she had found cte in 19 of them.that a brain arrived that would dramatically raise the stakes. >> owen thomas to me was a critical case. here we have a 21-year-old who was a hard-hitting lineman from the age of nine on. >> and then, seemingly out of nowhere, he decided to take his own life. never been diagnosed with a concussion, never had a problem in the world. >> narrator: owen thomas had hanged himself in his off-campus apartment. chris nowinski secured his brain for dr. mckee. without any history of diagnosed concussions, it seemed unlikely he had cte. >> i was fully prepared to see nothing. i remember late at night looking at the brain and thinking, "just going to knock this one off." and it just floored me. i just couldn't believe what i was seeing. >> narrator: such an advanced case of cte had never been found in such a young person. >> in, like, 20 spots in his frontal lobe. he's 21. he's so young. that changes the game to me. >> wrapped up and brought down by owen thomas. >> narrator: because he'd never had

resulting in chronic traumatic or cte. his case is not unique, a study released by boston university, shows of 79 decreased nfl players examined 76 had cte. today the league has come to grips with the science, and changed rules to protect players more than 4500 former nfl players filed suit against the nfl, over what the league knew and was telling players about pain injury. teddy roosevelt is credited with safing the game after a wave of deaths in college games. it led to new rules and better equipment. president obama told the new yorker if he had sons he wasn't sure he would let them play football. >> while the number of concussions reported among young athletes has risen, one reason is likely because players coaches and parents better understand symptoms. of these injuries. still, there's more work to do, we have to have better research, better data, better safety equipment, better protocols. >> some teams are now using sensors on helmets as a way to protect players. football remains wildly popular, some say it is surp

>>reporter:those that are diagnosed with alzheimer's and cte in certain cases. there is no way to diagnose cte when they are alive. >> if they have problems with mood or behavior, no matter what they are not compensated this in settlement. >>reporter:andrei waters would not receive a cent under the settlement. all three of their brains and the brains that he has studiod after death have the signs of the cte. >> you understand why they take their life. it's scary and dark. >>reporter:the players have to take on the nfl themselves. it's a no win situation for those that have repeat the trauma. >> i would like to see what is fair and right. i am willing to seek help for those that are suffering. >>reporter:there is a fairness hearing on november 19th. the judge waives any objuxtipose to thobjection.he thinks it's ay settlement with players with neurocognitive diseases. >> facebook and ya apple are offering first of its kind. $20,000 to freeze their eggs. it is a desire for tech companies to include more women. freezing eggs can address the conflict between the biol

clusters of abnormal deposits indicating that he was suffering from stage 2 cte. stage 4 is the most severe. >> is it a concussion or depression issue? it is both. in order to have depression there is a propensity for suicide. then you couple that with a head injury. and a concussion. that's a death sentence. and nobody put him on a watch list. >> i hear a little frustration. and maybe -- >> and anger. >> and anger, yeah. >> i hate losing the child. when i got a person who i love and i admire, tell me dad, i'm scared, and this guy is a god on the field because he can control his mind and his physical body and he tells me he's scared and i've got no answer? >> on average, how many concussions occur over the year in major league baseball? >> there's 750 players, that's not allot, when we look at it, compared to other sports that could be abusy weekend in some sports. >> reporter: despite the are relative i infrequency in of hed injuries in major league baseball. >> when did the leek first become seriously worried about head trauma? >> i think over the past five or s

clusters of abnormal deposits indicating that he was suffering when he died from stage 2 cte. stage 4 is the most severe. >> the question is, is it a depression issue or is it a concussion issue? it is both. it is both, for god's sake. in order to have depression there is a propensity for suicide. then you couple that with a head injury and a concussion, that's a death sentence. and nobody put him on a watch list. >> i hear a little frustration. and maybe -- >> and anger. >> maybe some anger. >> and anger, yeah. i hate losing the child. when i got a person who i love and i admire, tell me dad, i'm scared, and this guy is a god on the field because he can control his mind and his physical body and he tells me he's scared and i've got no answer? >> on average, how many concussions occur over the year in major league baseball? >> we generally have between 20 and 30 a year. so again when you think about it, that there's about 750 players, that's not a lot. when we look at it, compared to other sports where you know that could be a busy weekend in some sports. >> reporter: despite

but the report that he had cte changes. again, very, very interesting turn.this mean that this is during in more cases? we don't know that. this is only one case. but it is a very important question. and it means that science has to continue to pursue this and try to figure it out. >> do you think there is enough evidence to continue the research to make sure that this, there could possibly be a connection here and this could be the lynchpin to it all? >> i think it is an important clue, programs. i think we have to wait and get more evidence. look. we know having your head hit many, many times, programs thousands of times corks result in injury to the frontal lobe. whether that results in the extreme behaviors, we don't know for sure. it is hard for medicine and science to really predict or explain all human behavior. >> and doctor, every human is different. it may be a number of hits on someone's head versus someone else's that might not have the impact or is that an overstatement? >> you're exactly right. it is individualized and perhaps there is a genetic

. >> reporter: doctors found owen suffered from cte or chronic traumatic eycephalopathy.s diagnosed only after death. >> it was really shocking, very scary. >> reporter: dr. robert stern was part of the team that stewied owen thomas' brain. >> number one he was only 21 and number two never had a single concussion. >> reporter: instead he believes owen thomas had subconcussion. >> a subconcussion is the same thing as a concussion in terms of the brain cells being temporarily disturbed, not working right. but without the symptoms of concussion. >> reporter: no symptoms makes subconcussions particularly dangerous. according to dr. stern, hits add up. the more practices with full contact the bigger the risk. >> these football hits are around 20 g per hit. that's probably the simplistic equivalent of a car driving 30, 35 miles per hour into a brick wall. so imagine that 1,000, 1500 times a year. that would repetitive force to the head, with the brain moving inside. >> reporter: after high-profile cte cases were found in pro athletes the nfl made a rule limiting the number of c

the brains of 128 deceased professional semipro high-school football players. 101 show some form of cte> among the 79 deceased players all but three tested positive. the data may be skewed because many of the players whose brains have been donated to research suspect they had cte >> u.s. doctors and teaching hospitals received nearly $3.5 billion from a drug company. over five months of last year. between august 1st and september 31, 136 doctors and more than 1300 teaching hospitals received payments and other transfers of value. information was released by the government under the physician payment sunshine act. that is part of the affordable care act. industry groups are raising concerns about the accuracy and contact with them that information. >> in the report suggests you may want to move to norway. the global age of watched index looks at the economic well-being of all the people in 96 countries. norway ranked no. 1 because it had well- developed organizations for the elderly a long history of state welfare and strong social media campaigns that create public awarenes sweden and s

cte. how can we reliably objectively know when the brain is injured and more importantly, fully recovered. we have no ways to do it. lots of individual differences from one person to the next. we think there are genetic factors involved but also a concussion history the person may not think they have. how many of us have bumped our head getting in and out of the car. we have a quick rotational movement and that could produce, perhaps, a concussion. how does the brain recover from tbi and finally how we improve and recover, accelerate recovery. we really have no scientific basis for any interventions. thank you. >> thank you. dr. johnston, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you for inviting me to testify alongside this illustrious panel about our experience. >> pull the microphone better? >> is that better? following the passage of concussion legislation as well as work we're currently doing at the university of alabama birmingham to improve safety. as in nebraska youth sports and

researchers have found evidence of the disease cte when examining the brain tissue of dozens of decease the players. new technologies have shown the metabolic changes in the brain associated with concussions and sub conclusive blows. brain injuries in sports could occur in a wide variety of situati situation. it is a complex matter. requires addressing many interconnected issues. we have to take multi facetted approach on improved safety, i couldn't agree more. we need nor research. methods can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoseis. better understanding of the risk factors and maybe better treatment options for brain injuries. second doctors lead to associations, coaches, players, need to work together toest ashl lish health regulations, game rules and a sporting culture that reflects the seriousness of brain injury that puts the athlete's health first. third must pursue a better understanding of how this equipment might be improved. three years ago congressmen butterfield and i wrote in calling for hearings about inadequate testing standards, and economic disparity regarding the

his concern is a type of brain decay known as cte which can only be diagnosed after death.e doctor says many players who suffered from it would not have qualified for the league settlement plan. the plan would call for the nfl to pay more than $750 million over 65 years. nearly 20,000 explayers have to decide whether to opt out of the settlement by next week in a case being heard in philadelphia. >>> a federal report shows americans are living longer than ever before.ç for example, the centerer is fo disease control say a child born in 2012 will live an average of 78 years and 9 months. that's six weeks longer than life expectancy in 2010 and 2011. the leading causes of death have staid the same with heart disease and cancer topping the list. >>> now, your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist sheena parveen. >> well, a little milder of a day today. the winds were still breezy and were nice and dry, despite all the rain we had late last night. cooler as we go into tonight. the temperatures cool down again. a chilly start tomorrow morning and through the afternoon t

a microscope and the science behind all the information we have with the repeated hits to the head, cte, the suicides all these things are coming to the forefront whereas before no one ever really wanted to talk about it, especially those governing credit bodies in football. it's catching up so we have to talk about it. we get to a point where we're not afraid to talk about what we can do to help these kids. >> do you think there should be an age limit on the young personal who's allowed to play tackle football, you know right now we have tackle tall way down what, the poc pop warner league. do you think there should be a minimum age, four-year-olds are out there, having those serious injuries -- >> they're starting at four -- well, that's -- we don't know, there's no evidence that says, i mean in a reality, a little kid that suffers a concussion, is probably doing more harm. but yeah, that's a little bit where we differ from u.s.a. football and the heads up program. and that's where it comes into question whether it's about the money or is it about the safety of our kids. they change t

cte. how can we reliably objectively know when the brain is injured and more importantly, fully recovered. we have no ways to do it. lots of individual differences from one person to the next. we think there are genetic

cte. how can we reliably objectively know when the brain is injured and more importantly, fully recovered. we have no ways to do it. lots of individual differences from one person to the next. we think there are genetic factors involved but also a concussion history the person may not think they have. how many of us have bumped our head getting in and out of the car. we have a quick rotational movement and that could produce, perhaps, a concussion. how does the brain recover from tbi and finally how we improve and recover, accelerate recovery. we really have no scientific basis for any interventions. thank you. >> thank you. dr. johnston, you're recognized for five minutes. >> thank you for inviting me to testify alongside this illustrious panel about our experience. >> pull the microphone better? >> is that better? following the passage of concussion legislation as well as work we're currently doing at the university of alabama birmingham to improve safety. as in nebraska youth sports and

cte. how can we reliably objectively detect when the brain is injured, and when, importantly, it's fully recovered. we have no ways to do it. lots of individual differences from one person to the next. we think there are genetic factors involved but there could also a concussion history the person may not think they have. how many of us have bumped our head getting in and out of the car. we have a quick rotational movement and that could produce, perhaps, a head concussion. how does the brain recover from tbi and, finally, how we improve and recover, accelerate recovery. we really have no scientific basis for any interventions. thank you. >> thank you,. dr. johnston you are now recognized for five minutes. >> chairman terry, ranking member schakowsky and members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before you today alongside this illustrious panel about our experience in alabama following -- >> could you pull the microphone a little closer? >> is that better? -- our exper

had this crazy statistic, i think 77 of 79 of nfl players autopsied after their death had evidence of cte sort of evidence of some kind of traumatic brain injury. >> repeated traumatic brain injury. it's one thing to say profession always, as horrible as it is but another talking about amateurs, high school students and research showing that there is -- the concussive, routine shocks part of playing football. >> we have concern about repeated sub concussive blows. we don't understand the con sequences of the multiple blows, we know that every blow with neurologic symptoms that follows has to be managed correctly. removed from play and player protected and given mental and physical rest and chance to recover before put back in a contact situation where they could be hit again. >> if what we saw happen in michigan is happening on a nationally televised football game at one of the most storied football programs in america what the heck is happening right now on friday night at high school games around the country where there is no -- there is no color commentator or necessarily a neurologist

researchers have found evidence of the disease cte when examining the brain tissue of dozens of decease the players. new technologies have shown the metabolic changes in the brain associated with concussions and sub conclusive blows. brain injuries in sports could occur in a wide variety of situati situation. it is a complex matter. requires addressing many interconnected issues. we have to take multi facetted approach on improved safety, i couldn't agree more. we need nor research. methods can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoseis. better understanding of the risk factors and maybe better treatment options for brain injuries. second doctors lead to associations, coaches, players, need to work together toest ashl lish health regulations, game rules and a sporting culture that reflects the seriousness of brain injury that puts the athlete's health first. third must pursue a better understanding of how this equipment might be improved. three years ago congressmen butterfield and i wrote in calling for hearings about inadequate testing standards, and economic disparity regarding the

researchers a number of times found evidence of the neurodegenerative disease cte when examining the brain tissue of dozens of deceased former nfl players. new imaging technologies have been able to show the metabolic changes in the brain associated with concussions and subconcussive blows. brain injuries in sports can occur in a wide variety of situations. and different athletes' brains may respond differently to an injury. sports related brain injury is a complex matter, requires addressing many interconnected issues. so when the title of this hearing suggests we take a multifaceted approach to improve sports safety, i could not agree more. first we need to have more neuroscience research, radiological and longitudinal research methods can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, better understanding of the risk factors, and maybe better treatment options for brain injuries. second, doctors league associations, coaches, parents, players, need to work together to establish health regulations, game rules and a sporting culture that reflects the seriousness of brain injury and put

doctors say that many players who develop the brain disease cte become more assaulting, overreactive.s is a fix that can to be done. you talk to rugby players. yeah, how do you guys do that? doesn't it barb your head in. they go no, we don't use our heads as weapons. chuck i've seen high school teams now that players will actually have like rubber on the outside of their helmets. they can make helmets, they are thinking about making helmets -- >> the problem is the concussion, the injury happens when the brain hits the skull. so there's a limit to what you can do with the helmet. >> there's a radical argument that says no helmets might mean fewer concussions. >> because you don't go with the head. i know it's a weird -- >> i totally agree. >> that's rugby argument. >> that's the rugby argument. no helmets who lead to fewer concussions. >> because people would change the way they play. or at a minimum no facemasks. they got to try something radical because this is going to -- >> get worse not better. >> parents are going to say, you know what? i had this conversation with so many paren