Posted on 10th March 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury
boxing and brain injury, brain injury, brain injury attorney, brain injury lawyer, mixed martial arts ban in New York, second impact syndrome
New York Gov. David Paterson, who is in the midst of a huge scandal regarding not only his alleged interference in an assault case but also getting free Yankee tickets, is making another controversial move.
With New York State facing huge financial woes, Paterson is seeking the repeal of the state’s prohibition of mixed martial arts, Nicolaus Mills wrote in a blog for The Huffington Post Monday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicolaus-mills/new-york-head-case_b_489821.html?view=screen
Lifting the 13-year-old ban on mixed martial arts will bring in more revenue into New York, Paterson argues. As Mills points out, it’s ironic that the governor is advocating the return of such a brutal sport when the dangers of concussions in sports like pro football has been in the headlines for months now.
Mixed martial arts is a combination of wrestling, boxing and jujitsu where a fighter can hit his opponent even if that rival is on the ground. And there are no helmets for mixed martial arts.
Mills points out that for years the National Football League essentially buried its head in the ground and wouldn’t acknowledge that concussions could cause permanent brain damage. But a turning point came this fall when an NFL-commissioned study found that Alzheimer’s and other memory-related diseases were turning up in former players at a much higher rate than the overall population.
Mills warns that Paterson’s personal woes and scandals, which have many calling for him to resign, should not take away attention from this foolish advocacy of mixed martial arts. Legalizing mixed martial arts “can only add a new class of athletic victims to those we already have,” according to Mills.
Posted on 26th February 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury
boxing and brain injury, brain injury attorney, Nathon Johnson dies of brain injury in Tough Man contest, second impact syndrome
Nathan Johnson died just days after competing in an Original Toughman Contest. Some suspect he was the victim of so-called second-impact syndrome, a case where a previous head injury exacerbates a later head injury.
http://www.newsok.com/prior-injury-likely-set-stage-for-death-at-original-toughman-contest-doctor-says/article/3442071?custom_click=headlines_widgetThe 23-year-old Johnson of Ada, Okla., passed away Tuesday, three days after fighting in the Toughman contest in Oklahoma City, Okla. In Toughman fights, fighters have padded headgear and 16-ounce gloves.
Johnson fought both Friday and Saturday, participating in several matches. After beating one opponent Saturday, Johnson beat another fighter and was set to battle yet another one when he fell ill and collapsed. He was taken to OU Medical Center for surgery. He had sustained a skull fracture and a cerebral hemorrhage, and was put in a medically induced coma.
Johnson had undergone preflight physicals and cardio checks, and they didn’t turn up any problems. But Johnson had complained to his parents on Saturday, after his Friday fight, that he had a headache and had “a shooting star” sensation in one of his eyes.
One doctor believes that Johnson has sustained brain damage on Friday night, and that led to Saturday’s deadly injury.
To add to the tragedy of such a young man dying, Johnson was engaged, and his fiancée is pregnant with the couple’s daughter.
There is just no getting around the “second impact” problem in boxing or other unarmed combatant contests. If we are serious about high school football no return to play rules, we must be also serious about stopping the modern gladiators.
