ATHLETIC ASSHOLES

[BigMark]

Did she believe in voodoo?

[Blindgreed1]

Did she believe in voodoo?

You mean Santaria/Regla de Ocha/Lucumí religion?

[BigMark]

Simone esse.

[Duchess]

I believe in voodoo.

[Blindgreed1]

I believe in voodoo.

So far it's working!

[HairOfTheDog]

CTE is back in the headlines.



I read today that former NFL great and actor Bubba Smith is confirmed to have had stage 3 CTE when he died at age 66 in 2011. Bubba is the 90^th NFL player diagnosed with the brain disease.

It was also confirmed that BMX star / X games champ / tv host Dave Mirra had CTE when he shot himself to death at age 41 back in February.

[HairOfTheDog]

And..........today a Congressional report accuses at least a half-dozen top NFL health officials of waging an improper, behind-the-scenes campaign last year to influence a major U.S. government research study on football and brain disease.


Snip:

The 91-page report describes how the NFL pressured the National Institutes of Health to strip the $16 million project from a prominent Boston University researcher and tried to redirect the money to members of the league's committee on brain injuries. The study was to have been funded out of a $30 million "unrestricted gift" the NFL gave the NIH in 2012.

After the NIH rebuffed the NFL's campaign to remove Robert Stern, an expert in neurodegenerative disease who has criticized the league, the NFL backed out of a signed agreement to pay for the study, the report shows. Taxpayers ended up bearing the cost instead.

The NFL's actions violated policies that prohibit private donors from interfering in the NIH peer-review process, the report concludes, and were part of a "long-standing pattern of attempts" by the league to shape concussion research for its own purposes.

"In this instance, our investigation has shown that while the NFL had been publicly proclaiming its role as funder and accelerator of important research, it was privately attempting to influence that research," the report states.

Democratic members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce launched the investigation in December after Outside the Lines reported that the NFL backed out of the seven-year study, which aims to find methods for detecting -- in living patients -- chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a disease found in dozens of deceased NFL players.

Full story: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/1...16-million

[Blindgreed1]

Nothing about Kaepernick in here? WTF?

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2...rnick-sits

[HairOfTheDog]

I've seen all the hoopla about Colin's choice to protest systematic black oppression by sitting out the national anthem.

I wouldn't sit out the pledge or the anthem as a form of protest, especially on the job, because the reason I sometimes protest social issues is because I love my country.

But, it's his choice and it doesn't offend me. He's managed to get a lot of attention and opportunities to express his opposition. I don't know whether what he's saying and how he's saying it will make an impact, but I don't blame him for trying.

[Duchess]

So far it's working!

I'm damn good! Did you see what I did to Romo? I haz skills. Har Har

[Blindgreed1]

So far it's working!

I'm damn good! Did you see what I did to Romo? I haz skills. Har Har

[Blindgreed1]

I've seen all the hoopla about Colin's choice to protest systematic black oppression by sitting out the national anthem.

I wouldn't sit out the pledge or the anthem as a form of protest, especially on the job, because the reason I sometimes protest social issues is because I love my country.

But, it's his choice and it doesn't offend me. He's managed to get a lot of attention and opportunities to express his opposition. I don't know whether what he's saying and how he's saying it will make an impact, but I don't blame him for trying.

What does he know about black oppression? He's half white and was raised by two white parents in suburbia.

[HairOfTheDog]

Alright Gunnar. I'll bite.

According to your flawed logic...

...the words/actions of all the men who protest for equal rights and equal pay for women are meaningless because those protesters are not female themselves.

...the words/actions of all those who protest against war or in favor of veterans' rights are meaningless unless the protesters also personally experienced combat.

...the words/actions of those who protest against wrongful convictions based on coerced/improper confessions are meaningless unless those doing the protesting have been wrongly convicted too.

...the words/actions of those who protest in favor of Blue Lives Matters are meaningless unless those protesters have been cops.

None of which is true, obviously. Most of us have the ability to observe, listen, analyze, empathize and be informed about matters beyond our own direct experiences; happens every day.

[Midwest Spy]

I've seen all the hoopla about Colin's choice to protest systematic black oppression by sitting out the national anthem.

I wouldn't sit out the pledge or the anthem as a form of protest, especially on the job, because the reason I sometimes protest social issues is because I love my country.

But, it's his choice and it doesn't offend me. He's managed to get a lot of attention and opportunities to express his opposition. I don't know whether what he's saying and how he's saying it will make an impact, but I don't blame him for trying.

What does he know about black oppression? He's half white and was raised by two white parents in suburbia.

Bingo.

I agree with you on this one.

Wearing socks with 'pig cops' at practice, growing out a giant Afro.

Guaranteed, if he were the starter this year, he would not be doing what he's doing.

He's probably trying to get the Niners to cut him to be honest.

[Duchess]

His hair looks ridiculous. I don't know if it's because I'm not accustomed to seeing someone with a 'fro or if I think it screams I'M BLACK LOOK AT ME!

[Duchess]

...or maybe I'm just a big asshole.

[HairOfTheDog]

What does he know about black oppression? He's half white and was raised by two white parents in suburbia.

Bingo.

I agree with you on this one.

Wearing socks with 'pig cops' at practice, growing out a giant Afro.

Guaranteed, if he were the starter this year, he would not be doing what he's doing.

He's probably trying to get the Niners to cut him to be honest.

Well...as always, I'm sure your your black friends Glen and Lamar, along with Gunnar's black adopted sister, will agree with you both that such a protest against perceived racial discrimination is silly.

Kaepernick has been speaking out against police brutality and discrimination towards people of color in the criminal justice system for quite some time. And, even if he'd never experienced discrimination personally, he would still have the capacity to understand and protest it, and every right to do so.

But, he is in fact on record sharing his experiences about having been treated with suspicion as a mixed-race/black child of white parents.

The pig cop socks were juvenile and dumb, in my opinion. But, it was his way of mocking rogue cops who he perceives to be a danger to people of color and a danger to good cops like the ones in his family, according to his statement.

Sitting out the anthem wasn't even noticed the first couple of times he did it. Then, when it was noticed and he explained the rationale behind his protest, the effin' Santa Clara Police Union threatened not to work 49ers' games unless he apologized -- that's way more juvenile and dumb than the pig cop socks. Police trying to oppress freedom of speech/expression in retaliation for a protest against police oppression -- derp.

Even more hypocritical than the police union's threats are the reactions of some football fans who, during the national anthem, boo and tweet their protest of Kaepernick's failure to respect the national anthem. DERP.

I was glad to see the Santa Clara police chief quickly declare that his force would of course work the games as usual, regardless of Colin's protest and the union's idiotic threat.

I was also glad to see a lot of veterans of all colors defending Kaepernick because, they say, they fought to guarantee Americans' rights to non-violent freedom of speech and expression, regardless as to whether they agree with the content of the non-violent speech and expression.

Anyway, even though he's ONLY half black, I agree with President Obama that it's Kaepernick's right to protest and some good can come from further discussion about the problems he's protesting. Kaepernick is far from the first black athlete to use silent protest on the job in attempt to affect social change.

So, MS, why do you question Kaepernick's sincerity? If he gets cut from the 49ers over this protest controversy, do you think that will somehow help him get picked up by another team? Or, do you think he's lazy and just wants to collect his guaranteed $11 million and not play ball at all?

[Donovan]

Using BG's logic I'm gonna go ahead and disregard any of his opinions about conservatism because WTF does he know about rich white elitist bigots? He's got maybe one outta four there...maybe two.

[Duchess]

None of us should ever be against someone exercising their rights. We don't have to like it, nor do we have to agree with it, but we damn well better support other Americans doing it...and that's how I feel.

[Midwest Spy]

People are sensitive around here.

Just like Kaep's right to protest, it's my right to express an opinion on how genuine I feel he is.

I happen to believe he's disingenuous.

I think he's probably a punk-ass and he'll probably be in trouble with the law at some point, when he's broke and has spent his $40M signing bonus in the next 3-5 years.

Now, all you folks have every right to disagree with my take.