Keister 1

Max Keister

English 1201

Prof. Calhoun

12 March 2019

Casebook

My topic will be discussing the new NFL rules and the reasons behind them. Also, if they

are necessary. There has been a lot more research about players’ brains from playing in the NFL.

I want to learn more about the effects of playing football if these new rules could change those

effects.

Aschwanden, Christie. “Why We Still Don't Know How Many NFL Players Have CTE.”

FiveThirtyEight​, FiveThirtyEight, 17 Dec. 2018,

fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-we-still-dont-know-how-many-nfl-players-have-cte/.

Accessed 27 February 2019.

This article by Christie Aschwanden from ​FiveThirtyEight​ talks about a study that was

just released. 111 brains of former NFL players were donated to be studied. Of those 111 brains,

110 of them had CTE. “But even if that’s correct and as many as 1 in 3 NFL players who were in

the league at the same time as the players whose brains ended up in the study had CTE.” She also

mentions that there could be many more out there with this problem, and that this is a new topic

being researched. There is still a lot of information to be discovered.

This source is credible because the author puts links to the sources she uses; one of them

being a published study. There is also no bias in the article.

 Keister 2

This article will be very useful to me while writing the research paper. It is useful

because it gives important research and facts I can use in my paper. I can back up statements

with this study. The article did a really good job of summarizing the study so people can

understand it.

Karaim, Reed. "NFL Controversies." ​CQ Researcher​, 4 Sept. 2015, pp. 721-44,

library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2015090400. Accessed 27 February 2019.

This research article by Reed Karaim from ​CQ Press Library​ provides research and

examples of the effects of players having CTE. CTE was found in multiple players’ brains who

committed suicide. There could also be links to the amount of arrests there have been. CTE can

really affect the brain and can cause people to do irrational things. He also mentions that

concussions have been decreasing in the last few years, most likely due to rule changes.

The purpose was to inform the reader on the issue of brain trauma. This source is credible

because it came from the library database. It is also a scholarly-reviewed article. Last, it cites its

sources.

I will use this source to show the results of the rule changes and potential effects of

players having CTE. It gives a lot of graphs and other research that can be very beneficial to my

research paper.

Loria, Kevin. “Aaron Hernandez Had a Severe Form of the Brain Disease That Impacts a Wide

Swath of NFL Players - Here's What It Does.” ​Business Insider​, Business Insider, 22

Sept. 2017, www.businessinsider.com/former-nfl-players-brains-high-rates-cte-2017-7.

This article by Kevin Loria from ​Business Insider t​ alks about studies and specific

examples of players having CTE. It gave the example of Aaron Hernandez and how this ended
 Keister 3

his live. Hernandez was often erratic, paranoid, and impulsive behavior. Hernandez is one of the

many players that were affected greatly by CTE. The cause of CTE is also not 100% known yet.

It could be big hits or a lot of small hits to the head. It is dangerous for a lot of NFL players

because some of them have long careers.

The author's purpose is to give information about what we know about CTE, and that

there is still a lot we do not know about it. This source is credible because there is not bias, just

facts and research, and it cites its sources.

I will use this source in my research paper to provide additional research, facts, and any

other information about CTE. I can use the example of Aaron Hernandez and how his actions

changed.

Natale, Nicol. “5 NFL Athletes Who Had CTE.” ​EverydayHealth.com​, Ziff Davis, LLC, 22 May

2018, www.everydayhealth.com/concussion/symptoms/nfl-athletes-who-cte/. Accessed

27 February 2019.

This article on ​Everyday Health ​by Nicol Natale gave information and examples of the

effects of CTE. The example provided was of Mike Webster. He died of a heart attack at age 50.

His brain was studied and tau proteins were found. Those spread throughout the and kill brain

cells. That is known as CTE. Many players lives have ended early, potentially because of CTE.

For example, former players: Aaron Hernandez, Frank Gifford, Ken Stabler, Andre Waters, and

Junior Seau were all greatly affected by this horrible disease.

The purpose is to inform and provide examples on the issues of CTE. Also, to explain

what is going on inside a brain with CTE and specific examples of players who were affected by

CTE. This source is credible because it cites its sources and is a medically reviewed article.
 Keister 4

I will use this source to explain what doctors found in brains that is believed to be CTE,

and give specific examples of players who suffered from this brain disease.

Seifert, Kevin. “NFL Institutes 15-Yard Penalty, Possible Ejection for Lowering Head to Make

Hit.” ​ESPN,​ ESPN , 28 Mar. 2018,

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/22935229/nfl-institutes-rule-lowering-head-initiate-contact-

helmet. Accessed 27 February 2019.

This article by Kevin Seifert from ​ESPN ​explains the new rules implemented to help

prevent concussions. A player can be penalized and potentially ejected if he lowers his head to

hit another player. Also, it mentioned that almost every one out of every two helmet-to-helmet

hits resulted in a concussion in 2017. The NFL believes this can help prevent concussions and

change the game in a positive way.

The purpose of this article is to inform all people, particularly football fans, about the

new rule changes. This source is a credible source to use because ​ESPN ​has a very good

reputation and this article includes no bias, it just states the facts.

I will use this source to help explain the rule changes and explain why they were

implemented to the league. Also, it can help me explain that helmet-to-helmet hits are likely to

result in concussions.

Telis, Michael. "Playing through the haze: the NFL concussion litigation and section 301

preemption." ​Georgetown Law Journal​, Aug. 2014, pp. 1841-1868. ​Opposing Viewpoints

in Context​,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A400851128/OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=

34e5a74b. Accessed 27 Feb. 2019.

 Keister 5

This scholarly-reviewed article by Telis Michael from ​Georgetown Law Journal​ talks

about the issues with brain trauma in NFL players. It first gave the example of David Duerson.

He ended his life early, potentially because of the effects of CTE. A lot of people show

symptoms such as: such as impulsivity, forgetfulness, depression, and occasionally suicidal

ideation. By 2012, over one thousand former NFL players filed lawsuits against the NFL because

of injuries that affected them in the long-run.

The writer’s purpose is to inform the reader about the issues of CTE and how it affects

players. Also, to show that many lawsuits have been filed against the NFL because of

long-lasting injuries. This source is credible because it is a scholarly reviewed article. There is no

bias and it give only facts.

I can use these lawsuit examples in my research paper to explain why the NFL is making

changes in the rules. It also gives me another example of a player who suffered from CTE. Last,

it gives more symptoms of CTE.

Ward, Joe, et al. “111 N.F.L. Brains. All But One Had C.T.E.” ​The New York Times​, The New

York Times, 25 July 2017,

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/sports/football/nfl-cte.html. Accessed 27

February 2019.

This article from the ​New York Times ​by Joe Ward explains the study of CTE on players’

brains. It gives the study where 110 of 111 former NFL brains were diagnosed with CTE.

Symptoms include: memory loss, confusion, depression and dementia. Of the 111 players’ brains

studies, most of the brains that had CTE were lineman. CTE has affected nearly all positions,

even affecting a punter. Pictures off all the brains in the study were included and an explanation
 Keister 6

of what was found in their brain. It showed that almost all parts of the brain are affected and can

cause numerous mental problems.

The purpose of the article is to inform people about this CTE study and the effects of

CTE. It gives specific examples and pictures of players’ brains to explain the what is happening

inside the brains. This is a credible source because the author cites its sources, one being a

scientific study, and no bias is included

I can use this article to share information about how many players are affected by this

disease. I can use the pictures to help explain what is going on in the brain. I can also give more

specific examples of players who suffer from CTE.