How concussions ended the careers of 10 professional athletes

For many athletes, the terms “shake it off” and “you’re fine, get back out there” were thought to instill a toughness that was simply a part of sports. What the sporting world has learned in the past decade or two, however, is that athletes were often doing irreparable damage to their brains when they shook off head and neck injuries.Mild traumatic brain injury, also known as a concussion, causes the brain to move quickly inside of the skull. Symptoms of a concussion include nausea, headache, fatigue, confusion, sleep disturbances, mood changes, and memory problems.Multiple concussions can lead to lasting and significant brain injury. One condition, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), has gained a great deal of attention with major athletes such as Aaron Hernandez exhibiting personality changes and violent behavior, including death by suicide. Hernandez had a severe case of CTE. Diagnosing CTE with certainty only happens postmortem, and many professional athletes who have struggled with brain injuries have agreed to donate their brains to medical research after death.While high-contact sports like football, rugby, soccer, and hockey have a higher rate of concussions, other sports such as wrestling, gymnastics, lacrosse, and even cheerleading also pose a risk for mild to severe brain injuries. With awareness of concussions and other brain injuries shaking up the sports world, attempts are being made to make youth and professional athletes safer.Youth and high school sports have changed many rules and adopted safety measures to protect against mild and traumatic brain injury. Concussion training is provided to youth sport coaches to educate them about the injury. Sports federations are implementing stricter guidelines, too, such as the 2015 U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision to ban heading the ball in youth soccer.To shine a light on concussions in sports, Neural Effects compiled a list of professional athletes who have suffered from career-ending concussion-related injuries.
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