Damar Hamlin deserves our support. But so do players who suffer off field, says expert

Neuroscientist Chris Nowinski is excited to see the soccer community rally around Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin when he suffered a heart attack while playing.

But he also warned all players who suffered – or even died – off camera from heart conditions and brain injuries directly related to the sport.

Hamlin, who was resuscitated on the field during a game in Cincinnati last week, dissolved there from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and flew to Buffalo, where he will continue his recovery.

Nowinski is the founding CEO of the non-profit Concussion Legacy Foundation. He is also a former professional wrestler and college football player. Here is part of the conversation with As it happens hosted by Nil Koksal.

You have long been an advocate for safety in sports. And of course what happened with Damar Hamlin brought up a lot of issues and problems that have been going on for a long time. It really got the world’s attention. But what do you think of the reaction?

Football is a life or death sport. And it’s rare for fans to see the game in real time. So I all the viewers feel the unusual feeling of seeing people’s lives out of balance.

I think it will be memorable for everyone. But it’s also a reminder that those who entertain us are actually endangering our lives in more ways than one.

WATCH | NFL players, fans show support for Hamlin:

In your piece for the New York Times, you wrote that you are worried that people lose a lot of other problems that happen not only on the field, but on the field when players retire. Can you talk about this?

The cardiac arrest started a conversation about football safety. And it’s a good conversation because it’s more dangerous than people realize. But it is not a specific event of cardiac arrest that is probably a danger that we can control, that can be changed, that can be better.

The cardiologist thought he had commotio cordis. But that happens to 15 or 20 year athletes…. It rarely happens in American football.

Earlier in the day, I had learned of a former NFL offensive lineman I was in contact with, Uche Nwaneri, who died at the age of 38 [suspected] heart attack.

It just reminds me how often former offensive linemen die of heart disease. Then I look back and compose. It’s one or two years, every year, die in the 20s, 30s and 40s – which is very rare. And the data shows that they are at greater risk.

Become [if] we want to talk about heart problems in the NFL, we should really worry about [the fact that] more people die from long-term effects than die from acute effects. But they were dead away from the camera. He didn’t die on the field. So people don’t connect the dots.

But as a former lineman myself who played his senior year at nearly 300 pounds, you realize that lineman is not good. And parents need to understand that raising your child will change their future health trajectory. Not everyone can lose weight, and there are various problems that can lead to heart attacks, diabetes, and all sorts of other disorders.

So that’s just one problem. I am a neurologist. So the other issue they talk about is concussions and CTE [chronic traumatic encephalopathy].

Do you think that is reflected in what happened to Mr. Hamlin as well?

Demaryius Thomas, a respected player, just died [in 2021] at the age of 33 from epileptic seizures caused by brain injury. But it happened on the field, and we never responded to it. We’ve never had the NFL community come together on that issue.

The biggest risk these NFL players face is long-term brain disease. We know that at least 10 percent of the people who are playing now have it. It was probably several times.

But, you don’t talk about it. You won’t find the discussion on NFL broadcasts.

NFL players can take risks with their lives for millions of dollars. We don’t have to feel bad. They have chosen to do dangerous work and deserve compensation.

But what amazes me is that we forget that 95 percent of people who play football are actually children who are not looking for a living and do not know that they are in a game of life and death. And that is where we should focus our attention. That is something that can be changed.

It’s a big part of American life. And I know parents are listening intently in Canada and in the United States. Their ears perked up. What should they ask and demand?

I will give you four suggestions.

One never, ever played football before high school.

No. 2 be careful to be a lineman and put weight. If you want to be a lineman, you still shouldn’t gain weight. Coach tells you to do it. It doesn’t always do that.

I would encourage every program to have no kick-off. And … if the league does kick-off — which almost everyone does — don’t let your kid play. It is 20 times more dangerous than other spins.

Then make sure your team has an athletic trainer. Not every school does. It’s your medical advocate who maintains and can provide balance to sort out a disorganized workspace.

What changes should the NFL make, and do you think they will actually make them, given how much attention has been given to Hamlin’s story?

Where the NFL, I’m still very wrong, is that they guarantee youth football to recruit your children to be fans in the future. Their business model recognizes that kids are younger [who are] play, the others will become paying customers in the future. And he endangers those children by making youth tackles [football] available to them when they do not deliver.

The NFL doesn’t need these kids to get hit in the head hundreds of times to make fans.

You wrote about the fact that there are 30 doctors in the field if something happens. But if the player leaves the field, there is no continuous, continuous treatment.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation, which I lead, has a helpline for the public. If you have a concussion problem, if you are concerned about CTE, we will connect you with a doctor in your area.

We still have NFL players every week until we get there because we can’t get support from the league, from our former teams, from the programs we’ve joined. They come to us as a charity for advice and help in dealing with their long-term health.

So it just gives you a window into how desperate you are after a career in the NFL and 10,000 hits to your head that you’re looking for help wherever you can get it.