols. particularly when it comes to the as- from this game, no question about The health and symptom surveys Sixteen of 22 players reported sessment, prevention and manage- that,” said Don Bowman, a defensive asked subjects to rate themselves on some level of difficulties with memo- ment of concussions,” according to back who played for Winnipeg and more than a dozen measures, includ- ry. Only two of 20 controls reported the statement by Ambrosie. Hamilton in the mid to late 1970s. ing general health, pain, emotional similar issues. “We are focused on continuing to “Where we go with this, I don’t well-being, memory difficulties, In all eight of the general health develop a culture of health and safety know. sleep difficulties and irritability. categories, the players’ results on across our entire league, including “There are guys making an awful average were worse than those of the players, coaches and management.” lot of money playing this sport and OUR RESULTS controls. The players were signifi- CFL Alumni Association execu- perhaps that’s worth it,” Bowman The players’ average score on the cantly worse in the pain and social tive director Leo Ezerins did not re- added. “It wasn’t so much that way Beck Depression Inventory was functioning categories. spond to multiple requests for com- back when we were playing.” nearly four times higher than the ment. Bob MacDonald, an offensive line- average for the control subjects. ImPACT testing man with Calgary and Hamilton in Seven out of 22 players showed ImPACT, which stands for “Imme- RETIRED PLAYERS who took the early 1990s, admits he now won- some signs of depression. diate Post-Concussion Assessment part in the project have reacted with a ders, “What have I done?” Not one of the 20 controls showed and Cognitive Testing,” is a comput- mix of shock and unease at the dis- “My job was to smash guys as hard signs of depression. er-based series of modules that mea- turbing results. as I can,” said MacDonald, now a sure motor processing speed, reac- Most, however, also acknowledged teacher at Saltfleet Secondary tion time, visual memory, impulse they weren’t surprised. School. “So I never really gave it that control, and verbal memory. “It’s a big eye opener,” said long- much thought for a long time. time Ticat receiver Mike Morreale, “When I was growing up, I never OUR RESULTS now 46 and the youngest of the 22 thought about impact and inertia MORE ONLINE This was the one aspect of our test- players tested. and the brain flipping and flopping,” ing where the results were somewhat “What upsets me is that, generally he said. “You just think ‘I’m wearing Podcast, videos and interviews inconclusive. speaking, my peers are suffering like equipment, I’m safe.’” with our research study The players performed worse than that and it makes me feel very uneasy participants and the project the controls in four of the six catego- inside,” Morreale said. [email protected] researchers: thespec.com ries, but the differences were not sta- Former Argo Dan Ferrone, who 905-526-3226

C M Y THURSDAY 86 DAYS TO THE VANIER CUP AUGUST 31, 2017 Tim horTons field • nov. 25 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR THESPEC.COM CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY Waterfront trust drags feet over meeting minutes

Spectator has made at least 10 requests of local agency

NATALIE PADDON The Hamilton Spectator

The Hamilton Waterfront Trust is a high- profile agency that oversees some of the most prized pieces of real estate on the city’s waterfront. The arm’s-length agency has been involved with retail, commercial and recre- ational development at Hamilton’s harbour. But documents about its board meetings and what is discussed at them prove difficult to obtain. Despite at least 10 requests over five weeks, the waterfront trust has not provided minutes of its board meetings to The Spectator. Monthly minutes, which The Spectator is Coun. Jason Farr seeking back to 2015, has insisted on generally account for preconditions for who was at a meeting releasing Trust and what occurred. documents. The trust — whose mandate is to help Hamiltonians connect with their waterfront — receives more than $300,000 annually in public money to operate the outdoor rink at Pier 8. The city has also hired the trust to project- manage the design and construction of public spaces on Piers 5-8 in the west harbour, a contract worth an estimated $1.5 million. HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO The request for board minutes comes after The Spectator reported the trust is more Hamilton Tiger-Cat Mike Morreale pauses after a hard hit put him on the turf during the CFL Eastern than $300,000 behind in property taxes, its Division Semi-Final against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Ivor Wynne Stadium in 2000. Now 46 and charity status was annulled, and that it split retired from the game, Morreale believes he suffered a concussion each time he played. into two organizations without notifying the city. Executive director Werner Plessl has said The Spectator can have copies of the minutes, which are kept in a binder at the agency’s office, but has cited juggling the vaca- STORIES BY STEVE BUIST Morreale, now 46. “Every game. tions of his small staff as the reason for not The Hamilton Spectator “Every game I would have seen stars. Every yet providing them. game I would have had light-headedness. Every Coun. Jason Farr, who sits on the trust’s GAME IN, GAME OUT, MIKE MORREALE game I would have had an issue for a few plays in board, said the board would provide a state- always knew what was expected of him when he the huddle after a big hit. ment in response to questions — including stepped on the football field. “I just thought it’s part of the game, that’s what why the minutes are not accessible to the His job as a receiver was to grab the tough yards, happens,” Morreale added. “I never missed a public and how the records are kept — if The get the first downs and take the big hits in the mid- game my whole career, so add ’em up.” Waterfront continues // A4 dle of the field. He doesn’t blame the team’s medical staff be- Morreale played 12 years in the CFL — that’s 216 cause he says he never told them about the dam- regular-season games — and he never missed one age he was absorbing. GO ROB HOWARD of them. “There were many times — probably 30 or 40 Over his career, the Hamilton native says he was games in my career — where I probably shouldn’t never diagnosed with a single concussion, which have played,” said Morreale. “But I did. You felt seems astonishing. you had to be invincible. Now that he can look back on his career, how “And I was always scared of someone taking my many concussions does he think he suffered? job,” he added. “That’s the culture that existed in “I would have had one every game,” said sports.” Concussion continues // A8

MORE ONLINE Podcast, videos and interviews with our research study participants and the project researchers: thespec.com

TICATS CONTROVERSY SPORTS SCOTT RADLEY SPORTS ROSTER IN FLUX “It is a sad day when a person neither Women’s QB Collaros Down to an art accused, nor convicted, of a crime can be groups baffled subject of She’s won six Trilliums, Hamilton’s denied the opportunity to earn a living…” over Briles trade talks; award for civic beautification. “I will not be renewing my season tickets scandal as Ex-NFLer The front garden is a masterpiece; until after Scott Mitchell, Kent Austin and team’s Manziel ruled the backyard an oasis; her work June Jones have left the team.” apologies out after CFL S1 S1 a splendid labour of love. G1 LETTERS A12 miss mark consulted

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C M Y A8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

Concussion continued from // A1 He remembers being held up by another player, completely defenceless, EVERY FORMER PLAYER has and having the left side of his head smashed at full speed by a tackler. at least one story of being knocked senseless on the field at some point and then picking up — or trying to — as if nothing had happened. “It was ‘Gladiators,’” said Ticat hall of fame linebacker Ben Zambia- si, known throughout his 11-year career as a ferocious hitter. “You wanted to eliminate as many of the other players as possible,” said Zambiasi. “The more guys you got out, the better.” Kerry Smith, a receiver who played six CFL seasons, including four with the Ticats in the late ’70s and early ’80s, said the tactic in those days was for a defender to wrap up the ball car- rier and hold him upright, rather than trying to tackle him to the ground. That way, other defenders could take a run at the player, inflicting as much damage as possible. He remembers being held up one time by another player, completely

defenceless, and having the left side BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR of his head smashed at full speed by a tackler. “One of my fillings popped out,” he said. After a few plays, he was sent back in. He couldn’t see out of his left eye, he said, and the vision in his right eye was garbled “like when the vertical Bob MacDonald, 49, is a former university football offensive lineman who played for McMaster and then in the CFL. hold used to go in those old TVs.” Lee Knight spent 11 seasons in the CFL with the Ticats as a receiver and running back. He recalls a time playing in Winni- peg when he jumped to catch a pass and then a defensive back came from underneath and took his legs out. Knight landed on his head. One of the Winnipeg players guid- ed Knight back to the bench and told the Ticats’ trainer that he “wasn’t right.” The next thing Knight remembers is being on the bench. He started gig- gling because a rush of childhood memories were flashing through his mind, like a video of his life. He tried to go back onto the field, but someone had hidden his helmet as a precaution.

HERE ARE THE STORIES from some of the players who took part in The Spectator’s concussion project: Dan Ferrone, 59 Offensive lineman BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR WHEN FERRONE watches football now and sees a vicious hit, he shud- ders. “Because I go ‘I did that?’ I can’t believe it,” he said. “I don’t normally watch highlights of myself but when I do, I go ‘Holy sh-t, what the hell was I thinking?’ Don Bowman, 65, is a former defensive back and punt returner who played his rookie year for Winnipeg. “When your aggressiveness is there, you don’t even recognize how “The issue that I fear you use your head,” Ferrone said. Dan Ferrone in is walking into a room “Other than your hands, it’s proba- training with the bly your No. 1 weapon in the game of Toronto and not knowing football.” Argonauts the day where that room is.” As an offensive lineman, Ferrone before playing the said his head was taking punishment CFL Eastern DAN FERRONE on virtually every play. Division title “A running back might not get the game in 1983. ball or a receiver might catch six or ty and calls himself “a happy per- seven balls and get tackled and that’s son.” the extent of a great game,” said Fer- “I don’t think I worry more than rone. “Whereas, 60 or 70 offensive any other person,” said Ferrone. plays or however many offensive “The scenario of walking into a plays there were in a game, on 98 per room and forgetting why you walked cent of those plays as an offensive into a room is shared by many of my lineman you were hitting something. friends that never played any sport,” “And if you weren’t, you weren’t he said. “The issue that I fear is walk- going to be on the team much longer.” ing into a room and not knowing Ferrone says he was diagnosed where that room is.” “Today, I’m confident that I’m not worse for wear but that could change very quickly.” THE SERIES HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO Bob MacDonald, 49 WEDNESDAY: PART 1 Offensive lineman Hard science of hard knocks IT WAS JUST the second game of Spec study: CFLers’ brains MacDonald’s university football ca- show ‘shocking’ damage reer when he suffered his only diagnosed concussion. TODAY: PART 2 He was an 18-year-old offensive ‘One every game’ with one or two concussions, but “I can remember twice, once in col- lineman for McMaster during the Players react with shock but suspects now he may have had as lege, once in the pros, that I had trou- 1986 season and lined up opposite no surprise to findings many as 10. ble standing and watching practice. him was a University of Guelph de- “Do I remember having nausea? “The concussions were something fender he describes as “giganto” — FRIDAY: PART 3 Yes,” he said. “Do I remember having that could actually give you a break six-foot-seven and 285 pounds. Nowhere to turn the spins or not being able to stand or during the week,” he added. “You “I went out to cut him and I took Few options for CFL players COLLISION COURSE COLLISION practise the next day? Yes. wouldn’t practice so you didn’t have his knee right to the side of my head,” hurt on the job “Back then, the remedy was to stay to hit the rest of the week, so that was said MacDonald. “I dropped and as I SATURDAY: PART 4 in a dark room,” he said. “But then always a blessing.” started to get up on my hands and The ticking time bomb when practice started, you had to Ferrone said he hasn’t experienced knees and raised my head, every- come out and watch practice. symptoms of depression or irritabili- Concussion continues // A9 No diagnosis, no treatment, no cure for CTE After the game, he went back to his parents’ house in Burlington and spent most of the next day, a Sunday, vomiting.

C M Y THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 A9

The trainer ran out and snapped Bowman’s nose back in place with a click. He went to the sideline, cotton swabs were jammed in his nostrils.

and then you’re back in within a few minutes. “I can’t even count the number of times where I had impacts where I didn’t necessarily black out, but you’re dazed and just kind of shake it off and get back in the huddle. “It was part of the culture,” he said. “The whole peer thing, the whole macho thing.” The player said he refused to allow his children to play football, and if he could turn back the clock, he probably wouldn’t have played either. “Had we known this information back when we were playing or thinking of playing, that would have changed a lot of our minds and certainly our parents’ minds,” he said. “What parent would want to have their kid participating in a sport where there’s a near certainty of having a brain injury if they played for a number of years?” Don Bowman, 65 BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR Defensive back/punt returner ITWAS1975 and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers, the “ordi- nary superstar” as he described himself, was electrifying the CFL with his long punt returns. “So what opposition defences would do is say ‘To hell with the pen- Rocky DiPietro, 61, is a former Tiger-Cat who played his entire 14-year career for Hamilton. He is regarded as one of the CFL’s best-ever receivers. alty on no yards, we’ll just take him out,’” Bowman said. them back on and was back at prac- That was bad news for Bowman, tice,” said MacDonald. who was playing his rookie season in Back then, MacDonald said, he Winnipeg and ended up returning was taught to employ three points of punts himself. contact — punch out with two hands, He was playing in B.C. and back and then he taps the middle of his waiting for a punt, with his head up. forehead, “right here, where your A B.C. linebacker came racing at him. cage and your helmet meet.” “He’s run 50 yards, he has a towel “I would try to knock snot out of taped on his arm, so it’s kind of like a my nose every single contact,” he cast, and as I’m looking up for the said. “If I saw snot on my face mask, I ball, he hits me in the face with a thought ‘That’s fantastic.’ clothesline,” Bowman recalled. “I “It’s craziness.” haven’t even touched the ball yet and MacDonald, now a teacher at Salt- I’m down. fleet Secondary School, is also one of “My face mask is broken, my nose the coaches of the football team. is broken,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I He admits he’s really struggling was out for a bit.” with that role, particularly now that The trainer ran out and snapped HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO he has participated in this project. Bowman’s nose back in place with a “It’s a real moral conundrum,” he click. He went to the sideline, cotton said. “This might be the final straw. swabs were jammed in his nostrils “When there are big hits, I’m al- and he thinks he missed one series of most triggered off, like a PTSD re- plays. sponse,” MacDonald said. “Like, ‘Oh Then he played the rest of the my God, what just happened to that game, “spitting and swallowing Rocky DiPietro is seen in a 1989 game photo. He played his 14-season CFL career as a receiver for Hamilton. kid’s brain?’” blood.” Bowman was never diagnosed Retired Toronto Argonaut with a concussion, but he now thinks “The old ‘How many In his 50s, receiver in hindsight he may have suffered be- fingers am I holding (AS PART OF THE RESEARCH pro- tween six and 10 of them at all levels ject protocol, participants were guar- of football. up?’ and then you’re anteed anonymity if desired.) As the interview concludes, Bow- back in within a few The player spent 16 years playing man asks a small favour. minutes.” football, starting at age 11, and he ad- Despite the startling results from mits he now has concerns about the The Spectator’s concussion project, RETIRED TORONTO ARGONAUT future. despite the damage he may have sus- “Some of it may be natural aging of tained from the violence of the game, the brain, but a lot of it I’m wonder- he doesn’t want to be portrayed as be- Concussion continued from // A8 ing ‘Would I be forgetting this? ing anti-football. Would I be acting this way if it wasn’t He’s happy with the choices he’s thing was blue and green. It was just for football?’” he said. made and he’s happy with his life. bizarre. He was never diagnosed with a “The reality is, you make your de- “I started walking toward the concussion, but he does recall a cou- cisions and they come with conse- bench and the guy who was playing ple of times when he suffered short- quences — some good, some bad,” he guard beside me said ‘Bobby, where term blackouts from hits. said. “How you handle them is up to are you going?’ I said ‘I’m going to the “Back in those days, you weren’t you. bench.’ He said ‘We’re the other really seen by medical staff or kept “You had a chance to excel at some- HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO way.’” out of play for long,” he said. “The old thing you dreamed about doing and MacDonald played the second half ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’ you made it. That’s pretty cool. of the game, but he doesn’t remember anything about it. After the game, he went back to his DiPietro says he was never diagnosed with parents’ house in Burlington and spent most of the next day, a Sunday, a concussion. Looking back, he now thinks Marv Allemang, 64, is a former Ticats offensive lineman. He vomiting. played 14 seasons in CFL, half of them for Hamilton. “But then Monday, I strapped he may have suffered as many as a dozen.

Concussion continues // A10 PROJECT AT A GLANCE COLLISION COURSE

MORE THAN 20 RETIRED CFL players participated in a A 10-fold increase of memory-related symptoms and a four- and Brain Laboratories. He is an expert in the field of EEG research collaboration between The Spectator and ex- times increase in depression symptoms. analysis. perts from McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Health- care. OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM Dr. Luciano Minuzzi Professor in McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry and The groundbreaking project, which spanned more than Dr. Michael Noseworthy two years, used sophisticated brain scanning techniques Behavioural Neurosciences and a member of McMaster’s Director of McMaster’s School of Biomedical Engineering, and Mood Disorders Program based at St. Joseph’s Healthcare’s to look at the long-term impacts of concussions and director of Imaging Physics and Engineering at the Imaging repeated hits to the head on retired CFL players. West 5th Campus. He is also a psychiatrist and an expert in Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He’s also an associate the analysis of functional MRI imaging. The results obtained are disturbing. Compared to professor of electrical and computer engineering, radiology healthy control subjects of similar ages, the retired play- and medical physics and applied radiation sciences. He is an Kyle Ruiter and Rober Boshra ers showed: expert in the field of functional MRI imaging. PhD candidates working under the supervision of Dr. John Widespread thinning of the cerebral cortex, where Connolly, with expertise in EEG analysis. billions and billions of the brain’s nerve cell bodies are Dr. John Connolly located; McMaster professor and the Senator William McMaster Chair Mitch Doughty in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. He is the director A master’s candidate in biomedical engineering, working Significant areas of differences in the bundles of nerve of the new Centre for Advanced Research in Experimental and under the supervision of Dr. Michael Noseworthy, with fibres that connect various parts of the brain; Applied Linguistics, and co-directs the Language, Memory expertise in MRI imaging. Sharply lower levels of electrical activity in the brain from EEG recordings;

C M Y A10 THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

Concussion continued from // A9

“Out of that whole thing, you developed a personality and a drive or a discipline that helped you do other things in your life,” he added. “So why would you change all that?” Rocky DiPietro, 61 Receiver JOKINGLY — maybe half joking — DiPietro says he’s going to post the findings of the Spectator’s concussion project on the fridge so then he can just point to it the next time he forgets something. The results, though, are no laugh- ing matter, he admits. “Even though you hear about it on the radio and read it in the paper, it’s still surprising to see the facts in front of you,” he said. “I didn’t know it was that bad. If you knew the results, would you do it all over again? I don’t know,” he said. “But it’s certainly sobering to see all the facts in

front of you and know that there’s BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR something to it.” DiPietro played 14 seasons, all with Hamilton, and became one of the CFL’s best-ever receivers. De- spite absorbing hundreds of punish- ing hits, DiPietro thinks he managed to escape the sport relatively un- scathed. “I’d like to look at the positive and Mike Morreale, 46, is a former Tiger-Cat receiver think that maybe I’m one of the people who wasn’t affected too much, but I guess I don’t really know,” said “The reality is, you DiPietro. make your decisions “I think about it more and more,” he said. “You’re always questioning. and they come with “If I forget something, is there consequences.” more to it? But I also realize that I’m aging, too.” DON BOWMAN Like Morreale, DiPietro says he was never diagnosed with a concussion. Looking back, he now thinks he CFL, half of them with the Tiger- may have suffered as many as a doz- Cats. He then went on to have a sec- en. ond career as a firefighter, a profes- “I had my head dinged quite a few sion that carries a different set of times,” he said. “I never really lost risks than football. consciousness but there were a few “I feel blessed to have been able to REUTERS FILE PHOTO times I saw stars and saw black, or be a professional football player and getting up wobbly because your head a professional firefighter,” he said, was kind of spinning.” “but you also have to be aware that For him, the expression “getting those are occupations that have side- your bell rung” was accurate. effects and dangers.” “Hearing the bells, oh yeah,” he Allemang said he was never diag- Hamilton said. “Hearing that pitch and then nosed with a concussion, but be- “Ummm … ahhh … it offered me a lot of Tiger-Cat Mike just trying to shake it off as fast as you lieves he may have suffered a couple opportunities,” Bob Macoritti hesitates, Morreale is could and get back to the huddle.” from football. He says he was fortu- tackled by an DiPietro coached high school foot- nate to have never lost consciousness then tears begin to flow. unidentified ball for many years and he still enjoys on the field, but he does remember Calgary watching the game, but it bothers having headaches. Like other players, he says he now land in the proper direction. Stampeders him when he sees a violent collision “Sometimes I would think it was has some concerns about his short- “It’s one of the most hellacious hits player during first on the field. from wearing my helmet too tight but term memory. I ever took in the head.” quarter of the “You get that feeling back when who knows?” he said. “I’d have head- “I’ll get up and go to do something But there were also lots of random 1998 Grey Cup in someone gets hit really bad,” he said. aches and sometimes a bruise on the and in the middle of it ‘What was I hits, he said, that hurt just as much — Winnipeg. “When two guys collide, it kind of outside of my skull from the helmet.” going to do?’” he said. a forearm to the face mask, a knee to brings back some of those memories. Allemang admits he worries about “Don’t even give me your phone the temple during a pileup, or his hel- “You kind of know almost what what the future holds for him but he number because I won’t remember met bouncing off the turf during a they’re feeling and it’s not a good tries not to dwell on it. it. Names are tough. tackle. thing. Especially now with slow mo- “It’s not something I’m depressed “But I think I’m still functional,” “The back of the head was always tion — you can see the impact. about and it doesn’t really affect my Macoritti said. “Sometimes it’s diffi- the most painful for me because in- “And I think TV likes that,” he add- mental state,” he said. cult to ascertain if your injuries are stantly you’d see stars,” said Mor- ed. “They like the viewers to see “You ask yourself honestly ‘Would causing this or if it’s just the normal reale. “Everything goes dark and you that.” you still do it?’ and if the answer is process of aging.” just kind of shake it off. yes, then you’ve just got to accept it. Would he do it again? There’s a “Can you imagine? Shaking off a Marv Allemang, 64 “That’s the decision you made and pause. brain injury? That’s what you’d do. Offensive lineman you go with it,” he added. “Ummm … ahhh … it offered me a “It’s crazy,” he said. “How do you A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, Alle- lot of opportunities,” he hesitates, shake off something that’s already mang was watching Super Bowl 50 Bob Macoritti, 66 then tears begin to flow. shook in the first place?” when they marched out all of the pre- Kicker/punter “I don’t know,” Macoritti said, Now, Morreale says he can’t go on vious MVPs from Super Bowls past. MACORITTI remembers he had just wiping his eyes. “It’s one of the issues roller-coasters, he can’t spin his “I remember saying ‘Hey, I’ve got booted a kickoff and was running I have — I’ve become very emotional. daughter around and he doesn’t like something in common with all those down the field. Overly emotional. anything that involves a lot of mo- Super Bowl MVPs — we all walk the It was the mid-’70s and he was “And I know that can be one of the tion. same,’” Allemang said. “Everybody playing for the Saskatchewan effects of concussions, an imbalance “There’s a lot of things I can’t do be- hobbled out there almost, or tried not Roughriders against Winnipeg, his of your emotions.” cause they make me feel nauseous, so to show it.” former team. One of his friends was I just avoid them,” he said. “What Allemang spent 14 seasons in the on the field for the Bombers. Mike Morreale, 46 does the future hold? I don’t know.” “He comes by me and goes ‘Boo’ Receiver And yet despite all the “hellacious” and he just keeps running by,” Maco- AFTER A HORRID 2-16 season the hits, despite his estimate he suffered ritti said. “I’m thinking ‘OK, he didn’t year before, the 1998 edition of the Ti- a concussion per game, if someone hit me, that’s good.’” ger-Cats suddenly found themselves gave him a chance to strap on the Then the play changed direction among the CFL’s elite. pads again for one more series of and Macoritti turned to get in posi- It was the first year in Hamilton for plays on the field, Morreale says he’d tion to make a tackle. quarterback Danny McManus and be tempted to say yes. “Well, he’s come from behind me receiver Darren Flutie and with “Physically, I think I could manage and he’s waiting for me and as I turn, three games to go in the regular sea- one series,” he said. “But that one hit THE AUTHOR he just lays me right out,” said Maco- son, the Ticats were trying to clinch I take could ruin my life. ritti. “Blindsided me. first place in the East Division. “That’s scary,” he said. “Because I Spectator reporter Steve Buist “The guys had a good laugh at me They were playing in Saskatche- think I have a lot of life ahead of me.” is responsible for investigations going ass over tea kettle on the film. wan and it was second down and 22 and features, including the “He hit me so hard that my insides yards to go. As luck would have it, [email protected] acclaimed Code Red project felt like they were moving around, Morreale was about 20 yards shy of 905-526-3226 like they weren’t part of me, for about having 1,000 yards in receptions for that has examined the three or four days,” he said. “I’ve nev- the season. connections between health er felt that before or since.” “Danny threw kind of a line drive and wealth. He has won three Macoritti thinks he’s had three over the middle and I went up to get National Newspaper Awards, other concussions — two as a kid and it, left my feet and before my feet been named Canada’s one when he was on the field lacrosse could touch the ground, I took a shot MORE ONLINE investigative journalist of the team at university. in the face,” said Morreale. year three times and Ontario’s “It was a three-hour bus ride back He hung onto the ball, jumped up Podcast, videos and interviews

COLLISION COURSE COLLISION journalist of the year five times. to the university throwing up the and stretched out his arm to signal with our research study whole way,” he said. first down. participants and the project “They dropped me off in the hospi- “Holy, I didn’t know where I was,” researchers: thespec.com [email protected] tal and I was in the hospital for five he said. “I could have pointed the 905-526-3226 days.” other direction — I just happened to

C M Y FRIDAY 85 DAYS TO THE VANIER CUP SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 Tim horTons field • nov. 25 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR THESPEC.COM CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY Bid for 100th anniversary games on city’s radar 2030 Commonwealth event up for debate

MATTHEW VAN DONGEN The Hamilton Spectator

CITY COUNCIL will mull yet another bid for the Commonwealth Games — this time for the 100th anniversary of the event held in Hamilton. Councillors next week will consider sending a letter expressing “non-bind- ing” interest in hosting the 2030 inter- national Games, which typically at- tract 6,000-plus athletes from dozens of countries once linked to the British Empire. If so directed, staff would report back early next year on the “high-level” costs and obligations associated with a formal bid. The ﬁrst edition of the event — then called the British Empire Games — was held in Hamilton in 1930, featuring six sports, 11 countries and about 400 athletes competing on what is now the site of Tim Hortons Field. That history suggests “a high possi- bility that Hamilton would be looked upon favourably” as an anniversary host in 2030, a city staff report says. Games continues // A5 Trump threats must spur city Jonathan Williams, 29, was a star running back for East Carolina University before trade push: jumping to the NFL and and CFL. Here, he makes a dash with the Ottawa Eisenberger Redblacks in 2014.

COLIN PERKEL JUSTIN TANG, THE CANADIAN PRESS

BOGOTA — Canadian municipalities STORIES BY STEVE BUIST running back at East Carolina University in his must take the initiative to seek out in- The Hamilton Spectator hometown of Greenville, N.C. ternational business and economic op- He spent a short time with the Cincinnati portunities, especially given U.S. Pres- LAST FALL, EVELYN WILLIAMS was Bengals of the NFL in 2011, played a game with ident Donald Trump’s threats to tear standing in the hallway of a Best Western hotel Calgary in the CFL in 2013 and then signed with up the North American Free Trade in Raleigh, N.C. Ottawa in September 2014. Agreement, Mayor Fred Eisenberger Sobbing, frantic and desperate, Williams was Williams played four games with Ottawa and says. begging her son, Jonathan, to unlock the door to in just his second game that season, he was Speaking from the Colombian capi- his room and let her in. She feared he was pre- named the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Week tal of Bogotá, Eisenberger said his city paring to end his life. after rushing for 180 yards against Winnipeg. and nearby Niagara region are trying She had already been to a magistrate’s office Then midway through his fourth game in late to build a relationship with the South and obtained an emergency order to have her October, Williams’ right knee was shredded — American country that began at the son involuntarily committed to a psychiatric fa- his ACL, his MCL, any CL you could name, his Pan Am Games two years ago. cility. mother says, had been ripped apart. “Municipalities today are much Jonathan Williams, now 29, was once a star Concussion continues // A6 Eisenberger continues // A2

GO GARY SMITH ‘He was the biggest rock ’n’ roll The Theatre Aquarius fall and winter season star Hamilton ever produced’ Skip Prokop co-founded the band Lighthouse HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO SKIP PROKOP, the Hamilton- chael Bloomfield, Carlos Santana, Al born co-founder of the pioneering Kooper and “Mama” Cass Elliot. rock orchestra Lighthouse, has died He performed at the legendary at the age of 73. U.S. Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 During his long career, Prokop with the Toronto-based band The GRAHAM ROCKINGHAM was considered one of the top rock Paupers, the Isle of Wight Festival in drummers of his time, performing 1970 with Lighthouse and sold out The Hamilton Spectator An ambitious schedule of and recording with Janis Joplin, Mi- Carnegie Hall in New York where the Skip Prokop on the drum productions is lined up G1 Prokop continues // A4 kit with Lighthouse.

BRIDGE/CHESS G7 LOCAL A2 WEATHER PER ISSUE: $2.00 There’s more BUSINESS A13 LOTTERIES A2 INCL. GST HIGH: 18 online at // COMICS C5 MOVIES G4 NORTHERN AREAS: LOW: 8 CROSSWORD C5 OPINION A10-A11 $2 INCL. GST thespec.com DEAR ELLIE G2 SUDOKU C5 VENDING BOXES: Cooler, but mainly sunny $2 INCL. GST today G2 HOROSCOPES G2 WEATHER G2 R0014458312

C M Y A6 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

Evelyn had never heard of Wishart before but out of the blue, she sent HARVARD SPORTS the lawyer an email that read “If you can help, please help.” LEAGUES STUDY A DETAILED comparison of North American pro sports leagues shows the CFL lags far behind the National Football League when it comes to health policies for current and former players. The 258-page Harvard University report, released in May, compared the health policies and practices of the NFL, NBA, NHL, CFL, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. The CFL was the only one of the six leagues where workers’ compensation doesn’t exist for players. The study’s authors noted the CFL declined an invitation to review a draft report of the study and didn’t provide comments.

Differences between the NFL and CFL

SOURCE: HARVARD UNIVERSITY • Severance plan NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No MARK VAN MANEN, PNG • Deferred compensation NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No • Long-term care insurance NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No • Disability (former players) Above: Robyn NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No “He tells me he Wishart, a • Neurocognitive disability doesn’t care about Vancouver lawyer NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No who has launched anything, he doesn’t a class-action • Workers’ compensation care about life.” case against the NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No CFL on behalf of • Education-related benefits EVELYN WILLIAMS the players who MOTHER OF FORMER CFL PLAYER NFL ❯ Yes CFL ❯ No JONATHAN WILLIAMS claim to have suffered as a result of he doesn’t care about anything, he successive come from across Canada, nearly ev- doesn’t care about life.” concussions. ery U.S. state and as far away as Eng- As she grew more concerned, Eve- land and Scotland. lyn Williams phoned a crisis hotline “I’ve got guys living in the bush in about her son. the Kootenays,” Wishart said. “I’ve The man at the other end of line got guys in jail in Florida. asked if there was a key event or an- “I’ve got guys living with their niversary coming up. She said it mothers. I’ve got guys living in room- would soon be the two-year anniver- ing houses.” sary of his injury. The man then asked if he had got- FORMER TORONTO ARGO Er- ten rid of any possessions recently. ic Allen, one of the lead plaintiffs in Yes, she said, Jonathan had thrown a the Ontario class-action lawsuit, bunch of his clothes and most of his died in the fall of 2015, just a few football memorabilia in a garbage months after the suit was filed. bin. At the time of his death, he was 66 “He said, ‘Ma’am, I want you to lis- and living with his mother, who was ten to me carefully,’” she recalled. in her 80s. “‘Your son is probably planning a Opposite: “She was showering him — physi- CHRIS SEWARD, RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER suicide.’” Jonathan Williams cally lifting him,” Wishart said. was a star running In their statement of claim in the THAT’SHOWEVELYNended up back for East class-action case, the players allege in a hotel hallway, pleading with her Carolina the league knew that playing football son to open the door. University and in the CFL gave players “a high likeli- “He said ‘They don’t care if you live played for the hood of suffering from brain injury, or die. My life is over,’” she said. NFL and CFL. including but not limited to CTE — a “When he said his life is over, I just progressive neurodegenerative dis- really lost it.” ease that is a long-term consequence She pulled out her phone on the of single or repetitive closed head in- spot and started looking for help on- juries for which there is no treatment Concussion continued from // A1 By law, CFL players aren’t eligible line. She came across the name of Ro- and no definitive pre-mortem diag- for workers’ compensation benefits byn Wishart, a Vancouver lawyer nosis.” WILLIAMS RETURNED to if they’re hurt on the job. They also who has launched two lawsuits, in- The players also allege the league North Carolina, his football career aren’t entitled to long-term disability cluding a class-action case, against has known about the harmful effects finished. He was a lost soul and phys- payments. the CFL on behalf of players who of multiple concussions for more ically damaged. As an American player back home claim they have been hurt from the than 60 years “and systematically “He said ‘Mom, they just used me in the U.S., Williams wasn’t eligible effects of concussions. failed to disclose and/or concealed and threw me away and sent me back for Canadian health care and in a Evelyn had never heard of Wishart these facts” from the players. home broken up,’” Evelyn Williams cruel twist, he was told he wasn’t eli- before but out of the blue, she sent The allegations contained in the said. gible for American health care and the lawyer an email that read “If you statement of claim have not been test- That’s when her son discovered disability either because his injury can help, please help.” ed in court. there was no safety net waiting to happened outside the U.S. Within an hour, Wishart called. catch him on either side of the border. His mom was helping pay for his Evelyn Williams put her phone up IT WOULD BE HARD to find medical care as best she could out of against the door and Wishart began someone who doesn’t believe that her own pocket, but that couldn’t yelling out the names of other CFL football is a dangerous profession. keep his mental health demons at players who were part of the class- Yet when it comes to long-term THE SERIES bay. action lawsuit, hoping there would health care and their rights, a clash of Evelyn Williams now thinks her be some that Jonathan Williams competing laws puts CFL players in a WEDNESDAY: PART 1 son is suffering the effects of concus- would recognize. peculiar catch-22 situation. Hard science of hard knocks sions and repeated hits to the head Finally, he opened the door. On one hand, members of a union Spec study: CFLers’ brains from a football career that started “I think that gave him a better feel- in Canada — like CFL players — who show ‘shocking’ damage when he was just eight years old. ing that he wasn’t the only one deal- are covered under a collective bar- THURSDAY: PART 2 She said her son complains he now ing with this,” Evelyn said. gaining agreement aren’t allowed to ‘One every game’ shakes a lot, “like Muhammad Ali,” Williams will soon be one of more sue their employer in court. the late boxing legend who lived with than 200 players in the class-action The law’s position has been that Players react with shock but Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 suit. unions are strong enough to protect no surprise to findings years. They allege the CFL’s negligence their members, so the union and the TODAY: PART 3 Her son’s mood has also changed caused them to suffer brain injuries employer should be left to fight it out Nowhere to turn drastically, she said. He began to iso- and the league was also negligent by over the ground rules for disputes. Few options for CFL players late himself, he no longer talks to his not warning them of or protecting On the other hand, while there is a COLLISION COURSE COLLISION hurt on the job friends, and he stopped caring about them from the dangers of brain trau- collective bargaining agreement in his once-stylish appearance. Some- ma. place between the CFL and the CFL SATURDAY: PART 4 times, she said, he would just wear Those who have joined to date Concussion continues // A7 The ticking time bomb the same pyjamas as clothes for days No diagnosis, no treatment, on end. no cure for CTE “As soon as Jonathan came back By law, CFL players aren’t eligible for workers’ from Canada, he has not been the same person,” she said. “He tells me compensation benefits if they’re hurt on the job.

C M Y THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 A7

“So no job security, no guaranteed contracts, no long-term disability, no workplace benefits and no employer negotiating the terms of your contract.” ROBYN WISHART LAWYER WHO LAUNCHED A CLASS-ACTION CASE AGAINST THE CFL

Concussion continued from // A6

Players’ Association, each player also negotiates a personal contract with his team for things like salary and bonuses. On top of that, there’s the quirk of law that denies CFL players the right to workers’ compensation and long- term disability benefits in every province with a CFL team.

So CFL players injured on the job HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTOS can’t get the compensation normally available to injured workers, but they also can’t take the league or their team to court. It also means teams aren’t subject to workers’ compensation regula- tions about workplace safety. “What you’ve created is a hole peo- Former Tiger-Cat Arland Bruce, seen in 2011, is now suing the CFL. The Leo Ezerins, executive director of the CFL Alumni Association, is alleged in ple are falling into,” said Wishart. lawsuit raises concerns about the relationship between the Canadian the Arland Bruce lawsuit to have a conflict of interest. He was co-author “They’ve got no employer negotiat- Sports Concussion Project, the CFL and the CFL Alumni Association. of a paper published by the Canadian Sports Concussion Project. ing for their safety financially with long-term disability benefits and they’ve got no government organiza- LAWSUITS TAKE AIM AT CFL AND CTE ARTICLE tion making their job environment safe.” IT’S NOT OFTEN that a scientific article in a Project at the same time. The suit also alleges Ezerins interfered Yet employees of a CFL team who neuroscience journal plays a central role in Ezerins, Tator and the Krembil Neurosci- with an independent project involving aren’t players are covered by work- two lawsuits. ence Centre were originally named as de- cognitive testing of 25 former Ticats in 2011 ers’ compensation. More than 200 former CFL players in a fendants in the Bruce lawsuit, but they were and that he “ultimately stopped the re- Here’s how illogical the situation is class-action lawsuit, and former Tiger-Cat recently released. searchers” at McMaster University from for CFL players as the law currently Arland Bruce in a separate case, are suing the What’s most curious about the scientific interpreting the test results. stands: CFL, its nine teams and the CFL’s former paper is its title. (That project has no connection to the A player is sprawled on the ground commissioner, accusing the league of negli- Although it states clearly “Absence of” current Spectator concussion research.) after blowing out a knee that could gence in relation to brain injuries. chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in At the time, Ezerins told The Spectator, end his career in a sport filled with What’s unusual is that the class-action former players, the paper reports that in “We’re really protecting the sport and pro- incredible danger on every play. lawsuit also names 81-year-old neurosur- fact, evidence of CTE was found in three of tecting the CFL. It’s a very important issue The team’s trainer runs out to tend geon Charles Tator and a Toronto neurosci- the six brains. and we want to make sure it doesn’t reflect to the player, trips and blows out his ence research institute as defendants. The other three brains showed evidence poorly on the game of football, that we knee. Both lawsuits include allegations that raise of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease have the proper perspective.”

The trainer is eligible for workers’ COURSE COLLISION concerns about the relationship between and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — in The lawsuit also alleges Ezerins stated the compensation, retraining and even the CFL and the Canadian Sports Concus- other words, all six brains showed evidence “stories of concussion and its long-term long-term disability benefits, if nec- sion Project, which is led by Tator and the of neurodegenerative disease. effects do not represent the majority of essary. Krembil Neuroscience Centre in Toronto. The paper includes a frightening chart of former football players.” The player isn’t entitled to any of The allegations have not been tested in symptoms for each player compiled from Ezerins’ conduct in interfering with the that. court. medical records and interviews with family Tiger-Cat study was “reprehensible,” the The statement of claim in the Arland members. lawsuit alleges. FORMER TICAT RECEIVER Bruce lawsuit goes a step further and raises All six of the players had short-term Ezerins did not respond to multiple re- Mike Morreale spent two years as concerns about the relationship between memory problems. All six had some type of quests for comment. president of the CFL Players’ Associ- the Canadian Sports Concussion Project, speech or language problems. All six had The statements of claim for both lawsuits ation. He calls the workers’ compen- the CFL and the CFL Alumni Association. suffered multiple concussions. also allege that former CFL commissioner sation rules “absurd.” Both lawsuits take aim at an article pub- Five of the six showed signs of progres- Mark Cohon claimed in 2011 that “unreport- “It’s fundamentally wrong to not lished in May 2013 in a scientific journal sive dementia, four of the six suffered from ed concussions were far less of a problem in be able to take care of your employ- called Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. delusions, and three of the six experienced the CFL.” ees,” said Morreale. “They come out The article was titled “Absence of chronic hallucinations. A Harvard University study released in and risk just about everything to play traumatic encephalopathy in retired foot- “I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” May raises questions about how the league a sport in front of fans that pay to ball players with multiple concussions and said Robyn Wishart, a Vancouver-based would know if that’s true. watch you play. neurological symptomatology.” lawyer who is representing the plaintiffs in The Harvard analysis compared the “What’s the downside to providing The paper reports on the findings from both lawsuits against the CFL. health-related policies and practices of workers’ compensation? The cost, the post-mortem examinations of six do- “When is absence ever 50 per cent? North America’s professional sports obviously,” Morreale said. “Someone nated brains from deceased CFL players. “I don’t know how that ever got pub- leagues, including the CFL. just doesn’t want to spend the money. Tator was one of nine co-authors listed on lished,” Wishart added. The 258-page report notes that the con- “But the upside would be tremen- the highly technical scientific paper. Eight of Tator declined to comment on the law- cussion rate in the CFL is actually slightly dous because it would give players the nine were associated with various de- suit’s allegations because the matter is still higher than the NFL’s rate. In fact, the CFL’s another lease on life. It’s a harsh partments of the University of Toronto, before the court. Tator also declined to rate of concussions per game was the high- business.” including the Krembil Neuroscience Centre. comment on the “Absence of CTE” scientif- est of the leagues studied. “The body wasn’t meant to play a Also named as one of the co-authors was ic article cited in the lawsuit. In a further irony, the report notes that game like football,” adds retired Ti- Leo Ezerins, executive director of the CFL The Bruce lawsuit alleges the article’s the CFL’s concussion rate had to be estimat- cat hall of fame receiver Rocky DiPie- Alumni Association and a former Tiger-Cat. authors concluded that there was no prov- ed from other sources because “research tro. able connection between concussion and has not revealed any injury-tracking system Workers’ compensation coverage THE ARLAND BRUCE LAWSUIT alleges the sub-concussive injuries and CTE in CFL in use by the CFL.” isn’t mandatory for every sector in CFL and the CFL Alumni Association provid- players, which is “against the weight of the The CFL did not accept an invitation to Ontario and some sectors, such as ed funding to the Canadian Sports Concus- medical evidence.” review the Harvard analysis prior to its professional athletes, are not even el- sion Project and researchers at the Krembil The authors “knew or ought to have publication and did not provide any com- igible for coverage. centre. known” the link between CTE and concus- ments to the researchers. Aside from pro athletes, Ontario’s The lawsuit also alleges this put Ezerins in sive head trauma was “statistically more The CFL declined to comment on the Workplace Safety and Insurance a conflict of interest because he was the significant than the link between smoking Bruce lawsuit because the matter is still Board doesn’t extend coverage to head of the CFL Alumni Association and a and lung cancer,” according to allegations in before the court. stunt performers, for example, or cir- member of the Canadian Sports Concussion the Bruce lawsuit. cus performers. “The reason these people aren’t Five of the six showed signs of progressive dementia, four of the six covered is that the board simply does not want to accept the risk of cover- suffered from delusions, and three of the six experienced hallucinations. ing them because they know how dangerous these professions are,” said Brian Simo, a Hamilton person- spokesperson Christine Arnott. $100 of insurable earnings for some US$4.4 million in baseball. al injury lawyer who once worked as The WSIB also indicated it is not types of office workers. The CFL’s minimum salary last a WSIB case manager. aware of any communication from Using the highest rate of logging as season was $52,000 and the average, “I suspect they would put football the CFL Players’ Association inquir- a rough guide, a CFL team in Ontario including bonuses, was $86,000. players in the same category and say ing about WSIB coverage. would pay $652,000 a year in work- “Really, they’re being paid a work- ‘Look, this is such a dangerous activ- The WSIB premiums paid by em- ers’ compensation premiums for a ing wage in the province of Ontario,” ity and inherently dangerous that it’s ployers are based on the risk of player payroll of $5 million. Simo said. “A lot of these guys who not something that’s contemplated.’” claims being made and how much It shouldn’t be forgotten, Simo are playing at incredible risk are real- A written response by a spokes- those claims could cost. said, that aside from the incredible ly the kind of people we consider person for the WSIB simply stated dangers of playing football, the aver- workers in Ontario.” professional athletes are not eligible LOGGING, FOR EXAMPLE, has age salary in the CFL is far less than The highest-paid player in the CFL “due to exclusion from legislation the most costly premiums for Onta- other professional sports. this season — believed to be Edmon- and WSIB policy.” rio employers, at $13.04 for every The average NHL salary last sea- ton’s Mike Reilly at about $500,000, “This is consistent with other ju- $100 in insurable payroll. At the oth- son was nearly US$3 million, more or US$370,000 — earns significantly risdictions in Canada,” stated WSIB er end, premiums are 20 cents per than US$6 million in the NBA, and less than the US$465,000 minimum for an NFL rookie who’s never played a game. The players also allege the CFL has known about the harmful But the WSIB caps insurable earnings at $88,500 this year for eligible effects of multiple concussions for more than 60 years. workers, Simo notes, and benefit Concussion continues // A8

C M Y A8 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

The WSIB indicated it is not aware of any communication from PROJECT AT A GLANCE the CFL Players’ Association inquiring about WSIB coverage. COLLISION COURSE

MORE THAN 20 RETIRED CFL players participated in “Football ain’t over for a research collaboration between The Spectator and me if I can just get my experts from McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare. knee situated. I’m The groundbreaking project, which spanned more than going to get back on two years, used sophisticated brain scanning techniques to look at the long-term impacts of concussions and my feet. But I don’t repeated hits to the head on retired CFL players. know where to go The results obtained are disturbing. Compared to from here.” healthy control subjects of similar ages, the retired players showed: JONATHAN WILLIAMS FORMER OTTAWA REDBLACK Widespread thinning of the cerebral cortex, where bil- RUNNING BACK lions and billions of the brain’s nerve cell bodies are located; Concussion continued from // A7 Significant areas of differences in the bundles of nerve fibres that connect various parts of the brain; payouts are 85 per cent of insurable earnings. Sharply lower levels of electrical activity in the brain from “So it’s not that the board would be EEG recordings; accepting these massive salaries that A 10-fold increase of memory-related symptoms and a they’re at risk of being exposed to,” four-times increase in depression symptoms. he added. Oddly enough, aside from the OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM much higher base salaries, players in the NFL are also entitled to workers’ Dr. Michael Noseworthy compensation benefits. Director of McMaster’s School of Biomedical Engineer- To make matters worse, Simo said, ing, and director of Imaging Physics and Engineering at Canadian law isn’t particularly the Imaging Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He’s friendly to athletes who suffer inju- also an associate professor of electrical and computer ries. engineering, radiology and medical physics and applied “Often it will say how is it your em- radiation sciences. He is an expert in the field of functional MRI imaging. ployer’s negligence that you were in- BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR jured?” he said. “You were injured Dr. John Connolly because the activity you were doing has a ton of inherent risks and that’s McMaster professor and the Senator William McMaster just one of the risks you accept when Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. He is you’re voluntarily doing it. the director of the new Centre for Advanced Research in “When you’re in a football colli- Experimental and Applied Linguistics, and co-directs the sion and you end up with a broken Language, Memory and Brain Laboratories. He is an ex- leg, you can’t really sue the guy who pert in the field of EEG analysis. tackled you,” Simo said. “That was Dr. Luciano Minuzzi his job and you accepted that he Professor in McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry and would do that.” Behavioural Neurosciences and a member of McMaster’s Along with the absence of work- Mood Disorders Program based at St. Joseph’s Health- ers’ compensation and long-term care’s West 5th Campus. He is also a psychiatrist and an disability benefits, CFL players also expert in the analysis of functional MRI imaging. don’t have guaranteed contracts. Coaches and managers do, however. Kyle Ruiter and Rober Boshra And unlike most other unionized PhD candidates working under the supervision of Dr. environments, there are also no se- John Connolly, with expertise in EEG analysis. niority rights for CFL players. If a Mitch Doughty player can no longer play “skilled A master’s candidate in biomedical engineering, working football,” according to the standard under the supervision of Dr. Michael Noseworthy, with CFL contract, he can be released. expertise in MRI imaging. “So no job security, no guaranteed contracts, no long-term disability, no workplace benefits and no employer negotiating the terms of your con- too,’” Wishart added. tract,” said Wishart. “How can you Above: Former “I don’t think Arland realized say that these players don’t deserve Ticat receiver when he filed his lawsuit what it was the protection of the court? Mike Morreale going to mean to other players.” “These are players who deserve spent two years as the right to go to court and these are president of the EVELYN WILLIAMS and her players who need help. CFL Players’ son, Jonathan, spent Canada Day in a “There’s not one single player I re- HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO Association. Raleigh hotel. present that wants to sue the CFL,” She says she’s “trying to get some she added. “What they want is some- Opposite: Arland things sorted out” so she can find a one to help them. Help them under- Bruce was a place for the two of them to live per- stand what is wrong with them and receiver for the manently. help them with occupational thera- Tiger-Cats. He is A week earlier, Jonathan Williams py. suing the CFL for was released from another stay in a “But that’s not the business of the negligence in psychiatric facility. CFL.” relation to He says he’s been diagnosed as bi- Oddly enough, aside from the much concussions and polar with schizoaffective disorder. LAST MONTH, the Supreme Court degenerative Despite what his mother thinks, he of Canada was asked to settle once higher base salaries, players in the NFL neurological doesn’t believe it has anything to do and for all the catch-22 facing injured disease. with football or concussions. CFL players — they’re not allowed to are also entitled to workers’ “Everything’s running smoothly,” sue their employers for workplace- Williams said. “I’m a calm, collected, related injuries but they’re also not compensation benefits. cool guy.” eligible to receive workers’ compen- It’s been three years since he suf- sation or disability payments for multiple concussions over his career. hits,” including an annual Top 10 list, fered the knee injury that wrecked their injuries. When she first met Bruce, said and the CFL website contains “nu- his career and he’s still in pain. The test case is a 2014 lawsuit filed Wishart, “he was living in an unli- merous explicit examples of how the Williams had been trying to reha- by Robyn Wishart on behalf of one- censed truck with a duffel bag.” CFL markets and glorifies the violent bilitate his knee with physical thera- time Tiger-Cat receiver Arland Bruce now suffers from horrible nature of the CFL.” py, but then he re-tore his meniscus. Bruce, now 39, who claims his career headaches, she says, and until he be- A CFL mission statement He may need more surgery. was derailed in 2013 as a result of the gan getting treatment recently, his launched in 2008, according to the Despite the incredibly long odds cumulative damage he suffered from brain injury affected his mood and, suit, is accompanied by a song that he’s facing, Williams still believes he as Wishart describes it, “his ability to includes the lyrics: “This is a league can play again. separate reality from his fears.” of fast and crush where there is no “Football ain’t over for me if I can The statement of claim in Bruce’s safety in a sideline … This is a league just get my knee situated,” he said. lawsuit against the CFL makes many of black and blue.” “I’m going to get back on my feet. of the same allegations contained in The allegations in Bruce’s state- “But I don’t know where to go from the Ontario class-action lawsuit — ment of claim have not been proven here.” that the CFL and its teams were neg- in court. Besides, he said, it’s pointless to ligent because they didn’t protect If the Supreme Court agrees to talk about what he plans to do or players from the risk of brain injury, hear the appeal of Bruce’s case and what the future holds. THE AUTHOR that they knew of the long-term rules in his favour, it would open the “I’m still sitting here with a knee harmful effects of multiple concus- door for injured CFL players to take injury from three years ago.” Spectator reporter Steve Buist sions and sub-concussions, and that the league and its teams to court. is responsible for investigations they “actively concealed these facts” Such a ruling would also have an [email protected] and features, including the from Bruce. impact on the class-action lawsuit, 905-526-3226 acclaimed Code Red project But the Bruce lawsuit also goes which is being held in abeyance until much further in raising questions the Bruce case is sorted out. that has examined the about the actions of the CFL. Even if the Supreme Court rejects connections between health The lawsuit points to contradic- Bruce’s appeal, it likely means his and wealth. He has won three tions in the CFL’s stances. case would head to arbitration with National Newspaper Awards, On one hand, the suit alleges, the the league. been named Canada’s league claims to take a leadership “It’s either going to be an arbitra- MORE ONLINE investigative journalist of the role in the promotion of concussion tion or a lawsuit,” said Wishart. Podcast, videos and interviews year three times and Ontario’s awareness and prevention. Players “There is going to be compensation with our research study COLLISION COURSE COLLISION journalist of the year five times. can be disciplined for “illegal and for the players. dangerous” hits. “When Arland went public with participants and the project On the other hand, the lawsuit his struggles and we filed the law- researchers: thespec.com [email protected] claims, the CFL website includes pic- suit, it opened the door for other peo- 905-526-3226 tures and video “glorifying violent ple to come forward and say ‘Me

C M Y WEEKEND 84 DAYS TO THE VANIER CUP SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 Tim horTons field • nov. 25 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR THESPEC.COM CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY

This combination of photos provided by Boston University shows sections from a normal brain, top, and from the brain of former University of Texas football player Greg Ploetz, bottom, in Stage 4 of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NO TREATMENT, NO CURE, When it comes to brain damage, Nowinski is also the co-founder and it can only be diagnosed after mounting evidence suggests foot- of a brain bank based at Boston death. ball is a slow-motion form of Rus- University that looks for signs of It’s no wonder CTE — chronic sian roulette for its players — pull CTE in the brains of deceased ath- traumatic encephalopathy — is the the trigger and then wait decades to letes and members of the U.S. mili- STORIES BY STEVE BUIST ticking time bomb that strikes fear find out if there was a bullet in the tary that have been donated for The Hamilton Spectator in many former football players. chamber. study. CTE is a progressive degenera- “I think people are absolutely It’s important to note the brain tive disease of the brain with symp- right to be fearful if they have sig- bank’s collection is not a random toms similar to dementia and it’s nificant brain trauma exposure,” sample. It’s possible the results are associated with repeated hits to the said Chris Nowinski, co-director of skewed because those who sus- head. That much is known. Boston University’s CTE Center. pected they had problems may What’s not known is how many “It’s a disease that is killing peo- have been more inclined to partici- concussions or blows to the head ple that we don’t really understand pate. are needed to switch on CTE or how to diagnose, how to prevent Nonetheless, the tally from the which players are most susceptible and we have no treatments,” he brains of former football players is to developing it. added. truly frightening. Concussion continues // A8

SPORTS TIGER-CATS THE RAID ON DIEPPE 75TH ANNIVERSARY It’s that time of RETURN OF the year again … THE RILEYS The legend of the shoeless soldier His feet bare and bleeding, Royal Hamilton RHLI prisoner finds compassion Light Infantry MARK MCNEIL soldier Stan Darch The Hamilton Spectator was captured Jeremiah Masoli gets the call during the against the Argos Monday. S1 IN A SMALL COMMUNITY 15 kilometres ill-fated raid on east of Dieppe, France, he is remembered as the Dieppe and died shoeless soldier from Canada. in 2014 at the age GO HAMILTON WRITES The people of Envermeu didn’t know his of 94. New books by name — much less that he was from a city called 5 local authors G1 Hamilton. They only knew that on Aug. 19, 1942, he was marched with bleeding and blistered bare feet with a group of other Canadian prison- ers of war after the disastrous raid on Dieppe that morning. But the part of the story that really endures is what happened next. Attendees at a wedding party happened to empty onto the street. And Shoeless continues // A6 PHOTO COURTESY THE DARCH FAMILY

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C M Y A8 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

Don Bowman, a “So I just leave it at former CFL player that. I don’t think that with Winnipeg and Hamilton, has just living longer is deep concerns living better.” about his prospects of DON BOWMAN, 65 developing a FORMER CFL PLAYER ON THE PROSPECTS OF DEGENERATIVE degenerative NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE neurological disease. Concussion continued from // A1

OF THE 202 BRAINS of former football players examined post-mor- THE PLAYERS’ tem by the university, 177 showed LEGACY signs of CTE. BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR The youngest case was a 17-year- DR. LUCIANO MINUZZI,a old. McMaster University professor, When the results were restricted psychiatrist, brain imaging to just former NFL players, the num- expert and part of the ber is astonishing — 110 of the 111 concussion project team, on the brains of former NFLers showed signs of CTE. sense of duty he feels to the Seven of the eight brains of former players who participated in the CFL players also showed signs of testing: CTE. Recently, 52-year-old former Bob MacDonald Ticat receiver Ken Evraire an- was an offensive “I THINK we have to honour nounced he will donate his brain to lineman at them. In a way, they kind of the Boston University bank. McMaster, then donated their brains. What’s equally troubling is that in with Calgary and “THEY WERE BASICALLY giving 20 per cent of the cases where CTE Hamilton in the their brain to us in some way to was found, there had been no docu- CFL during the mented concussion ever reported. early 1990s. He study. Now we need to honour Other findings are just as startling. sometimes them and actually show these Based on numbers compiled by ac- wonders “What results to the world and start to tuaries on behalf of the NFL, former have I done?” think about what can be done. players between ages 50 and 59 had “WHAT CAN BE DONE to rates of Alzheimer’s disease and de- prevent this in the future? We mentia up to 23 times higher than the general population of similar ages. owe that to them.” For players between 60 and 64, the

rate was up to 35 times higher. BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR EACH YEAR, just a few days be- WHICH BRINGS US back to The fore the Grey Cup, it’s customary for Spectator’s landmark CFL concus- the CFL commissioner to deliver a sion project, done in collaboration state-of-the-league address and take with researchers from McMaster questions from the media. University and St. Joseph’s Health- So last Nov. 25 in a ballroom of the care. Toronto Delta Hotel, then-commis- The study of 22 retired CFL players sioner Jeffrey Orridge stepped on to a showed disturbing differences in small stage and promptly raised eye- brain anatomy, wiring and electrical brows across the country. activity between the players and con- Orridge was asked point blank if trol subjects — men in a similar age he was prepared to admit there was a range with no history of concussions link between football and degenera- or repeated hits to the head. tive brain diseases, such as CTE, Alz- While the project wasn’t designed heimer’s and Parkinson’s. to provide medical diagnoses or pre- No, he stated simply, “the league’s dict future health, it’s impossible not position is that there is no conclusive to wonder what lies ahead for the evidence at this point.” players who participated. Orridge, who parted ways with the Dr. Luciano Minuzzi is a McMaster CFL in June after two years, was researcher based at St. Joe’s West 5th pressed a second time and again, he campus. He’s an expert in brain im- declined to draw a link. aging as well as a clinical psychia- “Last I heard,” he said, “it’s still a trist. subject of debate in the medical and Minuzzi analyzed the thickness of GENE J. PUSKAR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS scientific community.” the brain’s cortex, where billions of Orridge’s statements did not sit DONALD MIRALLE, GETTY IMAGES DONALD MIRALLE, GETTY nerve cells reside and compared the well with some of the retired players players’ results to control subjects. who took part in The Spectator’s con- As reported in Part 1 of the series, cussion project. Minuzzi was shocked at the wide- “The naivete of that statement is re- spread thinning of the cortex seen on ally kind of unbelievable,” said Bow- average in the players — so shocked, man. “It doesn’t make any sense. in fact, that he performed his analy- “For the person leading the league ses five separate times because he to make a comment like that, I couldn’t believe the results. “But we don’t know for how long word I was trying to think of? Left: New England thought it was really inappropriate.” The question put to him was so- that can happen.” “I wonder, is that because I have Patriots Former Ticat Mike Morreale called bering. If the brains of the CFL par- It’s not surprising some of the re- things racing through my mind or, linebacker Junior the comments “very upsetting.” ticipants could be examined after tired players are fearful of the future. Oh my God, is that a sign of some- Seau, whose May “Suggesting there is no link is not death, how many of them would you Some confess that every time a thing starting?” he said. 2012 death was an educated defence,” said Morreale, expect to find with CTE? name’s forgotten or a phone number “For eight or 10 years, I’ve won- ruled a suicide, who’s also a former president of the His response was chilling. disappears into the ether, they have a dered that.” was found to have CFL Players’ Association. “I think it’s the majority of them,” flicker of doubt. had the brain “I don’t know how you can come to said Minuzzi. WITHOUT ANY PROMPTING, disease chronic that conclusion when really there’s If there’s a saving grace, he added, BOB MACDONALD was an of- four players who took part in the traumatic so much evidence that points there it’s the brain’s incredible ability to fensive lineman at McMaster Univer- concussion project said they would encephalopathy, could be. adapt. sity, then with Calgary and Hamilton choose to end their lives prematurely the National “I just want people to be honest “Our brain is very plastic and very in the CFL during the early 1990s. if they started to experience signs of Institutes of and truthful and say ‘You know resilient, especially when it’s some- His last CFL game happened to be dementia. Health said in what, this is a sport that you can be thing happening for a long time,” back at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium One of them is Don Bowman, now January 2013. seriously injured in and it could lead said Minuzzi. “Our brain will do its against his old club. 65, who played in the mid to late 1970s to brain-related trauma.’ best to adjust. A former teammate head-butted with Winnipeg and Hamilton. Right: Three “But that’s a choice I was willing to “It is possible that if they don’t have him on a play and MacDonald ended He said he doesn’t really think weeks after take,” he added. any symptoms now, the brain is try- up flat on his back right by the Stam- about CTE because he already fig- signing with the The CFL did not respond directly ing to compensate,” he said. peder logo at midfield, staring up at ures he’s facing some daunting odds. Tiger-Cats, to questions from The Spectator the sky. Both of his parents had degenera- former NFL about CTE, links between football Burners — painful stinging sensa- tive neurological diseases, so he’s defensive end and neurodegenerative diseases, or tions caused when nerves in the neck opted for a fatalistic outlook on the Adrian Robinson Orridge’s comments. THE SERIES get squished — were shooting down future. was found dead, In a written statement, the league WEDNESDAY: PART 1 both arms. “I’m not turning the clock back hanging in his said “the health and safety of our By this point, he had started teach- and fixing the damage that may have Philadelphia Hard science of hard knocks players is a top priority for our ing and as he lay there in pain, “I’m occurred when I played football,” apartment. Spec study: CFLers’ brains league, particularly when it comes to thinking ‘What am I doing? I’m said Bowman. “There’s a master plan the assessment, prevention and show ‘shocking’ damage done. My future is teaching,’” Mac- that we don’t control and what’s go- management of concussions.” THURSDAY: PART 2 Donald recalled. ing to happen is going to happen.” The league included a list of safety ‘One every game’ Now 49, he’s a teacher at Saltfleet Bowman’s father was diagnosed initiatives that have been recently Players react with shock but no Secondary School and he admits that with Alzheimer’s at age 81 and the adopted. from time to time, he thinks about last three years of his life were “ruth- surprise to findings “We are focused on continuing to what the future might hold for him less,” Bowman said. develop a culture of health and safety FRIDAY: PART 3 after years of smashing his head for a “There was virtually nothing left across our entire league including Nowhere to turn living. of him,” he said. “That’s not ever go- players, coaches and management,” Few options for CFL players “When I’m in the classroom and I ing to happen to me. according to the CFL’s statement. COLLISION COURSE COLLISION hurt on the job can’t think of a word,” he said. “I have “So I just leave it at that. I don’t this great stream of thought going think that just living longer is living RRIDGE S DENIAL of a link be- TODAY: PART 4 O ’ and bang, I stop dead — what was the better.” tween football and degenerative The ticking time bomb brain diseases seems all the more No diagnosis, no treatment, no Of the 202 brains of former football players examined strange, since the CFL has been cure for CTE working with the Canadian Sports post-mortem by the university, 177 showed signs of CTE. Concussion Project, led by Dr. Concussion continues // A9

C M Y THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 A9

WHAT IS CTE? IN 1928, A SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE in the Journal of the American Medical Association carried a short, catchy and rather unscientific title: “Punch Drunk.” Written by Harrison Martland, a New Jersey doctor, the article was the first to scientifically link the symptoms of brain damage suffered by boxers to the effects of repeated concussions and blows to the head. By 1937, the syndrome of slurred speech, motor skill problems and memory loss was given a more dignified title — dementia pugilistica, which is now recognized as CTE. CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — is a

COLLISION COURSE COLLISION progressive degenerative brain disease associated with concussions and repeated hits to the head that don’t necessarily rise to the level of a concussion. The onset of CTE begins in mid to later life, long after the effects of the original trauma have cleared. Symp- toms of CTE include short-term memory loss, emotional instability, difficulty planning and carrying out tasks, depression, suicidal thoughts and some of the motor skill impairments seen in Parkinson’s disease. CTE can develop from hits to the head that cause the typical symptoms of a concussion as well as so-called sub-concussive hits that don’t produce symptoms. The exact mechanism of how concussions and sub- concussive hits lead to CTE is still being studied.

BILL KOSTROUN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS It’s also not clear how many concussions or sub- concussive hits need to be absorbed for CTE to develop. One recent scientific study suggested just one concussion could lead to findings consistent with CTE.

IT’S BELIEVED THAT THE REPETITIVE BLOWS build up damage in the axons of the brain’s nerve cells. Axons are the long wires that transmit electrical signals from one nerve cell to the next. San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Chris Borland, seen celebrating an interception in 2014, walked away from the sport after When the brain gets rattled, the axons can get doing his own research into concussions. stretched or squished or even sheared. That damage is then thought to start a cascade of chemical events. At the microscopic level, “Talk to players and STAGES OF CTE the internal framework of they’ll say when the The Boston University centre the axon is supported by has identified four stages of microtubules, and one helmets got more CTE symptoms which are certain protein called tau is comfortable, they gathered post-mortem responsible for assembling became a weapon.” through interviews with and stabilizing the microtu- family members. bules. CHRIS NOWINSKI With CTE, the damage to CO-DIRECTOR, BOSTON STAGE I the axons can cause an UNIVERSITY CTE CENTER Headaches and problems abnormal flow of chemicals with attention and back and forth across the Concussion continued from // A8 concentration; outer membrane. STAGE II As some of these sub- Charles Tator of the University of To- Depression and short-term stances flow in, they add ronto. memory problems; little chemical appendages In May 2013, Tator’s research STAGE III to the tau proteins that group published a scientific article Cognitive impairment and cause crucial changes to based on the post-mortem examina- problems with planning and their shape. tion of six brains from deceased for- organization; The tau proteins start to mer CFL football players. form tangles that disrupt Three of the six brains showed evi- STAGE IV the framework of the axons dence of CTE. The other three brains M. SPENCER GREEN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Evidence of full-blown and interfere with the trans- showed evidence of Parkinson’s dis- dementia. mission of electrical signals. ease, Alzheimer’s disease and Amyo- Over time, the jumble of trophic Lateral Sclerosis. misshaped tau proteins begin to build up, which can In other words, all six brains lead to the development of symptoms depending on showed evidence of neurodegenera- the area of the brain that’s affected. tive disease. What makes CTE such a concern is that suspected Robyn Wishart, a Vancouver law- cases can only be diagnosed definitively by examining yer who has helped more than 200 the brain after death. players file a class-action lawsuit Chris Nowinski is co-director of the CTE Center at Boston University. As well, he is There are no blood test markers, for example, or against the CFL and its teams over co-founder of a brain bank at Boston University researching CTE in athletes. brain imaging techniques that would conclusively show the long-term damage from concus- the presence of CTE in living people. There are also no sions, said she “can’t even fathom” treatments. the league’s denial of a link between were caused by playing in the NFL to sions. “You can’t diagnose CTE with any known accuracy in football and brain trauma. get their compensation. In January, 23-year-old Buffalo living people,” said Chris Nowinski, co-director of Bos- “It makes my job easier, ironically,” There’s even a large grid included Bills’ linebacker A.J. Tarpley also ton University’s CTE Center. Wishart said, “because when they in the settlement that spells out the quit after one season. He said he suf- Nowinski’s interest in the concussion issue is as much say it doesn’t exist, the players stand specific payments based on the type fered his third and fourth concus- personal as professional. up and say ‘How come I am the way I of condition and the age of the player sions during his season with the He played football for Harvard University then be- am then?’” at time of diagnosis. Bills, then decided “I am walking came the first alumnus of the school to wrestle in the What was especially puzzling The maximum payment, for exam- away from the game I love to pre- World Wrestling Entertainment. about the CFL commissioner’s state- ple, would be $5 million to a player serve my future health.” Nowinski suffered a concussion in 2003 and had to ment was just how different it was who played at least five seasons and The previous March, Husain Ab- retire because of post-concussion problems that from the dramatic about-face adopt- received a diagnosis of ALS before dullah retired at age 30 after seven wouldn’t subside. ed south of the border last year by the age 45. seasons and five concussions, saying He began researching the medical literature, he said, NFL. The NFL also agreed to pay US$75 he wanted to have “a sound mind” in “trying to understand why I wasn’t getting better,” Appearing before the U.S. Con- million into a fund to provide base- his remaining years. which then led to a book he wrote titled “Head Games: gress in March 2016, a top NFL offi- line medical assessments of retired And in July, 26-year-old offensive The Global Concussion Crisis.” cial acknowledged for the first time players to determine their level of lineman John Urschel, originally “We are starting to understand some telltale signs of there is a definite link between foot- compensation and US$10 million in- from Winnipeg, retired on the first the disease that give clinicians confidence — without ball-related head trauma and CTE. to an education fund to promote safe- day of NFL training camp after three absolute confidence — in the diagnosis,” he said. Then on Jan. 7, a court-approved ty and injury prevention to football seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. “Certainly within 10 years we’ll have a much better settlement became official in a class- players at all ages. Others weren’t able to step away idea of how to diagnose it.” action lawsuit launched by former “It’s interesting that the CFL is re- from the game in time. Preventing CTE is actually the easiest part, Nowinski players against the NFL that could fusing to believe statistics whereas Dave Duerson spent 11 seasons in added. ultimately cost the league an estimat- the NFL is having to grudgingly ad- the NFL as a safety and suffered at “Don’t hit people in the head,” he said. “That part is ed US$1 billion. mit to statistics,” said Bob Macoritti, least 10 concussions, according to well understood.” The agreement settles claims made who played six seasons, mostly with family members. by players and their families that re- Saskatchewan, in the mid to late In 2011, at the age of 50, Duerson peated head impacts from football 1970s. shot himself in the chest, a desperate Four players who took part left them with brain injuries. attempt to preserve his brain for ex- While the wording of the settle- BY NO MEANS is it a tidal wave, or amination. in the concussion project ment specifically allows the NFL to even statistically significant, but a Duerson’s suicide note begged his deny liability, the scope of the agree- growing number of players in their family to donate his brain to the Bos- said they would choose to ment is astonishing nonetheless. prime are choosing to walk away ton University brain bank. end their lives prematurely if About 20,000 former players could from pro football because of con- The following year, Junior Seau, a be eligible for payments and the cerns about brain trauma. 43-year-old star linebacker who they started to experience agreement will be in place for the Chris Borland was, by all accounts, played an incredible 20 seasons in next 65 years. a promising young linebacker for the the NFL, also killed himself with a signs of dementia. There’s no cap on the amount to be San Francisco 49ers who was twice shot to the chest. His brain was also paid out for qualifying claims, so the named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie donated to Boston University. total could rise beyond $1 billion. of the Week in 2014 during his first Both of the players’ brains showed ment that passed almost unnoticed. The league estimates as many as season. evidence of CTE. Adrian Robinson Jr. was a 25-year- 6,000 former players could ultimate- It turned out to be his only season. Not all of the cases have been as old defensive end who had been a ly develop Alzheimer’s disease or de- Worried about a concussion he be- high profile as Duerson and Seau, standout player at Temple University mentia. lieves he suffered during his first however. in Philadelphia. As part of the settlement, the training camp, he decided to walk He had played 12 games with the league also agreed that players aren’t away from the sport at age 24 after INLATEAPRIL 2015, the Tiger- Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012, eight required to prove that their injuries doing his own research into concus- Cats made a small signing announce- games in 2013 split between Denver Concussion continues // A10

C M Y A10 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2017 THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR l THE SPEC.COM

PROJECT AT A GLANCE “Last I heard, it’s still a COLLISION COURSE subject of debate in the medical and MORE THAN 20 RETIRED CFL players participated in scientific community.” a research collaboration between the Spectator and experts from McMaster University and St. Joseph’s JEFFREY ORRIDGE Healthcare. CFL COMMISSIONER 2015-2017 The groundbreaking project, which spanned more than two years, used sophisticated brain scanning techniques Concussion continued from // A9 to look at the long-term impacts of concussions and and San Diego and then he kicked repeated hits to the head on retired CFL players. around the practice rosters of a cou- The results obtained are disturbing. Compared to ple other NFL teams. healthy control subjects of similar ages, the retired play- Three weeks after signing with the ers showed: Ticats, Robinson was dead. Widespread thinning of the cerebral cortex, where bil- On May 17, 2015, Robinson was lions and billions of the brain’s nerve cell bodies are locat- found hanging in his Philadelphia ed; apartment. He left behind a baby

RYAN REMIORZ, THE CANADIAN PRESS Significant areas of differences in the bundles of nerve daughter. fibres that connect various parts of the brain; “He went from being one of the nic- est guys you’d ever want to talk to, to Sharply lower levels of electrical activity in the brain from having a darker edge at times,” a law- EEG recordings; yer for the Robinson family said. A 10-fold increase of memory-related symptoms and a Robinson’s father said he noticed four-times increase in depression symptoms. his son becoming uncharacteristical- ly moody and aggressive. OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM “He was changing,” Robinson Sr. told a Pennsylvania media outlet. Dr. Michael Noseworthy “He was still my son, but, like, some Director of McMaster’s School of Biomedical Engineer- of the aggressive arguments and ing, and director of Imaging Physics and Engineering at fighting, it wasn’t normal.” the Imaging Research Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare. He’s By 2013, Robinson Sr. said, his son also an associate professor of electrical and computer began complaining about head- engineering, radiology and medical physics and applied aches. radiation sciences. He is an expert in the field of func- Five months after Robinson’s tional MRI imaging. death, officials at Boston University Dr. John Connolly brain bank announced that Robin- son’s brain exhibited CTE, even McMaster professor and the Senator William McMaster though he was just 25 years old. Chair in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Language. He is the director of the new Centre for Advanced Research in The family’s lawyer said Robinson BARRY GRAY, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR had suffered several concussions Experimental and Applied Linguistics, and co-directs the while playing in the NFL. Language, Memory and Brain Laboratories. He is an ex- Three months ago in a Philadel- pert in the field of EEG analysis. phia court, Robinson’s family filed a Dr. Luciano Minuzzi lawsuit against the NFL and a promi- Professor in McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry and nent manufacturer of football hel- Behavioural Neurosciences and a member of McMaster’s mets. Mood Disorders Program based at St. Joseph’s Health- The family alleges the league and care’s West 5th Campus. He is also a psychiatrist and an the manufacturer are guilty of con- Top: Former CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge questions the scientific validity of expert in the analysis of functional MRI imaging. spiracy, fraudulent concealment and connecting football with degenerative brain disease. Above: Mike Morreale, a negligence in the wrongful death of former Tiger-Cat receiver, doubts football can be made safe for players. Kyle Ruiter and Rober Boshra Robinson. PhD candidates working under the supervision of Dr. The lawsuit alleges the NFL and John Connolly, with expertise in EEG analysis. the helmet manufacturer engaged in “That voice doesn’t get repeated Mitch Doughty “sham science” and then “published The NFL estimates as and the myth gets perpetuated that A master’s candidate in biomedical engineering, working counter-science and marketed inef- the number of concussions diag- under the supervision of Dr. Michael Noseworthy, with fective harm-reduction technology many as 6,000 former nosed in professional sports is the expertise in MRI imaging. in the form of football helmets inca- players could ultimately actual number of concussions that pable of protecting the players from are happening.” sub-concussive and concussive trau- develop Alzheimer’s Nowinski points to a 2015 study of mas.” more than 700 U.S. university foot- Appearing before the U.S. The NFL’s decision to move to disease or dementia. ball players that found for every one hard-shell, motorcycle-style hel- concussion that was diagnosed, Congress in March 2016, a top NFL mets, the lawsuit alleges, created “a “It’s the brain moving in the skull there were 26 potential concussions pandemic for those playing the that’s the problem.” that went unreported or undiag- official acknowledged for the first game” because of brain trauma. nosed. time there is a definite link “Talk to players and they’ll say FOOTBALL, IT SEEMS, has “The problem is that the changes at when the helmets got more comfort- reached a crucial crossroads as the the professional level are only a frac- between football-related head able, they became a weapon,” said scientific evidence about brain trau- tion of the players’ careers,” said No- Chris Nowinski, of Boston Universi- ma starts to pile up. winski. trauma and CTE. ty’s CTE Center. Can an inherently dangerous sport “Youth tackle football has been a Indeed, a 2013 scientific article on be made safe to play? tremendous mistake for the health of compensation benefits or long-term CTE suggested as much. Mike Morreale, the former Ticat football players because it just adds disability, and they’re not allowed to “To date, there is no evidence that receiver, doubts it. way too many years of getting hit in sue their employer in court. helmets actually reduce the inci- “I don’t care what helmet you put the head while the brain is develop- Their league refuses to acknowl- dence of concussion,” the research- on, it’s not going to stop your brain ing.” edge a link between football and de- ers stated. “In fact, the use of protec- rattling around inside your skull and There’s also a big difference be- generative brain diseases. tive gear may actually lead to more that, to me, is probably the biggest is- tween making football safer and They’re at enormously higher risk aggressive play and may result in an sue,” said Morreale, now 46. making it safe. of developing Alzheimer’s disease increased incidence of concussion.” As Morreale said, in Part 2 of the Bob Macoritti, the former Sas- and dementia than the general popu- John Connolly, a McMaster profes- series, he was never diagnosed with katchewan player, says making the lation. sor and part of the research team for a concussion but now estimates he game truly safe for players could put And for those retired players test- The Spectator project, said there are may have suffered one in every game it at odds with what fans want. ed as part of The Spectator’s concus- grim similarities between football he played — a pro career that “You might be seeing flag football sion project, the results strongly sug- and motorcycle helmets. spanned more than 200 games. in 15 to 20 years,” said Macoritti, “un- gest evidence of long-lasting brain “As an E.R. guy told me one time, “It’s astonishing because no one is less they can create something that is trauma years, even decades, after all it does is keep the mess inside one compiling all of the players who have so protective of the head — and I their careers ended. spot,” said Connolly. “Your head still said this,” said Nowinski. “There are don’t see how you can do that.” “Up to this point, people who play moves around and more important, dozens of players on the record with As Part 3 of the series noted, CFL a professional sport like football or your brain does. the same statement. players aren’t eligible for workers’ hockey, we just thought of it as a game,” said Dr. Mike Noseworthy, director of McMaster’s School of Bio- medical Engineering and part of the project’s research team. “But this is their job. “Going forward, we have to think it’s not just about breaking bones or blowing out a ligament,” Nosewor- thy said. “There are serious risks to the THE AUTHOR brain as part of their job. Spectator reporter Steve Buist “And if you sign up to do this job, you have to understand the risk is responsible for investigations you’re getting into.” and features, including the acclaimed Code Red project [email protected] that has examined the 905-526-3226 connections between health and wealth. He has won three National Newspaper Awards, been named Canada’s PAUL BEATY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS investigative journalist of the year three times and Ontario’s MORE ONLINE COLLISION COURSE COLLISION journalist of the year five times. Podcasts, videos and interviews with our research [email protected] study participants and the 905-526-3226 project researchers: The funeral of former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson who died by suicide. A thespec.com four-time Pro Bowl pick, he played Super Bowl winners with the Bears and Giants.

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