Chris Benoit: One Year Later - Part 2
read part one here
read part three here
Concussions
Chris Nowinski is a former professional wrestler himself. His WWE career was cut short in June 2003 after a series of concussions, and Nowinski channeled his energy toward concussion research. In 2006, he wrote a book about the NFL’s concussion problem, entitled Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis.
Over the next couple years, Nowinski and Dr. Bennet Omalu of the University of Pittsburgh would look into the cases of a few NFL players, including Andre Waters, a 44-year old defensive back who shot and killed himself on Nov. 20, 2006. Nowinski and Dr. Omalu were able to look at Waters’ brain and found a man with the brain of an 85-year old who was in early stages of Alzheimer’s. While Nowinski continued his research, he did keep up with some of his acquaintances in the wrestling business, including Chris Benoit.
“We would chat at shows every few months,” Nowinski said, “It would be a friendly catch-up. When we discussed how many concussions he had throughout his career, he told me he had more than he could count.”
Nowinski founded the “Sports Legacy Institute” in June 2007, 10 days prior to Benoit’s death. After the events he attempted to find Chris’ father Michael Benoit to ask if he could conduct research on his son’s brain.
“I tried to get the WWE to broker an introduction over the phone,” Nowinski said. “They absolutely refused, so I had to track down Michael Benoit’s phone number. I was able to get a hold of him independently, he agreed to the testing, and we were able to find the same kind of damage we had in other professional athletes.”
To help further the mission of “The Sports Legacy Institute,” Nowinski and Michael Benoit started the Benoit Family Fund for Brain Injury Research.
Nowinski’s word also expanded into the current professional wrestling scene. It wasn’t easy for Nowinski at first, but eventually the WWE relented. In the summer of 2007, the WWE gave a physical examination to every wrestler on the roster and have said they will check the status of their talent every six months. The WWE is checking for a number of things, but concussions are particularly emphasized because of the risk facing the wrestlers.
“WWE fought us hard in the beginning because of financial liability,” Nowinski said. “But the environment has changed about the testing. I have been pushing this for the last five years quietly. They have cut down on chairshots to the head, but they can still do a lot more.”
More to be Done
Wade Keller is a professional wrestling journalist. In most cases, being a journalist means you have to access to the people you’re covering. For Keller, he doesn’t get to call Vince McMahon after a controversial death or an episode of RAW. Instead, he must rely on anonymous sources, who can include wrestlers or other employees of whatever company he covers. He produces a weekly newsletter called The Pro Wrestling Torch and has since 1987 when he was a junior in high school. Along with The Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer, he is considered to be one of the foremost experts on professional wrestling.
Keller has a lot to say about the WWE and Chris Benoit, but he is an advocate for something that the WWE doesn’t provide to its talent – regular vacation time.
“For the last five to ten years, I’ve advocated a system where the wrestlers can get a two or three week rest,” Keller said. “Sometimes you need to stop, and leadership needs to make sure you’re not destroying yourself. There is a business incentive not for this to happen. And even though there are differences in the schedule now [compared to what Keller called the much rougher schedule of the 1980s], there is still no consistent pattern of time off. It can be a mental relief for the wrestlers.”
Keller also discussed the WWE’s wellness policy.
“The wellness policy wasn’t and still isn’t as transparent,” Keller said, “There’s too much money involved. The drug testing company receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from the WWE, and they want to keep them as a client. The WWE should welcome state athletic commissions and governments for independent testing. The WWE also needs to test more often for more things.”
For the WWE, there is only way Keller believes they can go.
“The WWE needs to announce what they’re doing on the corporate website about concussions, and they also need to push variety of body types.”
Tags: Andre Waters, Chris Benoit, Chris Nowinski, concussions, Dr. Bennet Omalu, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, Michael Benoit, Nancy Beoint, NFL, Pro Wrestling Torch, professional wrestling, RAW, Sports Legacy Institute, Wade Keller, WWE, WWE Wellness Policy
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Pingback by Chris Benoit: One Year Later - Part 1 | NationalSportsReview.com on June 28, 2008