American Sports Thread

[Oraisteach]

AZ, thanks for raising my hopes that Ohio State still has a shot, though I think their goose is cooked.

If your scenario plays out, even though Georgia is a top 4 team, I think the committee will give the nod to a 12-1 PAC team. Has a PAC team yet to appear in the Final Four?

Very tough road ahead for Auburn, and if they pull it off, forget the games and just crown them champs.

Think ND will beat Miami which will throw a huge scanner into your works.

[AZOffaly]

AZ, thanks for raising my hopes that Ohio State still has a shot, though I think their goose is cooked.

If your scenario plays out, even though Georgia is a top 4 team, I think the committee will give the nod to a 12-1 PAC team. Has a PAC team yet to appear in the Final Four?

Very tough road ahead for Auburn, and if they pull it off, forget the games and just crown them champs.

Think ND will beat Miami which will throw a huge scanner into your works.

Washington were in it last year as a 1 loss champion. Were Stanford in it the first year when big 12 missed out.

Edit, it was Oregon in the first year with Marcus Mariotta

Oh yeah, and you're guaranteed at least 2 or 3 of the above won't happen. I'd love ND to win out.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Speaking of ND - 42 years ago today - the film made it look a lot more memorable than it was 

[AZOffaly]

Still a great story. That he actually got a sack is class.

[Muck Savage]

I'd be surprised if a 2 loss team makes it through.
I think ND will beat Miami, they have had a much tougher schedule to date, have been tested and bar a 1pt loss vs Georgia have been impressive vs ranked teams.

I get the feeling this is all a bit secondary as no-one will come close to Bama.

[Syferus]

I'd be surprised if a 2 loss team makes it through.
I think ND will beat Miami, they have had a much tougher schedule to date, have been tested and bar a 1pt loss vs Georgia have been impressive vs ranked teams.

I get the feeling this is all a bit secondary as no-one will come close to Bama.

Bama's defensive front is seriously beat up.

If Auburn win out it's hard to make any case for them not being in because one of their losses was a tight one in Clemson and the other was a trip to Death Valley.

[stew]

I'd be surprised if a 2 loss team makes it through.
I think ND will beat Miami, they have had a much tougher schedule to date, have been tested and bar a 1pt loss vs Georgia have been impressive vs ranked teams.

I get the feeling this is all a bit secondary as no-one will come close to Bama.

Bama's defensive front is seriously beat up.

If Auburn win out it's hard to make any case for them not being in because one of their losses was a tight one against Clemson and the other was a trip to Death Valley.

Bullshit! Two losses and you should get in if they had an eight team play off, they dont, top four should never have a two loss team in the top four.

[Declan]

Scary stuff


Doctors reveal tragic NFL star Aaron Hernandez, who died aged 27, suffered most severe case of brain disease 'ever'

Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots star who took his life while serving a life sentence for murder, suffered from the most severe case of CTE ever discovered in a person his age, medical researchers have declared.

The damage found in the 27-year-old would significantly affect his decision-making, judgment and cognitive functions, researchers from Boston University revealed.

Hernandez was suffering from the degenerative brain disease CTE when he killed himself, a post-mortem stated earlier this year.

Hernandez, who played three seasons in the NFL, was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Odin Lloyd by a court in Massachusetts in 2015, a verdict which carries the mandatory penalty of life with no prospect of parole.

He was discovered dead in his cell in April this year, his death ruled as suicide, just days after being acquitted of two other murders in 2012.

Aaron Hernandez wearing a suit and tie looking at the camera: Credits: Boston Globe© Provided by Trinity Mirror Shared Services Limited Credits: Boston Globe 
His brain has been studied by neuropathologist Dr Ann McKee, whose research led the NFL to last year acknowledge the link between the sport and CTE.

McKee believes Hernandez's brain is "one of the most significant contributions to our work."

Her diagnosis found that Hernandez had Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) - which researchers had never before seen in a brain younger than 46 years old.

"In this age group, he's clearly at the severe end of the spectrum," McKee said. "There is a concern that we're seeing accelerated disease in young athletes.

"Whether or not that's because they're playing more aggressively or if they're starting at younger ages, we don't know.

"But we are seeing ravages of this disease, in this specific example, of a young person."
 
McKee could not say definitively whether his brain was representative of someone of a similar age who may have also played a similar amount of football. However, she made clear that she found the level of CTE suffered alarming.

Hernandez's brain was shown to have suffered significant damage to the frontal lobe, which impacts decision making, impulse control and the ability to moderate behaviour.

"We can't take the pathology and explain the behavior," McKee continued. "But we can say collectively, in our collective experience, that individuals with CTE, and CTE of this severity, have difficulty with impulse control, decision-making, inhibition of impulses for aggression, emotional volatility, rage behaviors. We know that collectively."

There were also large holes in other parts of the brain, while the hippocampus - which is integral to moving information from short-term memory to long-term memory - had shrunk.

"We've never seen this in our 468 brains, except in individuals some 20 years older," added McKee. "We're hoping this will advance medical science in a very significant way. This will really accelerate and advance our research going forward."

It was also acknowledged that Hernandez had a genetic marker that made him more vulnerable to certain brain diseases, and may have contributed to how quickly he developed CTE. "It may explain some of his susceptibility to this disease."

The findings released on Thursday will continue American Football's ongoing concussion crisis.

Hernandez was seen as one of the game's brightest young hopes when the Patriots handed him a seven-year $40million contract.

However, it is hoped that Hernandez's brain will lead to future breakthroughs and better understanding of CTE.

[Syferus]

People attributed Chris Benoit's crimes to steroids at first but head injuries seems far more likely a cause. It doesn't do anything to exonerate Hernandez but it does help explain it and if anything makes it even more tragic.

When you see Tom Brady's wife slipping up and disclosing he had concussions that were never reported,  and him being both at the most protected position in football and totally financially secure, can you imagine what the lad with a vet minimum contract and no guaranteed money will do to avoid being reported for a head injury?

[AZOffaly]

Down goes Washington, beaten by Stanford. That finally nails the PAC 12 and is great news for other 2 loss teams like Auburn and Ohio State.

[J70]

People attributed Chris Benoit's crimes to steroids at first but head injuries seems far more likely a cause. It doesn't do anything to exonerate Hernandez but it does help explain it and if anything makes it even more tragic.

When you see Tom Brady's wife slipping up and disclosing he had concussions that were never reported,  and him being both at the most protected position in football and totally financially secure, can you imagine what the lad with a vet minimum contract and no guaranteed money will do to avoid being reported for a head injury?

Could it NOT affect his guilt though? His diminished control of impulses, rage, decision making etc., after all, are directly related to what he did. It's not like he got coked up and did it. He had an undiagnosed disease which unfortunately can only be detected post mortem. This stuff is going to pose difficulties for the justice system in the future, whether it's athletes or combat veterans or whatever. "My client had X number of severe concussions. We fear he may have brain disease and cannot be proven, conclusively, beyond all doubt, to be fully responsible".

If the case studies and research are there, how can the justice system ignore it? But if and individual can only be proven to be a sufferer post mortem...?

[Gmac]

People attributed Chris Benoit's crimes to steroids at first but head injuries seems far more likely a cause. It doesn't do anything to exonerate Hernandez but it does help explain it and if anything makes it even more tragic.

When you see Tom Brady's wife slipping up and disclosing he had concussions that were never reported,  and him being both at the most protected position in football and totally financially secure, can you imagine what the lad with a vet minimum contract and no guaranteed money will do to avoid being reported for a head injury?

Could it NOT affect his guilt though? His diminished control of impulses, rage, decision making etc., after all, are directly related to what he did. It's not like he got coked up and did it. He had an undiagnosed disease which unfortunately can only be detected post mortem. This stuff is going to pose difficulties for the justice system in the future, whether it's athletes or combat veterans or whatever. "My client had X number of severe concussions. We fear he may have brain disease and cannot be proven, conclusively, beyond all doubt, to be fully responsible".

If the case studies and research are there, how can the justice system ignore it? But if and individual can only be proven to be a sufferer post mortem...?

a lot of the liberals on here must have played a few seasons in the NFL

[Syferus]

People attributed Chris Benoit's crimes to steroids at first but head injuries seems far more likely a cause. It doesn't do anything to exonerate Hernandez but it does help explain it and if anything makes it even more tragic.

When you see Tom Brady's wife slipping up and disclosing he had concussions that were never reported,  and him being both at the most protected position in football and totally financially secure, can you imagine what the lad with a vet minimum contract and no guaranteed money will do to avoid being reported for a head injury?

Could it NOT affect his guilt though? His diminished control of impulses, rage, decision making etc., after all, are directly related to what he did. It's not like he got coked up and did it. He had an undiagnosed disease which unfortunately can only be detected post mortem. This stuff is going to pose difficulties for the justice system in the future, whether it's athletes or combat veterans or whatever. "My client had X number of severe concussions. We fear he may have brain disease and cannot be proven, conclusively, beyond all doubt, to be fully responsible".

If the case studies and research are there, how can the justice system ignore it? But if and individual can only be proven to be a sufferer post mortem...?

a lot of the liberals on here must have played a few seasons in the NFL

Get out of here with that US political terminology shíte.

[Gmac]

People attributed Chris Benoit's crimes to steroids at first but head injuries seems far more likely a cause. It doesn't do anything to exonerate Hernandez but it does help explain it and if anything makes it even more tragic.

When you see Tom Brady's wife slipping up and disclosing he had concussions that were never reported,  and him being both at the most protected position in football and totally financially secure, can you imagine what the lad with a vet minimum contract and no guaranteed money will do to avoid being reported for a head injury?

Could it NOT affect his guilt though? His diminished control of impulses, rage, decision making etc., after all, are directly related to what he did. It's not like he got coked up and did it. He had an undiagnosed disease which unfortunately can only be detected post mortem. This stuff is going to pose difficulties for the justice system in the future, whether it's athletes or combat veterans or whatever. "My client had X number of severe concussions. We fear he may have brain disease and cannot be proven, conclusively, beyond all doubt, to be fully responsible".

If the case studies and research are there, how can the justice system ignore it? But if and individual can only be proven to be a sufferer post mortem...?

a lot of the liberals on here must have played a few seasons in the NFL

Get out of here with that US political terminology shíte.

should u not be watching Miami Ohio vs Toledo

[Syferus]

Auburn 16-7 up against Georgia at the half. Fromm being tested (and failing) with the rushing game locked down, while Georgia's own previously stingy rushing defensive has given up big chunks to Johnson. Auburn winning here would really make things interesting nationwide.