The Montclair Times reports that the family of Ryne Dougherty, who suffered a brain hemorrhage during a football game and never recovered, is suing his physician Dr. Michele Nitti for clearing his return to the field following a concussion, Montclair High School, Montclair Township and the Montclair Board of Education are also named in the suit for negligence.
Last Sunday, 60 Minutes took a look at the new research on the long term effects of concussions and head trauma and cited the three million sports related concussions that happen every year.
In an effort to make the game safer, several companies are developing new football helmets for added protection. One of them has shock absorbers inside, instead of the traditional foam to diffuse the impact of a hit.
Digg
Delicious
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Comments (37)
Playing football is much like smoking. We all know it's bad for you but we continue to promote it. Actually, smoking and football are very different, we protect children from smoking, but we encourage children to play football.
I can't wait for the college games on Saturday and the pro games on Sunday. Maybe Tebow will get jacked-up, again.
School will be found guilty. Insurance costs will rise. So will Alvarez' salary. Maintain the status quo. It's for the children, property values and our superior magnet school system.
Before things get out of hand, lets be gentle with our posts on this one. This poor family has gone through such a tragedy. If you read the Montclair Times article one can understand why they are doing this. That said, as a mother of a young boy, I will not allow him to play football in the future. May their actions pave the way to some sort of peace or equipment development-or something positive out of such a horrible circumstance.
My sympathies are with the family and they are doing what's in their right.
That being said, all sports come with risks. In this case, it's not the sport that's to blame but the actions of those in charge following the injury.
The family has my sympathy. But I don't think comments on the merits or lack of merits of the suit are out of bounds. After all the family is making statements to the press. If they didn't want a public conversation, then they wouldn't speak to the press.
Having said all that, I personally have no opinions about the suit.
I think the coach and any support for this sport should be sponsored privately by interested parties. This obviously would cover insurances premiums and equipment costs.
Seeing my tax $$ being wasted on this ridiculous brutish 'sport' is an offense to me.
And yes, I know that I am pretty alone with this opinion.
I'll admit I have not read the MT article yet, but my memory is that the Ryne told his friends he didn't feel well, but played anyway. Even if the doctor cleared him to play, shouldn't Ryne have gone back to the doc to report his status? Maybe they would have run further tests. Doctors can't be with their patients every moment.
Cathar will rip me to shreds over this, but I don't think football should be played at the highschool level either.
I played football (the only thing I much enjoyed about high school) for four more years in college. Happy years, I loved the game so much I also played another year of semi-pro when I came out of the Army. And I've had two diagnosed concussions in my life, one while playing in h.s. and the other as the result of a brawl.
But yes, it's dangerous. Still, serious injuries can occur in any sport. (To hear some of the commentary made when Tiger Woods had his recent injury-forced break from the game, to provide some necessary context, sportscasters made it sound as if he'd been wounded in combat more times than Audie Murphy.) Still again, the current head coach of my college team once said in my hearing that his own kids would never play contact sports.
The Doughertys are certainly within their rights, as best I understand the legalities, to file suit. I just hope it's not too messy a progression, however it turns out in the end.
Yet not every instance of strange adult male behavior can be blamed on someone's having been concussed. I cite the nonsensical postings of a certain lasered "lefty" as proof that dementia and similar effects are never necessarily the sole province of gridiron vets.
Yes, I'd love to see football taken away as a sport on the highschool level- in fact on all levels- but this, of course, would be highly unpopular. Butterfly and Right of Center, you are not alone with your thoughts.
Mary (and others),
Don't kid yourself....the number of concussions in soccer is overwhelming. Head balls, falling and hitting an unprotected head is common. Unfortunately, parents think they're saving their child from head injuries picking soccer over football but their not. I'm not an expert and not looking to debate but parents should really do some research if they believe that football causes drastically more concussion then other sports. At least today people are more aware of the long term impact of the injury and the technolgy is improving. Believe me, I have boys that play football and am quite aware of the danger and I pray each and everyday for their safety and the safety of their teammates and opponents. One of the worse feelings is when there is a stoppage of play and someone is laying on the field. I try to impress upon them them not to be heroes, if they're feeling something get out of the game/practice immediately. Thankfully, everyone seems to making an effort these days to make themselves and others more aware about the issue.
Herbeverschmel- Thanks for the clarification...
ROC, yep, on this one you sound like an absolute wuss. Mary, you sound like an impossible prig. Butterfly, God willing, you'll remain alone with your very silly suggestion.
The whole lot of you should be sentenced to watch 24-hour loops of Ecuadoreans or Juventus players running in half-circles with their arms upraised while celebrating a goal (often the sole goal) in a game.
There is an element of risk to even the best-run programs in ANY sport. I personally would be terrified to the point of immobilization by being at bat facing an 85mph fastball or awaiting Andy Roddick's 140mph serve. That said, however, I would never suggest banning either baseball or tennis. And there really is something to the idea of sports, contact or otherwise, serving as preparation for life's real challenges later on.
(But then, we sadly already live also in a world where the concept of "adventure travel" has replaced a bracing two-year draftee's stint in the Army for way too many males. And where too many would rather get business degrees and work as investment bankers than apply for admission to the service academies.)
"And there really is something to the idea of sports, contact or otherwise, serving as preparation for life's real challenges later on."
This.
I don't think football or any sport should be banned. A large majority of players come out unscatched. Serious accidents can, of course, happen in any sport...But they can also happen when you get in your car. I'm sure no one would suggest that driving be banned.
At the same time, I think the Dougherty family may have a case and are doing the right thing by pursuing a lawsuit.
I just wanted to echo the sentiments above that no sport is without risk, not even jogging (you could slip one of Montclair's infamous blue-stone sidewalk slabs and break your ankle!).
The family continues to have my condolences, though I don't understand bringing their suit against the school as well as the doctor.
(The coach can only go by what the doctor and player told him.)
Mrs. Martta, this what?
I once sat at a luncheon next to a staff physician for the USOC. He was quite matter of fact in delcaring that we'd probably gotten football head injury fatalities down to about as low as they can go. That was about 20 years ago and he seemed, well, "comfortable" with the annual figure he cited..
The problem is of course that this all makes for such a terrible sort of "lottery" for those whose number comes up. Perhaps too, however, this is yet another matter where liberals will seek to control the universe (ROC's probably politics notwithstanding) and those of a more conservative bent would see that an inherent (and inherently small, it should be stressed) risk is generally worth the trouble. The "bathwater" here is thus not all all polluted, and should not be thrown out.
(On the other hand, I saw Fatboy Mikey's "Capitalism" the other day and wondered how the big triple-chinned slob who probably never played a day of organized sports in his life past 7th grade was able to resist noting that Hank Paulson, one of his fave and egregiously badly treated subjects, used to be a lineman for Dartmouth. He probably just didn't know that about Paulson's background, I surmise.)
I'm afraid I agree that football should not be played at the highschool level, and there are good arguments that hockey should be as well. I had my doubt before but the data presented on 60 minutes was, and I don't say this lightly, truly shocking. OMG just kept coming out of my mouth.
As parents we do everything we can to make sure our kids develop to their full potential. The data that is coming out would suggest that playing football retards proper brain development. Young brains are too precious and fragile to be treated so harshly.
And new helmet designs will just make players think they can safely hit harder than they already do.
All sports have an element of danger. I've been seriously injured playing badminton--twice. I also have several tetherball-related anectodes that would make the hair stand on the back of your neck. And please don't let me get started on the dangers of having a trampoline in your backyard.
Agreed that all sports have risks, but let be real folks. In football every play generates hard hits, often many, and many more hits than even hockey, and certainly more than soccer. Yes, people get injured in other sports, but in most cases poeple can recover to a normal level and the effect is not usually cumulative. The brain damage we're talking about, even damage that does not reach the level of concussion, seems to have a cumulative effect. I don't mind the pain and the damage I may have from years of athletics, but I would not be willing to live my life with a brain that has sustained similar wear and tear.
"Mrs. Martta, this what?"
This, meaning that agreed with your statement.
In my running career, I've taken plenty of falls on wooded trails and asphalt, ended up in the hospital once for mild heat exhaustion, and suffered piriformis issues for 4 months last year. Will it stop me from running? Heck no. The fun I have doing it outweighs all the other stuff.
OMG complainerpuss, we grew up with a full sized, unpadded, unnetted, metal framed, metal springed trampoline in our back yard. Everyone got to use it, even our friend with one leg (he carries a scar to this day), and kids from the neighborhood would even sneak into the yard while we were not home and use it. Can you say lawsuit? We'd launch ourselves off the garage or the tree house on to it to see how high we could go. I look back now and shudder.
Our friend in high school had one in his yard and he always had parties where people would be hammered and on the trampoline. Of course the thing always got pulled over next to the pool and used as a diving board. I still don't understand how someone wasn't seriously injured. Ah the good old days.
cp I seems from your always thoughtful commentary that your brain did recover from the badminton and tetherball mishaps.
I actually have never been called an impossible prig- but I see how I sound like one. I guess I was just trying it on. My kid is going to do whatever he is going to do- and seeing his energy he is bound for some kind of risky sport. I've learned a lot from people's comments on this one. Thanks. The only thing I'll stick with is, from reading the Montclair Times article, there are some serious red flags in this case.
I never played football. But it is incredibly violent, so much so, the little prof won't be playing it.
However, it should not be banned. For many boys, it's their life and the one thing that helps them move into adulthood. I respect that.
Soccer will not be played because it is a dumb sport. Sorry. Now, I guess I can use the violence, no pads, injury argument. But I really think it's dumb and requires no skill whatsoever TO BEGIN playing it (which is why it's so damn popular).
I prefer baseball, skateboarding, tennis, etc. -- games where individual achievement is recognized.
I think this lawsuit is the first step to a reasonable settlement because SOMEONE should have been there to stop Ryan from playing.
And watching his friends on 60 mins. was heartbreaking.
Yes there are some serious red flags. Have no fear. There will be no repercussions for the inappropriate actions of the athletic staff at the high school. Just more raises and more asbestosgates for the overpaid administrators of our wonderful schools. Top notch, blue ribbon schools actually. I forgot to mention, it's for the children and our property values too. America # 1!!!
According to the MT article, Ryne had suffered not one but two concussions in 9 days, a month before his death.
Red flags indeed.
Really? Two concussions? We obviously are not funding our schools to the level necessary to avoid such mishaps. Maybe 10% raises are in order? That's how we'll narrow the achievement gap.
First concussion was in 2007, not nine days before.
Those of you following the story will recall that Ryne purposefully misled the doctor by misreporting his symptoms. He admitted this to his friends.
The Sports Illustrated article following Ryne's tragic death did a tremendous job of illustrating uniformly poor judgment of parents and post-concussed children.
Perhaps the doctor should have known she was being lied to.
At least there should be a call to parents: post-concussion, trust no one. Give your child's brain a good solid no-impact rest.
Someone stated that all sports carry a risk. Perhaps, yes ....BUT
there are many that carry FAR LESS risk:
Tennis
Bowling
Table Tennis
Golf
Horseshoes
Sadly two of the highest risk sports are always highlighted in high schools, that being football and wrestling.
Other non-human-on-human sports are basketball and baseball.
FYI: the prof lettered in BOTH Horseshoes and Table Tennis (Thumb Wrestling proved elusive) at good old HHS back in the day.
I would like to add hot air ballooning to that list.
But srsly, what is going on with that story? It gets stranger by the minute. Hope the kid is OK, though.
Mrs M, it's funny, but it's not, at least not until and unless they find the kid that may or may not have been in the balloon. Bizarre.
I've suffered several concussions playing football, soccer, and one ice-skating fall. Only 2 were serious and I don't think I've had permanent injury but I'm hearing that the effects of these concussive incidents can manifest decades later.. , not a comforting thought. I was one of those kids who was extremely agressive and like to smash into things. Some kids love contact sports and it's up to the adults around them to be more vigilent in trying to prevent unnecessary trauma and potential death.
And Sandy, you obviously weren't a 'baller'. Had you been at the Orange YMCA in the late 1960's you would have found out very quickly that roundball is very much a contact sport. How many of you dudes out there got an elbow smash to the face trying to cop a 'bound. I have. Hard fouls, yup, giving and receiving end. Scratchs on your forearm from dudes trying to rip the ball from you, yup. jammed fingers, yup, sprained ankles, several yeah. Non-contact? Dreamer, nothing but a dreamer. Oh and if you ever played at Brookside under the lights... yeah.. I don't think so.
"Soccer is dumb"...Wow prof, you really added a lot of value to this post. Just because you aren't aware of the nuances of the game and probably couldn't achieve the impecabble physical shape you have to be in to play the game at a high-level doesn't mean you have to knock it. If you peak out the window of your "palatial estate", you would see that you sir are in the minority. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, so get used to it...
With that being said I am a little conflicted here because I never played football competitively. I played DI soccer in college only to switch to rugby mid-way through. I would guess that my parents steered me towards soccer when I was younger, and I was good at it, so I never had the want or need to play football in HS. I do love the game and do not necessarily think it is strikingly more dangerous than other HS sports. In my opinion, whether its prior to HS or after HS, parents need to sit down with there kids and discuss the risks involved in playing competitive sports. It should be a collective decision early on and as the child gets older they should increasingly be able to participate in whatever sport or activity they choose even if it is deemed a tad risky.
There was no way my parents were going to stop me from playing rugby in college and luckily the sport was good to me as I suffered nothing more than a broken ankle. I saw some pretty chilling injuries (broken orbital, 2 shattered femurs, 2 seizures resulting from head trauma), but even the unfortunate ones probably wouldn't have given up playing for anything. I would gladly take the injuries because of the opportunities the sport afforded me (i.e. team camaraderie and stints playing in England and South Africa)
Everything we choose to do has a risk and a reward, you hope that you get rewarded most of the time and that very rarely do the risks ever come to fruition.
overthinking montclair, if you knew Ryne you would understand why he lied about his symptoms. He loved football, he wanted to play so he did what he could. Don't you think alot of people regret not saying anything? So keep the negative comments to yourself and the doctor did not perform all the tests she could have and should have. As this was his 3rd concussion actually, he should have stayed out for the full6 weeks no matter what he said and she should have known that. Childrens brains are highly fragile, and more prone to injury at our age, maybe if she paid attention in med school she would have know that and not cleared him.
Generically named Mike, if you were a football coach would you CONTINUOUSLY play the same player who is back for the FIRST TIME since his 3rd concussion with NO SUBS. Lebida played him non stop. So yes the coach is also at fault. They were too focused on winning and didnt seem to care that he was tired and they were playing him too hard too soon.
Maybe, before you decide to make a comment you should have all the facts and be mindful that people who KNEW ryne and LOVED him could read this.
NOW you know.
overthinking montclair, if you knew Ryne you would understand why he lied about his symptoms. He loved football, he wanted to play so he did what he could. Don't you think alot of people regret not saying anything? So keep the negative comments to yourself and the doctor did not perform all the tests she could have and should have. As this was his 3rd concussion actually, he should have stayed out for the full6 weeks no matter what he said and she should have known that. Childrens brains are highly fragile, and more prone to injury at our age, maybe if she paid attention in med school she would have know that and not cleared him.
Generically named Mike, if you were a football coach would you CONTINUOUSLY play the same player who is back for the FIRST TIME since his 3rd concussion with NO SUBS. Lebida played him non stop. So yes the coach is also at fault. They were too focused on winning and didnt seem to care that he was tired and they were playing him too hard too soon.
Maybe, before you decide to make a comment you should have all the facts and be mindful that people who KNEW ryne and LOVED him could read this.
NOW you know.