CFLPA working with company to monitor players’ brain health

When Bob Bronk began experiencing brief memory lapses six years ago, he wondered if they were due to getting older or the concussions he suffered playing football.

The former Toronto Argonauts running back figures he was “knocked out cold three or four times” in games and there were other occasions “when I had a concussion.” The 58-yearold Winnipeg native, a member of the Argos’ 1983 Grey Cup-winning team, recollects first being concussed at age 15.

“It was like the cartoon when you see stars flying around,” said Bronk, the CEO of the Ontario Construction Secretariat. “I was fortunate, though, when I had concussions or was knocked out I didn’t have any headaches or dizziness. I don’t even remember having to take an aspirin.

“I always prided myself on being mentally sharp but I remember having to fix something in the bathroom and going to the basement to get a tool and after getting there wondering, ‘What tool did I come here for?’ Thankfully there’s no evidence of any postconcussion symptoms whatsoever . . . but I’m still working full-time and would like to for a long time. You want to stay mentally sharp just for the sake of being mentally sharp.”

So Bronk joined The Canadian Sports Concussion Project at Toronto Western Hospital with other former CFL players. That’s when Bronk used BrainHQ, an online brain exercise and assessment program, for 30 minutes four times weekly over three years.

“Last year when they did the analysis my scores actually improved, which is unusual,” said Bronk, who recently resumed using the program. “But I totally attribute that to doing BrainHQ.

“It’s like your body, you’ve got to do cardio and strength training but you’ve also got to exercise your brain. I know it’s made a big difference with my memory, reaction time and ability to focus.”

Last week, the CFL Alumni Association announced a partnership with BrainHQ. Executive director Leo Ezerins said the involvement of former CFL players in The Canadian Sports Concussion Project, founded by neurosurgeon Dr. Charles Tator, made the initiative a logical next step.

CFL alumni aren’t the only players using BrainHQ as NFL star quarterback Tom Brady acknowledged just before the 2017 Super Bowl he also utilizes the program. So do fellow quarterback Brian Hoyer — Brady’s backup in New England — and New Orleans tight end Ben Watson.