How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

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

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

Scary stuff.

Easy to see why more players are exiting the game pre maturely.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

This is what troubles me about all of this. By he time a player reaches the NFL he has had at a minimum 6-8 years of football with High School and College. No one is looking here because they dont want to find anything.

The NFL has deep pockets and in depth analysis or talking about concussions doesn't damage anyone's potential career.

The NFL provides the best equipment on the market at he time, the previous 8 years didn't.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

I'm still surprised when some players take heat for walking away.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

I feel the same every morning.
The low testosterone could also have something to do with any supplements, hormones, steroids (legal or otherwise) or anything else athletes take to sustain their body while they are playing in the NFL.
Concussions are horrible but it seems like they are trying to link any ailment they can to them.
It’s a contact sport, these players know it and get payed handsomely for it. They can walk away at any moment.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

This.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

Football is not good for the body in any way shape or form. If a parent pushes a child to play, shame on them. If a grown man chooses to play, it is what it is. Just like most things in our society, it's all about the money. TV networks are making millions. Owners are making millions. Players at the top are making millions and the ones at the bottom are making far more than they can in the real world. I wish the NFL would take care of it's own. But, simply put, former players are of no monetary value. Knowing all of this, if you choose to play, it's all on you.

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

This is very very telling.. Do you want to guess who also suffers from ED and low Testosterone? People that take steroids. Seems counter intuitive but steroid use slows the body's natural production of Testosterone and when you get off,... Low T. If steroids are causing long term effects from concussions, who exactly is to blame for that?

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

We all now the risks. Its sad to see. Get well. Man I feel bad for Jamar

Re: How a former Saints player, and others with brain-rattling concussions, endure life after NFL
 

What about Hockey players or rugby players? If you play a physical contact sport for any length of time then you are going to be hobbled to some degree. Watching my rugby heroes growing up and seeing them now is like looking at two totally different people. Did any one see the movie North Dallas forty? Watch Nick Nolte get out of bed. That scene really tells the story on film about the mounting injuries that stay with you the rest of your life. These days I am strongly recommending that players retire early while they can still walk and become a referee.

I've always joked about concussions on here because rugby players don't use helmets and didn't get injured often during a tackle because we teach proper tackling technique. We literally just shook it off when it did happen and kept stumbling until we either fell down repeatedly or got our act together. No one made a player leave because we only had one sub for the entire game. In retrospect it wasn't a good idea. As a rugby ref I've had to train in concussion protocol and now understand the dangers.