Crusader

To most people, Jamar Nesbit, a former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman, looks every bit of an NFL football player. But his 320-pound, six-foot-four frame has endured damage that makes the 42-year-old feel twice his age, said his wife, Tara Nesbit.

"He says getting out of bed is like being an 80-year-old man," Tara said. "He has to stand by the side of bed for a few minutes to make sure when he takes that first step he’s not going to collapse."

But compared to many current and former NFL players, Tara feels lucky in some ways. Jamar, who has dealt with injuries like a broken spine and can’t raise his arms above his head, is not yet experiencing any of the cognitive issues that science shows come with repeated blows to the head.


In a private Facebook group Tara created in 2016, wives of former NFL players compare notes on physical symptoms, brain injury diagnoses and behavioral changes in the men in their lives who devoted themselves—and their bodies—to the game.

Now, a new study points out what the NFL wives in the group already believed: that damage sustained from blows to the head can show up in ways we’re only beginning to understand.

The study, published in JAMA Neurology, surveyed around 3,400 former NFL players, finding that a history of even a few concussions was strongly linked to incidence of self-reported low testosterone and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health found that men who reported more concussion symptoms were twice as likely to also have been treated for low testosterone or ED than their counterparts who had the fewest concussion symptoms. Overall, 18.3% had indicators for low testosterone levels and 22.7% had indicators of ED. The findings shine a light on the many ways head injuries from contact sports affect players later in life.

https://www.nola.com/news/healthcare...iderail-latest

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.