NFL football legend Scot Brantley took a lot of hard hits in his eight seasons as a star linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1980s. Brantley is 51 now, and the hits are still coming—he believes his two strokes are the result of the concussion he suffered as a college senior.
The NFL is just coming around to the idea that a “mere” concussion is categorized as traumatic brain injury (TBI), and can cause long-lasting effects.
In a segment titled “Hard Hits,” Scot Brantley spoke with NPR’s Dick Gordon today (January 20, 2010) about his medical journey, and how he hopes the NFL will respond to TBI in today’s players. You can hear the interview on iTunes (search for APM: The Story).
The interview is also available at: http://www.thestory.org/archive/podcast.xml