BleedGopher
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Former Gopher Jim Carter on CTE: “I’m sure I’ve got damage — I’ll probably have CTE"
per Shooter:
Jim Carter played football since his youth, then starred in junior high, high school (South St. Paul), college (University of Minnesota) and for nine seasons played in the NFL (Green Bay Packers).
Research by the Boston University School of Medicine released last week showed that 111 of 112 deceased NFL players who had their brains examined postmortem had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease from blows to the head.
Carter, 68, is still alive.
“It’ll be interesting if they can ever figure CTE out while people are still alive,” he said.
Several years ago, Carter and some other NFL football players, including local pal Bob Stein, traveled to Malibu, Calif., to have some early onset Alzheimer’s and brain function testing done at neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Amen’s clinic.
“At that time, my acuity was pretty good and in a higher percentile, not just for football players, but normal population, so it did not look like my brain had degenerated, at least at that point,” Carter said.
Carter, a former Gophers football captain, said he is “torn” over the increasing CTE-football issue.
“I’m sure I’ve got damage — I’ll probably have CTE,” Carter said. “But I don’t know when I got it, where I got it. I played hockey (Gophers), too. And when I was crazy and young, I was in a few fights, too.
“I have empathy and sympathy and concern for teammates and guys who were in the (NFL), the stories about the (former Pittsburgh Steeler) Mike Websters of the world that end up homeless and in dire shape. But at my age, soon to be 69, I think I can still keep track. I have the normal things that concern me and scare me, like can’t thinking of a word I’m trying to grasp or I can’t remember something you and I talked about a week ago.
“But I still read a lot, try to keep my brain active, and I think I’m OK for now. Now, if it suddenly took a turn, I wouldn’t be so optimistic.”
Carter doesn’t feel the NFL is at risk because of the CTE issue.
“No. The NFL is too big a business,” he said. “We (players) were assets to them, not people. And, like it or not, there’s too much money at risk. They made their (concussion) settlement — they beat the players up on that deal.
“But no, I don’t think the NFL’s at risk. Maybe long-term, if parents don’t put their kids in football, if they withhold them, that could affect it. But that’s 20 years off.”
Carter has a 10-year-old grandson who plays hockey and football.
“If it were me, I would have him play golf and tennis, something they could do all their life and still learn the lessons,” he said.
Carter, though, who played fullback at Minnesota, then replaced legendary linebacker Ray Nitschke in Green Bay, said he would play football all over again.
“Even knowing what I know now,” he said. “Yes, sir.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/29/charley-walters-vikings-rhodes-looking-for-more-money-up-front/
Go Gophers!!
per Shooter:
Jim Carter played football since his youth, then starred in junior high, high school (South St. Paul), college (University of Minnesota) and for nine seasons played in the NFL (Green Bay Packers).
Research by the Boston University School of Medicine released last week showed that 111 of 112 deceased NFL players who had their brains examined postmortem had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease from blows to the head.
Carter, 68, is still alive.
“It’ll be interesting if they can ever figure CTE out while people are still alive,” he said.
Several years ago, Carter and some other NFL football players, including local pal Bob Stein, traveled to Malibu, Calif., to have some early onset Alzheimer’s and brain function testing done at neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Amen’s clinic.
“At that time, my acuity was pretty good and in a higher percentile, not just for football players, but normal population, so it did not look like my brain had degenerated, at least at that point,” Carter said.
Carter, a former Gophers football captain, said he is “torn” over the increasing CTE-football issue.
“I’m sure I’ve got damage — I’ll probably have CTE,” Carter said. “But I don’t know when I got it, where I got it. I played hockey (Gophers), too. And when I was crazy and young, I was in a few fights, too.
“I have empathy and sympathy and concern for teammates and guys who were in the (NFL), the stories about the (former Pittsburgh Steeler) Mike Websters of the world that end up homeless and in dire shape. But at my age, soon to be 69, I think I can still keep track. I have the normal things that concern me and scare me, like can’t thinking of a word I’m trying to grasp or I can’t remember something you and I talked about a week ago.
“But I still read a lot, try to keep my brain active, and I think I’m OK for now. Now, if it suddenly took a turn, I wouldn’t be so optimistic.”
Carter doesn’t feel the NFL is at risk because of the CTE issue.
“No. The NFL is too big a business,” he said. “We (players) were assets to them, not people. And, like it or not, there’s too much money at risk. They made their (concussion) settlement — they beat the players up on that deal.
“But no, I don’t think the NFL’s at risk. Maybe long-term, if parents don’t put their kids in football, if they withhold them, that could affect it. But that’s 20 years off.”
Carter has a 10-year-old grandson who plays hockey and football.
“If it were me, I would have him play golf and tennis, something they could do all their life and still learn the lessons,” he said.
Carter, though, who played fullback at Minnesota, then replaced legendary linebacker Ray Nitschke in Green Bay, said he would play football all over again.
“Even knowing what I know now,” he said. “Yes, sir.”
http://www.twincities.com/2017/07/29/charley-walters-vikings-rhodes-looking-for-more-money-up-front/
Go Gophers!!
