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July 27, 2021

Does NFL great Richard Sherman have the onset of CTE?

Richard Sherman, former All-Pro corner for the Seahawks at peak Legion of Boom, then on to the 49ers and now looking to maybe come back to Seattle, was recently arrested for DWI and domestic abuse. He has pled not guilty.

At Ken Silverstein's Washington Babylon, Jon Jeter speculates his actions are signs of the onset of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, something affecting ever-more retired NFL players who suffered repeated concussions, and some just-retired players, even.

He notes Vincent Jackson and Phillip Adams, rough peers of Sherman's, committed suicide earlier this year. He also cites Aaron Hernandez, Junior Seau and Dave Duerson as other examples of relatively young players with CTE.

To me? It is "interesting and possible." I would certainly like to see a brain scan, if Sherman's had one.

On the other hand, whether as a one-time or short-term reaction to a  marriage going bad and child custody issues, or a longer-term problem, maybe it's just that Sherman was drunk off his ass. If it's a shorter-term issue, getting past the divorce may help. If not? Maybe he needs help in quitting alcohol. 

After all, pro athletes are as bad as society in general in still not wanting to admit how booze can be, in many ways, the world's most dangerous drug (with possible exception of nicotine).

I'll also confess that I'm not a fan of Marxian analysis in general, as my piece yesterday on Richard Wolff is the latest example of.

That said, whether Jeter is right or wrong, the whole piece is worth a read.

He comments on other sports issues, including noting Scottie Pippen was right in insinuating Phil Jackson a racist, complete with the goods on Phil, for example. (That still doesn't mean that Pippen wasn't generally full of crap last month, from being butt-hurt about  Michael Jordan to being wrong about Toni Kukoc taking that shot.)

On the larger issue of racism on pro sports? I have no doubt it's still there. At the same time, I also don't doubt that it's getting better.

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