Hospitals

Will Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel help the NFL mend its concussion-filled reputation?

Elizabeth G. Nabel, cardiologist and president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, was named […]

Elizabeth G. Nabel, cardiologist and president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, was named the National Football League’s first chief medical and health adviser Monday. Nabel said in a statement that in addition to this new role, she will remain at the hospital and continue her work as a professor at Harvard Medical School.

“As a lifelong football fan, I look forward to working with the NFL in this advisory capacity to create the safest possible environment for NFL players,” Nabel said in a statement. “My first order of business is to review the medical, health and scientific priorities that the NFL currently has in place, as well as assess the medical protocols and ongoing scientific research collaborations.”

After numerous scandals concerning head injuries and medication abuse, the NFL seems to finally have reached a point where its either really ready to take action and make changes, or the league can no longer afford to appear as if it isn’t being more proactive.

Nearly 4,000 players have sued the NFL because of head injuries, and one recent suit involves the estate of Junior Seau as the plaintiff. Seau, a linebacker for 20 years, shot himself in 2013, and tests have confirmed that he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a condition resulting from massive head injuries.

The NFL is currently facing another case, a massive class action lawsuit that claims the league “illegally and unethically substituted pain medications for proper health care to keep the NFL’s tsunami of money flowing,” according to the Boston Herald.

The suit claims that doctors and staff oversaw players being shot up with narcotics like Toradol, Percocet and Vicodin without obtaining prescriptions or warning of severe long-term side effects in order to keep them on the field.

Surely improvements need to be put in place, but it isn’t clear what Nabel’s contribution will be other than providing advice that NFL doctors could quite possibly already understand but actively overlook for the purposes of keeping players on the field.

“We are excited to have Dr. Nabel’s insight as we continually seek ways to make our game better and safer,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “The game is safer than it has ever been, but not as safe as it will be with advisors like Dr. Nabel providing expertise.”

Hopefully Nabel’s contribution will make a big difference in the lives and health of the players.

 

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