Former NFL fullback Kevin Turner died of ALS this morning at the age of 46. During his six years with the disease, he worked to raise awareness of the connection between the sport he loved and his ultimate diagnosis.
“Football had something to do with it,” Turner said in 2011. “I don’t know to what extent, and I may not ever know. But there are too many people I know that have ALS and played football in similar positions. They seem to be linebackers, fullbacks, strong safeties. Those are big collision guys.”
Under pressure in the 1990s, the NFL conducted a lengthy study into the relationship between concussions and cases of degenerative brain illness, and concluded that there is no serious connection. Today, as Kevin Turner’s family and friends surrounded him to say goodbye, The New York Times published an article alleging that the NFL’s research on concussions was deeply flawed. The NFL, the article says, omitted findings, including more than 100 concussions that could have skewed the data in a way that Big Football simply isn’t comfortable with. Read More>