CFL commissioner, Ambrosie, still not linking concussions to CTE
OTTAWA — The CFL may have a new commissioner, but the league’s position on whether football head injuries are linked to brain disease hasn’t changed: there isn’t enough evidence to confirm the connection.
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, a former CFL offensive lineman who replaced Jeffrey Orridge at the helm earlier this year, delivered the message at Friday’s annual state-of-the-league news conference more gently than his predecessor, but he maintained the stance that the science isn’t convincing.
“We know there are football players that have had CTE,” said Ambrosie. “It’s a terrible thing, that we’re not going to dispute.
“We have to follow the science and the science . . . is inconclusive. The cause and effect is unclear, it just simply is.” It’s not a position the NFL shares. In March 2016, Jeff Miller, the NFL’s top health and safety officer, acknowledged the link during a discussion on concussions convened by U.S. Congress. It marked the first time a senior league official conceded football’s connection to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
During Grey Cup week last November, Orridge stated “there’s no conclusive evidence at this point.”
The CFL is named in a $200-million class-action lawsuit over concussions and brain trauma.
“I have the greatest respect for our colleagues in the NFL . . . but my answer is not going to be that somebody else did it so we’re going to do it to,” Ambrosie said. “Mine will be we’re going to keep looking at all of these sources of data and try to be part of solution and ultimately come to a point where we understand it better.”
Many scientists believe that repeated blows to the head increase risks for developing CTE. Combat veterans and athletes in rough contact sports like football and boxing are among those thought to be most at risk.