Joe Thomas Already Experiencing Classic CTE Symptoms

Bergs

funky and cold
SoSH Member
Jul 22, 2005
21,612
This is hard to fathom:
However, Thomas also has an unusual perspective on it. Thomas told Bensinger that the NFL, like all other jobs, comes with risks and that he needs to accept them in order to continue supporting his family.

"To be able to live the lifestyle and provide for my family that football has been able to do, to me, it's a trade-off I'm willing to accept."

Thomas also said his memory loss will affect his wife more than him.

"She's the one that's going to have to deal with it," Thomas laughed. "Cause I'm gonna be, 'Who are you? Where did I get there?'"

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/32-year-old-browns-lineman-joe-thomas-on-already-experiencing-memory-loss/ar-BBApqZA
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
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I'm not sure the linked article backs up your thread title -- forgetting what you went to the store to buy isn't exactly a "classic CTE symptom."

It's pretty impressive how grounded Thomas is, and aware of the risks of his chosen profession. I suspect most of his fellow players, while they are likely aware of the risks, have somehow convinced themselves that it won't happen to them.
 

dcmissle

Deflatigator
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Aug 4, 2005
28,269
Everyone should be so brain addled. If he is not the most intelligent, thoughtful and articulate player in uniform, it would only be because a Ravens' lineman is on track to get his PhD in math from MIT.
 

dynomite

Member
SoSH Member
He's already collected over $100M in his career. If he believes this is true and he is going to continue playing, that's incredibly foolish.
I agree. He has put together a borderline Hall of Fame career and is on a team that won 1 game last season and hasn't made the playoffs in 15 years. I find his decision to continue to play unfathomable.

Then again, I'm sure you don't become Joe Thomas without making unfathomable decisions throughout your life -- getting up at 5 a.m. to lift and watch film, training as hard as he must, playing in bitter cold and snow, putting up with the physical terror and abuse of the NFL, and so on.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
Unfathomable? It's all he's known for pretty much his entire life. You expect him to walk away and do what for the next 40 years of his life? I'm not saying it's the right choice, or what I'd do, but I don't have trouble fathoming it.
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
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Sep 27, 2016
21,753
Pittsburgh, PA
"I'm already seeing memory loss, and maybe that's just because of my old age or maybe it's football, it's hard to tell ... It's hard to tell if it's because of football or if it's just because of you're 32 and not 21 anymore, and you've got a lot of stuff going on in your life."

Thomas said his memory loss is mostly with "short-term" things, like forgetting what he went to the grocery store for.
I'm gonna say the bolded isn't out of the question.

I'm 33. In the past two weeks I have left my wife's birthday present on the subway as I was heading to give it to her, left the apartment without my keys when moving laundry around, sent the same wedding gift twice with a handwritten card both times (close friend, apologizing for not attending), forgotten an umbrella on the subway, and completely forgot what I was going to say probably an average of once per day. I have never played a down of football in my life nor participated in any activity where getting hit in the head was the norm (even the first year of kid-pitch little league!).

What Thomas is reporting is far closer to normal human behavior from time to time than it is to Jim McMahon territory. Perhaps it's more severe than the quote lets on, but he may yet be fine - or at least, fully functional mentally after retirement.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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Sep 12, 2003
14,540
South Boston
I'm gonna say the bolded isn't out of the question.

I'm 33. In the past two weeks I have left my wife's birthday present on the subway as I was heading to give it to her, left the apartment without my keys when moving laundry around, sent the same wedding gift twice with a handwritten card both times (close friend, apologizing for not attending), forgotten an umbrella on the subway, and completely forgot what I was going to say probably an average of once per day. I have never played a down of football in my life nor participated in any activity where getting hit in the head was the norm (even the first year of kid-pitch little league!).

What Thomas is reporting is far closer to normal human behavior from time to time than it is to Jim McMahon territory. Perhaps it's more severe than the quote lets on, but he may yet be fine - or at least, fully functional mentally after retirement.
Maybe it's time to focus on your chores instead of posting on SoSH (again) while you do them.