Pittsburgh Steelers Roethlisberger Apologizes, Says Won’t Appeal His Suspension

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Posted on 26th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, suspended for six games last week by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell,  Monday said he’s accountable for his actions and apologized to his team and fans.

“The Commissioner’s decision to suspend me speaks clearly that more is expected of me,” Roethlisberger said in a statement on the Steelers’ website.

 http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Statement-By-Ben-Roethlisberger-Regarding-His-Suspension/43bb2d11-6003-4873-9226-8962140ddc9aaa

 “I am accountable for the consequences of my actions. Though I have committed no crime, I regret that I have fallen short of the values instilled in me by my family. I will not appeal the suspension and will comply with what is asked of me ─ and more.”

 The embattled football player has been accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated 20-year-old student in the bathroom of a Georgia bar March 5, and is being sued for allegedly raping a woman in Lake Tahoe, Nev. Although Roethlisberger wasn’t criminally charged, the NFL found that he had violated its personal conduct policy.  http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12139/nfl-statement-on-roethlisberger

 The NFL, in an intervention, called for Roethlisberger to undergo a comprehensive behavioral exam as well as being penalized with the missed games without pay.

 “Missing games will be devastating for me,” he said. “I am sorry to let down my teammates and the entire Steelers fan base. I am disappointed that I have reached this point and will not put myself in this situation again. I appreciate the opportunities that I have been given in my life and will make the necessary improvements.”

 Roethlisberger has sustained traumatic brain injury that can impact behavior. He was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident where he was thrown, and hit his helmetless head. He has also sustained four concussions on the field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What The NFL’s ‘Intervention’ With Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Roethlisberger Entails

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Posted on 23rd April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Make no mistake about it, the National Football League’s punishment this week of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was really an intervention.

 Roethlisberger was not only suspended without pay for six games for an incident in which he had sex with an intoxicated 20-year-old student in a bar bathroom, he was also ordered to undergo a comprehensive behavioral evaluation.

 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to help the quarterback, who was accused of – but not criminally charged –  with committing a sexual assault in the Georgia bar incident. Goodell flat out asked Roethlisberger, once a hero who lead his team to two Super Bowl wins, to help himself and turn his life around.

 “Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare,” Goodell wrote in a letter to Roethlisberger.

 “I believe it is essential that you take full advantage of the resources available to you,” the commissioner said. “My ultimate disposition in this matter will be influenced by the extent to which you do so, what you learn as a result, and the demonstrated commitment to making positive change in your life.”  

 The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a detailed story on what kinds of  tests Roethlisberger faces to determine to what degree his violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy can be blamed on psychological, behavioral or neuropsychological disorders.  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10113/1052700-66.stm

 Then, a plan for treatment and intervention must be devised.

 If anyone is a candidate for having neuropsychological problems, it’s Roethlisberger. A foolish daredevil who distains helmets, he was almost killed in a motorcycle accident several years ago when he was thrown and hit his head. As a Steeler, he sustained four concussions. That’s all a recipe for behavioral issues.

 The quarterback won’t be able to play ball until he completes his evaluation and therapy.  

 The evaluation will be done by medical professionals hired by the NFL. The process is likely to begin with a one or two-hour interview. As Roethlisberger talks about his problems in the past, doctors will be paying close attention to his actions and demeanor.

 Neuropsychological testing will hopefully be part of the NFL evaluation, to determine if the quarterback’s frontal lobe, the part of the brain that controls judgment and impulse control, was damaged from his motorcycle accident and football concussions, according to the Post-Gazette.

 The evaluation will also determine if Roethlisberger has an alcohol or drug addiction.

 Finally, the doctor in charge of the evaluation will have to study all the information and suggest treatment, it it’s deemed necessary. That could mean treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy or anger management.

Pittsburgh Steeler Roethlisberger Suspended For Six Games, Ordered To Undergo Behavioral Evaluation

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Posted on 21st April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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As expected, Pittsburgh Steeler Ben Roethlisberger Wednesday was suspended by the National Football League for six games, with the punishment stemming from the quarterback’s sexual encounter with an intoxicated 20-year-old student in a Georgia bar.

And we’re very happy to see that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to be following our advice about Roethlisberger: The NFL is making the quarterback also undergo a comprehensive behavioral evaluation by medical professionals.

“Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare,” Goodell said in a letter to Roethlisberger. http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d817ab3d0&template=with-video&confirm=true

We hope that evaluation includes brain scans, as Roethlisberger’s many woes come in the wake of the numerous brain injuries he’s sustained in recent years, from a serious motorcycle accident that almost killed him to four concussions on the field. That is the kind of traumatic brain injury that has been shown to change a person’s behavior.

The NFL is trying to give Roethlisberger a second chance, the opportunity, and hopefully the tools, to modify his behavior, which was reprehensible in the incident that prompted his suspension.

“In your six years in the NFL, you have first thrilled and now disappointed a great many people,” Goodell wrote in his letter. “I urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity to get your life and career back on track.”

Roethlisberger, 28, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of a Georgia bar March 5. Prosecutors felt they couldn’t being criminal charges in the case, but they made public many of the details of police reports that outlined the shocking and sordid details of the incident. The quarterback gave the young woman shots of liquor, followed her into a bathroom, and had sex with her even as she objected. Roethlisberger’s bodyguards stopped the woman’s friends from rescuing her.   

This athlete, who lead his team to two Super Bowls wins, has not  exactly turned out to be a role model for America’s youth, or America’s men, for that matter.

As The New York Times pointed out, Roethlisberger now has the dubious distinction of being the first NFL player to be suspended for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy – without having been charged with a crime.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/sports/football/22roethlisberger.html?hpw

The NFL issued a statement Wednesday on Roethlisberger’s suspension without pay “for conduct detrimental to the NFL in violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.”

According to the NFL’s announcement, after consultation with Goodell, Steelers President Art Rooney and the commissioner phoned Roethlisberger Wednesday of the two-step approach that is designed to hold Roethlisberger accountable for his conduct and provide him an opportunity to change his behavior and establish himself as a responsible individual.

In a letter to Roethlisberger, Goodell said that Roethlisberger must adhere to any counseling or treatment that is recommended by the professional evaluators to help him make better decisions and avoid situations that can cause legal or other problems. A professional behavioral evaluation is mandatory for anyone that has violated the personal-conduct policy.

Roethlisberger may not attend any team off-season activity after today until he has completed the evaluation and the evaluating professionals confirm with the commissioner that Roethlisberger may resume football activities. If so cleared, Roethlisberger will be able to participate in training camp and preseason games this summer.

The commissioner said he would review Roethlisberger’s progress under the plan prior to the start of the regular season and consider whether to reduce the suspension to four games. Failure to cooperate and follow the plan could result in a longer suspension, according to Goodell.

“The personal conduct policy makes clear that I may impose discipline ‘even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime’ as, for example, where the conduct ‘imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person,’” Goodell stated in his letter to Roethlisberger.

“As the District Attorney concluded, the extensive investigatory record shows that you contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing (or facilitating the purchase of) alcoholic beverages for underage college students, at least some of whom were likely already intoxicated. There is no question that the excessive consumption of alcohol that evening put the students and yourself at risk. The personal-conduct policy also states that discipline is appropriate for conduct that ‘undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.’ By any measure, your conduct satisfies that standard.”

Goodell said his review of the case included the extensive volume of material released by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Milledgeville Police Department; public comments by and a private conversation with Georgia District Attorney Fred Bright; comments and recommendations of Roethlisberger’s representatives; a personal interview with Roethlisberger on April 13; dialogue with current players, former players, the NFL Players Association, and others; and information learned by the NFL office in the course of examining the Milledgeville matter.

These are some additional excerpts from Goodell’s letter:

“I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were disputed and that they did not result in criminal charges being filed against you,” Goodell said in his letter to Roethlisberger. “My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.”

Added Goodell, “I believe it is essential that you take full advantage of the resources available to you. My ultimate disposition in this matter will be influenced by the extent to which you do so, what you learn as a result, and a demonstrated commitment to making positive change in your life.”

Let’s hope that the most comprehensive, and state-of-the-art, TBI brain scanning and are other evaluation tools are used to examine, and help, Roethlisbeger.

 

NFL Donates $1 Million For The Study Of Long-Term Impact Of Brain Injuries In Football

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Posted on 20th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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The National Football League, which until recently was in denial about the long-term impact of concussions on its players as they age, is helping to foot the bill for research on the topic. 

The NFL is donating $1 million to support the study of brain trauma at the Boston University School of Medicine, officials said Tuesday. http://www.bumc.bu.edu/2010/04/20/nfl-gives-1-million-to-busm%e2%80%99s-cste-to-study-long-term-impact-of-brain-injuries-in-football/

The gift to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) will be used to continue the center’s research into the long-term effects of repetitive brain trauma in athletes, in particular football players.

CSTE claims to be have been the driving force in providing evidence that repetitive blows to the head in sports can cause a degenerative brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, that is associated with later life cognitive and behavioral problems, and eventually causes dementia.

The NFL is the first professional sports league to financially support this research at the CSTE.

“We obviously are very interested in the Center’s research on the long-term effects of head trauma in athletes,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “It is our hope this research will lead to a better understanding of these effects and also to developing ways to help detect, prevent and treat these injuries.”

In a press release, the center said that its research has mainly focused on studying the brains of deceased athletes, but that future research will include advancing future pathological understanding of the consequences of sports-related brain trauma. The CSTE will launch a clinical research program to develop methods of early detection and to develop ways to effectively prevent and treat this disease.

 “We are extremely grateful to Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL owners for their support of this important research,” Dr. Robert Cantu, CSTE co-director and clinical professor of neurosurgery at Boston University’s medical school, said in a statement.

“This gift and the significant changes made in recent months by the NFL demonstrate the League’s commitment to the health and safety of current, retired, and future players, as well as millions of youth athletes,” Cantu said. “These unrestricted funds allow us to accelerate our research with independence and scientific integrity.”

CTE, also referred to as dementia pugilistica (or punch drunk syndrome), is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive concussive and subconcussive brain trauma, and eventually leads to dementia, according to the center.

Although it is well established in boxers, in recent years CTE has been shown to exist in other athletes, including professional and collegiate football players and a professional hockey player, according to the center.

The disease is characterized by the build-up of a toxic protein called tau in the form of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NTs) throughout the brain. The abnormal protein initially impairs the normal functioning of the brain and eventually kills brain cells.

Early on, CTE sufferers may display clinical symptoms such as memory impairment, emotional instability, erratic behavior, depression and problems with impulse control. However, CTE eventually progresses to full-blown dementia. Although similar to Alzheimer’s disease, CTE is an entirely distinct disease.

The CSTE was created in 2008 as a collaborative venture between Boston University’s medical school ad the non-profit Sports Legacy Institute). The CSTE’s mission is to conduct state-of-the-art research of CTE, including its neuropathology and pathogenesis, the clinical presentation and course, methods of diagnosis and early detection, the genetics and other risk factors for CTE, and ways of preventing and treating this cause of dementia.

NCAA Tweaks Football, Wrestling Rules To Protect Athletes Against Concussions

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Posted on 16th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association is making changes to its rules for college football and wrestling to better protect student athletes from concussions.

The NCAA considers preventing or reducing the number of concussions important enough that it is making these football and wrestling rule changes in an off-year of the usual two-year process. Rules changes related to health and safety are permitted in off-years.

In the case of college football, wedge blocks will be barred this fall. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbHbzEBOEXVznRpzE1YuMBCaj9eQD9F3Q5NG0

The NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved that change Thursday.

The NCAA is following in the footsteps of the National Football League, which a year ago prohibited wedge blocking on kickoffs because of safety concerns. The NCAA now says that when the team receiving a kickoff has more than two players standing within two yards of one another, shoulder to shoulder, it will be assessed a 15-yard penalty — even if there is no contact between the teams, according to the Associated Press.

This change is being instituted because NCAA studies have found that 20 percent of all injuries occurring on kickoffs result in concussions.

And the NCAA Wrestling Committee is recommending a change to an injury rule to better protect competitors who show signs of a concussion, the organization said Friday. http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/ncaa/ncaa+news/ncaa+news+online/2010/association-wide/wrestling+rules+panel+recommends+rule+to+add+concussion+protection_04_16_10_ncaa_news

The proposed change is to Rule 6.2, which was suggested to read: “If a contestant is rendered unconscious, or shows signs of a concussion or spinal injury, that wrestler shall not be permitted to continue in the match or return to competition without approval of a physician or certified athletic trainer.”

In essence, the change adds concussion symptoms to the list of injuries that require medical attention and positions athletic trainers and physicians as the authorities for that oversight.

The Football Rules Committee and Soccer Rules Committee took similar actions earlier this year.

 “Committee members thought it would be prudent to limit the decision-making responsibility for whether a student-athlete may continue wrestling after showing signs of a concussion to a physician or certified athletic trainer,” committee chair Brad Traviolia, who is also the deputy commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, said in a statement.

The Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP), which will meet via conference call June 2, must approve the change.

In January, PROP endorsed efforts by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to manage concussion issues more effectively. PROP instructed each rules committee to thoroughly review its policies in the areas of stopping play for injuries and to consider instituting rules that may further prevent head injuries.

Three Companies Race To Find Ways To Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Using Brain Scans

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Posted on 15th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Several major companies are all trying to create chemical agents that will detect Alzheimer’s disease through brain scans, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304159304575184073411439884.html?KEYWORDS=Alzheimer%27s

The trio includes multinational giants General Electric Co. and Bayer AG, as well as a small imaging company in Philadelphia, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc.

Their research and development departments are all trying to create imaging compounds that will allow doctors to detect Alzheimer’s disease.

Right now the dreaded disease can only be definitely diagnosed by taking samples of the brain after a person has died and identifying substances called amyloid plaques. That plaque has been blamed for causing Alzheimer’s.

The new compounds being developed have radioactive markers attached, according to The Journal, and they bind with amyuloid plaques.

When the compound is injected into a patient, using scanning devices doctors will be able to see where the compound has adhered – the parts of the brain that take on color — and therefore where there is some Alzheimer’s-type plaque.

There is a good reason why GE, Bayer and Avid are all interested in treating Alzheimer’s disease. The global market last year was $8 billion, and it is projected to hit $10 billion by 2014, The Journal reported.

With the aging of the population, there is a growing need for better treatment for Alzheimer’s.

Today medications treat Alzheimer’s symptoms, like memory loss, they don’t stop its progression. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s now.

The hope for the imaging compounds is that they will make it easier to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier on.  

Doctor Who Sparked Controversy Over Concussions While At NFL Loses Post As MLB’s Medical Director

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Posted on 15th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Controversial Dr. Elliot Pellman has been replaced at a second  post at a major pro sports league. http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/m-l-b-names-new-medical-director/

 Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it had replaced Pellman as its chief medical director with Dr. Gary Green. Pellman will remain with the MLB in an advisory capacity.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100414&content_id=9290282&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Roughly a month ago Pellman, who serves as the team physician for the New York Jets, stepped down from the National Football League’s committee on concussions.

Pellman has been the subject of much controversy as the issue of the NFL and concussions came into the national spotlight. He authored a number of the 13 papers that were published in Neurosurgery, a journal, that suggested policies on concussions that were counter to independent research findings, according to The New York Times.

The Times also did an expose in 2005 that found that Pellman had exaggerated some aspects of his medical education in an official biography and resume that were done for an appearance he was set to make at a Congressional panel.

Pellman’s replacement Green has served as a consultant to the MLB on anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing substances since 2003.

As MLB medical director, Green will evaluate baseball’s drug prevention and treatment programs at the major and minor league levels and make recommendations on updates to the programs.

He also will serve as the MLB’s Office of the Commissioner’s primary liaison to club physicians and certified athletic trainers. Green will assist in the development of educational programs and materials and will advise on all issues related to the health and safety of MLB personnel.

“Dr. Green has been an outstanding asset to Major League Baseball as a consultant, and we are pleased that this expanded role will provide him an opportunity to make significant contributions to our game,” Baseball Commissioner Allan “Bud” Selig said in a statement.

Green, who joined the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Department of Family Medicine in 1988, currently serves as a clinical professor in the Division of Sports Medicine at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Green has researched performance-enhancing drug use in athletics through the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. For five years, he chaired the NCAA Committee on drug testing and drug education.

Green, who is board-certified in both internal medicine and sports medicine, is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. He also has a private medical practice, the Pacific Palisades Medical Group, in California.

Husband Of TBI Survivor Shares Blog On His Wife’s Miraculous Recovery

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Posted on 15th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Believe in miracles – no matter what the doctors tell you.

That’s the message from George. He’s a Canadian resident who asked that we share his family’s story and blog with you, to give hope to those who feel hopeless after their loved one sustains a traumatic brain injury.

 “My wife Yvonne was involved in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer in late January 2010,” George wrote us. “The car spun out on icy roads and crossed the line. Initially the doctors didn’t give us much hope. They said she might never leave the ICU and they asked us if it was her wish to be an organ donor. Yea, pretty damned bleak.”

 Well, apparently the doctors were wrong about Yvonne.

“She is healing beautifully and she IS a miracle girl!” George said.

The family has been keeping a blog about Yvonne’s progress, http://yvonneonthemend.blogspot.com/.

“I just wanted to share this so other families who suddenly find themselves in this situation will be able to read about her,” George wrote. .

The blog’s first entries date back to a day or two after the accident, which took place Jan. 27.

Detroit Lions Tight End FitzSimmons Retires Due To Concussions

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Posted on 14th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Another pro athlete has gotten the message about brain injury.

Detroit Lions tight end Casey FitzSimmons, who has sustained several concussions, Wednesday announced that he is retiring from the National Football League.  http://www.detnews.com/article/20100414/SPORTS0101/4140414/1361/Concussions-force-Lions-TE-FitzSimmons-to-retire

FitzSimmons, who has been playing in the NFL for seven years, cited his concerns about his “several documented concussions,” which included one he suffered in a Dec. 6 game against Cincinnati.

“This has been a very difficult decision,” FitzSimmons said in a statement. “I feel like 2009 was one of the best seasons of my career, because I was so consistent, and was able to contribute in a variety of ways.”

But FitzSimmons is concerned about his health.

“If it wasn’t for the concussions, I would not be retiring,” he said. “It’s frustrating because the rest of my body is still capable of playing at a high level in the NFL. However, given the seriousness of the risk associated with continuing to play, I have to listen to the advice the team has given me.”

Pittsburgh Steeler Roethlisberger Won’t Face Criminal Assault Charges

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Posted on 12th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has suffered numerous concussions on the field and from a serious motorcycle accident, won’t face criminal charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a college student in the bathroom of a bar where he was having his birthday party. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/sports/football/13roethlisberger.html?ref=sports

During a press conference Monday Fred Bright, the district attorney in Ocmulgee County in Georgia, said that he had received a letter from Roethlisberger’s accuser, and that she did not want to continue to press charges against the football player.

“The sexual allegation against Mr. Roethlisberger cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Bright said. “Therefore, there will be no arrest made, nor criminal prosecution of Mr. Roethlisberger for his actions here March 5, 2010.” http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/12/roethlisberger.charges/?hpt=T2

But the district attorney outlined the details of what happened the night of the alleged incident in a bar in Milledgeville, Ga., and The New York Time suggests that the tawdry tale could prompt NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discipline Roethlisberger, who has lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl Championships.

Goodell is slated to meet with Roethlisberger this week, and he could suspend the quarterback for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, according to The Times.

Steelers President Art Rooney II issued his own statement after Bright’s announcement. http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Statement-by-Steelers-President-Art-Rooney-II/32a16d96-fc6c-42e5-a289-d8a3b289866d

“The investigation process in Georgia has been deliberate and the District Attorney’s decision regarding Ben Roethlisberger speaks for itself,” Rooney said.

“During the past few weeks I have met with Ben on a number of occasions, not only to discuss this incident, but also to discuss his commitment to making sure something like this never happens again,” he wrote. “The Pittsburgh Steelers take the conduct of players and staff very seriously. Ben will now have to work hard to earn back the respect and trust of Steelers fans, and to live up to the leadership responsibilities we all expect of him.”

In conclusion, Rooney said, “In the coming days Ben will meet with Commissioner Goodell to discuss his resolve to abide by the league’s personal conduct standards. After consultation with the Commissioner, our organization will determine the next steps in this process.”

As we wrote in a blog in March, Roethlisberger’s recent problems are perhaps being caused by the accumulation of brain damage from the four concussions he has suffered while playing, and the head injuries he sustained in a near-fatal June 2006 motorcycle accident. Brain injury can result in neuro-behavioral problems, changing one’s usual actions.

In the case where Roethlisberger has escaped prosecution, he and his accuser had met at a bar the night of the alleged incident; were drinking heavily; and were engaging in conversations that were of a sexual nature, Bright said at the press conference.

After the alleged incident, the accuser was taken to a hospital, but it could not be definitively determined if she had been sexually assaulted.

“Here, the overall circumstances do not lead to a viable prosecution,” Bright said. “We are not condoning Mr. Roethlisberger’s actions that night. We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.”

It would be a good move for Goodell to lay down the law to Roethlisberger, who has exhibited some of the control problems that those afflicted with traumatic brain injury have.

After all, the incident in Georgia is not the only sexual-assault charge that has been levied against the player. A woman has filed suit against Roethlisberger, alleging that he raped her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in 2008.

Roethlisberger, who shunned wearing a helmet while riding his motorcycle, was almost killed in a 2006 accident when he was thrown in an accident with a car and hit his head.

Goodell should consider requiring Roethlisberger to have a full brain injury assessment as part of any compliance he requires.  He is certainly innocent until proven guilty and it is not either our or Goodell’s role to determine that.  But the issue of abnormal neurobehavior should be ruled out before Roethlisberger exposes himself to any more concussions.

 

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