NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Has Officially Denied The Link Between Head Injuries And CTE…Again

I appreciate that there are still grown men in the world brave enough to publically call the boogey man a sham and not fear the consequences. People like Gary Bettman aren’t afraid of incurring the wrath of the very entity that he is publically declaring to not exist. No matter his own feelings. It’s like what parents do for their children when they live in a warzone. “Are those bombs?” “No, just giant mushrooms. That’s why daddy’s cleaning his gun, he’s going to go protect it so we can have mushrooms for the rest of our lives.” You have to put up a brave face to quell the fear of those who know less than you do. Which I’ve come to assume is the only reason that Bettman continually denies the existence of CTE, to make us feel safer. Either that or he actually values the fiscal ability of the NHL over the lives of the players.

Via New York Times:

“Responding to written questions from a United States senator about the effects of concussions in hockey, N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman continued to deny a link between concussions and the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E. He blamed the news media for fanning fear of the long-term effects of head injuries and defended the N.H.L.’s “more measured approach” to the growing science of concussions.
C.T.E. has been diagnosed in at least six deceased N.H.L. players, along with roughly 100 former N.F.L. players. Scientists believe it is caused by repeated blows to the head. The N.H.L. is fighting a class-action lawsuit by dozens of former players who say that the league did not warn them of the long-term effects of head injuries.
“The science regarding C.T.E., including on the asserted ‘link’ to concussions that you reference, remains nascent, particularly with respect to what causes C.T.E. and whether it can be diagnosed by specific clinical symptoms,” Mr. Bettman wrote. He added: “The relationship between concussions and the asserted clinical symptoms of C.T.E. remains unknown.””

“Those trained medical professionals are really just guessing anyway. Trust me, there’s no way that they’re right. You guys will all thank me soon anyway” is essentially what Bettman is saying here. It’s literally mind-boggling that the person at the literal top of the food chain just doesn’t believe in CTE. That’s like saying cancer is just a government conspiracy. “But people die from it.” “People die in horror movies all the time. Does that mean monsters are real?” “Uh…what?” That’s about as nonsensical as Bettman’s claims are. “There is literally evidence directly proving the link between head injuries and CTE.” “It’s all politics.”

Amazingly, this is the not the first time that Bettman has publically denied the link. About a month ago, Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal sent Bettman a letter that asked nine questions, one of which directly questioned Bettman’s stance on CTE. Instead of answering these questions, Bettman responded with a 24-page document that talked in circles and used footnotes to avoid answering the questions presented. Which is a really healthy way to open a dialogue with lawmakers about how best to protect your players and not disregard their safety in favor of milking their abilities for as much money as possible.