Widows of ex-NFL players berate new CTE study for ignoring their caregiving struggles
Year after year, the women in the background of pro football players, wives, daughters, and sisters have watched the men they love vanish into strangers. Their husbands thundered on NFL fields; now, many don't even know their names or can manage their moods.
For these caregivers of ex-NFL players, the devastating effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are not a theory. They're living a tragic reality.
So when a new study indicated caregivers' impressions regarding CTE may be influenced by media "hype," there were many loud and clear voices from widows.
The
CTE study
that raised outrage
Researchers Rachel Grashow and Alicia Whittington, affiliated with the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, mailed questionnaires to 172 caregivers for former NFL players, asking if they believed their partner had CTE.
— JAMANeuro (@JAMANeuro)
A coalition of widows, led by Dr. Eleanor Perfetto, whose husband, Ralph Wenzel, a guard at the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers, had been found to have advanced CTE when he died, signed an open letter. They called the study's suggestion "callous, patronizing, and offensive."
Their central message? "Our pain isn't media hype—it's real."
Perfetto's testimony was gruesome: her once robust husband gradually lost the ability to speak, move, or recognize loved ones.
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His brain, she described, had shrunk to a toddler's size when he passed away.
Other wives also testified to trauma: violent rages, paranoia, forgetfulness, unpredictability, and even suicidal tendencies. Some wives even went so far as to disable vehicles or hide knives to protect themselves and their husbands.
What is CTE? Is there a link between football and CTE?
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma, a syndrome that is all too common in football.
CTE cannot be diagnosed until after death, through examination of the brain tissue.
The BBC News reported in April 2016 that the NFL formally acknowledged the link between football and CTE in a major legal concession. The same year, the league paid $1 billion as compensation for concussions, up to $4 million to the families of deceased players diagnosed with CTE.
The study authors mentioned that their goal was to support families and explore how media awareness might affect health perception, but the critic says it was framed poorly.
The biggest issue? The study claims about the media's influence without measuring the actual media exposure. It suggested a number without showing cause, its effect revolving around that media coverage, which was the actual reason driving the belief in CTE.
Also Read:
Frank Wycheck CTE Diagnosis: Frank Wycheck Suffered Stage III CTE at the Time of Death, Shakes the NFL to Its Core | NFL News - The Times of India
Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
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