The NFL’s Dr. No
Congresswoman Linda Sanchez took 10 minutes to do a serious beat down of Commissioner Roger Goodell in the Congressional Hearings on brain injuries. You can watch her clip below but first we want to take a moment to introduce the new James Bond Dr. No: Ira Casson (we no longer want to call this idiot ‘Doctor’ as he doesn’t merit the respect of his fellow human beings) heads the NFL MTBI Committee that conducts those endless inconclusive studies on traumatic brain injuries for the NFL. This jerk shall henceforth be known as The New Dr. No. Every answer Casson gives in the following clip from Bernard Goldberg’s interview from last May’s HBO Real Sports is an arrogant, “No!” (with a sneer). And it looks like he was also a NO-show at the Congressional hearings as well, much to the Commissioner’s surprise (!). Here’s to Dr. No! <sneer>
AAA
AAA
And here are Rep. Sanchez’ questions and comments:
AAA
AAA
Dave Pear
October 30th, 2009 at 2:33 pm #
Thank you, Congresswoman Linda Sanchez!
Conflicts of interest are a way of life for the NFL.
The 20 new programs that Commissioner Goodell alluded to are gibberish. I know because I have tried to access them and they are ALL virtually worthless. (However, some of them do have fancy names!)
If these new programs or benefits are so darn good, Roger, why don’t you use them for you and your family? You could make your new 20 programs standard protocol for ALL NFL employees. Is this a good idea?
Or do you talk the talk but aren’t able to walk the walk?
YOUR NFL-paid doctors are not qualified brain doctors. Did they study the brain at a legitimate University (in the United States) or are they orthopedic surgeons who have been asked to sit on a board? Would sitting on a board be considered “sedentary” work? Orthopedic doctors aren’t qualified to make employment decisions in Corporate America but that rule doesn’t apply in the NFL. The NFL plays by their own rules. The vocational aspect of disability is TOTALLY missing in the NFL and ‘handicap’ is only applied or discussed on the golf course where those same doctors are buddying up to the coaches and team owners.
It seems that all these NFL-paid orthopedic doctors who examine disabled retired players and deny them their disability benefits always use the word “sedentary” as the type of employment they are able to do.
Retired players who were denied their disability could certainly sit on the board and perform “sedentary” work. They would then be able to provide valuable information about some of the serious injuries retired players and their families must live with.
So why does the NFL turn their back on their injured players?
Please allow me to give you some unsolicited information: Orthopedic surgeons usually work with the big bones in the body such as hips, knees, shoulders, etc. Among their peers in the medical field, they’re known as the carpenters.
However, neurosurgeons usually specialize in the spinal area of the body where there are many nerve endings and smaller body parts They also go to school longer than orthopedic doctors. Neurosurgeons specialize in the more intricate and smaller delicate parts of the body which are in the spinal area and are connected directly to the brain.
Why would the NFL not want to use a doctor that is QUALIFIED and NEUTRAL?
Just like the tobacco industry did for years, what’s the NFL trying to hide?
Sincerely,
Dave & Heidi Pear
John Hogan
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm #
If there are no connections between football head injuries, depression and dementia, etc., why have the rules been changed to make the game “safer”? Why are they constantly striving to improve helmets? And why are guys fined $25,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit?
John Hogan
Disability Attorney
Robert
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:47 pm #
John -
You do know that Ira Casson already has an answer for your questions, don’t you?
It’s “No!”
Robert
John Hogan
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm #
Too bad he didn’t say “NO” when offered to co-chair the NFL TBI committee!
John Hogan
Disability Attorney
George Visger
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:39 pm #
As I watched the NO Boy with his little sneer spew out his very obviously pre-recorded answers to the questions, I couldn’t help but hope to see a large, hairy forearm fly across the screen and wipe the smirk off his jock-sniffing face! Just like many of the NFL owners, the NO Boy is a self-serving individual, only looking for ways to benefit himself and stuff his pockets at our physical and mental expense. But then again, he’s making decisions which are outside his realm of expertise.
As a wildlife biologist, I try not to make decisions regarding hydrology, and I would most humbly suggest to NO Boy that he stick with his joints and leave neurological issues to the big boys who actually went to school for such training.
It is an unfortunate reality, but decisions which affect our lives are often made by self-serving individuals such as NO Boy, even though they have NO FORMAL TRAINING in such matters.
Anyone with half a brain, (and considering I just returned from a 3-day evaluation at Dr. Amen’s clinic and I don’t have much more than that it still functions after 9 brain surgeries), can see through the NFL’s weak, last-ditch effort to dodge the issues. Where was the NO Boy and all the other EXPERTS at the Congressional hearing last week? They were all hiding in their holes where they belong!!! None of them had the balls to show at the hearing, and Goodell and Smith acted surprised their experts were supposed to be there! They all should have been held in contempt.
Hang in there, boys – the tide is changing. We have put up with this carnage for much too long and it’s time we aired the NFL’s dirt laundry and took care of one another.
We need EVERYONE to step forward and be heard.
George Visger
San Francisco 49′ers
1980 & 1981