The New York Times has released a story to be published in Sunday's edition disputing the conclusions of a previously published NFL study in the Journal NeuroSurgery concerning the propriety of allowing high school and college players to return to play following a concussion.
Reportedly, two of the study authors dispute the conclusions contained in the study and have stated to the New York Times that they never approved of the final study conclusions. This is quite shocking and calls into serious question the propriety of all the NFL studies on concussions and the prior statements of their concussion commission "experts", Drs. Pellman, Casson and Viano.
Quite frankly, although I have read a great deal of literature in the area of sports concussions and have participated in many programs and seminars, other than the participation of these individuals with the NFL, they are no where to be seen. When I had invited Dr. Pellman and the NFL to participate in the concussion symposium that I had chaired on behalf of the Brain Injury Association of New York State at Madison Square Garden, they refused to attend and participate.
Here's portions of what the unbelievable story the New York Times has published:
For several years, many medical experts have maintained that high school football players who sustain concussions should not return to the games in which they are injured. So when doctors commissioned by the National Football League published a study two years ago concluding “it might be safe” for such players to do so, the assertion sparked widespread criticism. Now the criticism is coming from authors of the paper itself.
Two of the five co-authors of the paper published in the journal Neurosurgery, Dr. Henry Feuer of the Indiana University Medical Center and Dr. Cynthia Arfken of Wayne State University, said in telephone interviews last week that the paper’s conclusion was inappropriate, and that the research should not be applied to high school and college players.
Arfken also said the passage had been added without her knowledge.
The two principal co-authors, Dr. David Viano of Wayne State and Dr. Ira Casson of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, acknowledged that they had altered the conclusion but said all authors had received proof copies before publication. They said the section in question was added to appease peer reviewers who asked for a discussion of high school and college players, and they continued to stand by what was written.
Arfken and Feuer disavowed the paper’s recommendation that high school and college medical personnel “keep an open mind” to the paper’s analysis of concussions, which deemed safe the league’s record of allowing half of the players with concussions to return to the same game. Arfken and Feuer thereby joined critics who have long claimed that that suggestion was dangerous for younger players, whose less-developed brain tissue is believed to be more susceptible to short- and long-term damage than that in adults, and who receive considerably less medical attention than players in the N.F.L.
Feuer said that he “would change that sentence; I’d eliminate it.” Regarding high school players, he added: “It’s been shown that they don’t seem to recover as fast. Period.”
The NFL has called a concussion for later this month. It's time that the NFL added some impartial and reputable individuals to their mild concussion committee. I've volunteered to lend my expertise, but this has to date fallen on deaf ears.
While I have also communicated directly with Dr. Casson and NFL Commissioner for permission to attend this summit, they have denied my request. Maybe they should reconsider and allow truly independent persons interested in brain injury safety and brain injury prevention to attend.
I look forward to hearing from the league and providing me with an invitation to attend this important gathering.
To read the full New York Times story entitled Two Authors of NFL Study Dispute Conclusion, you can click here.