This isn’t the first time Gary Bettman denied or downplayed the link between concussions and CTE; it also isn’t the first time that someone has been stunned by his stance.
Even so, it’s difficult to look away from the bank-and-forth between the NHL’s commissioner and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, most recently spotlighted by Sports Illustrated.
It began with Blumenthal’s letter to Bettman and the NHL, dated June 23, which cited the NFL acknowledging a link between football and CTE. He then asked Bettman nine questions related to how the NHL handles brain injuries and how it might be different from the NHL.
The New York Times passes along a response dated July 22, Bettman described the science linking CTE to concussions as “nascent” and reasserted his previous stance:
“The relationship between concussions and the asserted clinical symptoms of C.T.E. remains unknown.”
Blumenthal was “appalled” by Bettman’s take, according to Sports Illustrated and the Senator himself.
Disappointed @NHL continues to deny link between concussions & #CTE. I will continue to press for real answers: https://t.co/NRvyqSgRvK
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) July 28, 2016
.@jaltavilla with @Hartfordcourant is right: I am appalled. .@NHL is in denial. It’s as simple as that. https://t.co/5oPc1YqqOi
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) July 28, 2016
Perhaps you could chalk this up to a public relations battle of sorts, although TSN reports that this latest round of comments might provide fuel for lawyers working on a concussion lawsuit against the NHL.
“We should have the chance now to walk him through some of his denials and find out why he has made his statements and ask him what makes him so sure,” Lead counsel Charles Zimmerman said. “Why is he so willing to go against conventional science which says repeated blows to the head cause damage to the brain?”
As familiar as some of this might feel for those following the way the league is handling concussions, it could mean that the NHL will follow in the NFL’s footsteps in a costly way.
At minimum, it’s been a mess for the league, and it doesn’t seem like things will get easier anytime soon.