Fuzzy line between football and CTE
Randy Ambrosie could punt on the concussion questions for only so long.
When he was installed as CFL commissioner in July, the former lineman said he was no doctor and no scientist, so he didn’t want to wade into the debate about football and brain disease. But he’s been in the job five months now, and he’s talked to some of those doctors and scientists.
Speaking Friday, Ambrosie said the CFL understands concussions are traumatic brain injuries, and that serious harm can develop if they are not properly treated.
But on the questions of whether such repeated brain trauma leads to conditions like dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Ambrosie said “the cause and effect is unclear.” He said “we are going to rely on the science” and added “the science is not conclusive.”
There is a simple take-away from all that talk: CFL commissioner denies link between football and CTE. And that’s a fair assessment. And Ambrosie is technically correct.
Ambrosie referenced the Berlin consensus, which was a paper development by a group of world-leading scientists. It says the following: “a cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been demonstrated between CTE and (sport-related concussions) or exposure to contact sports.” Also: “the notion that repeated concussion or subconcussive impacts cause CTE remains unknown.”
Ambrosie, in refusing to confirm that the link exists, is only echoing what the scientists are saying, even if their motivations for saying so are different.
Following the path set by science is a good plan for a new commissioner. He just might not like where it leads him.