House Judiciary Committee Hearing Calls Attention to Long-Term Effects of Head Injury Among NFL Players

House Judiciary Committee Hearing Calls Attention to Long-Term Effects of Head
Injury Among NFL Players
Co-Founder of the Brain Injury Research Institute Testifies Before Congress,
Describes Scientific Evidence Showing Irrefutable Link Between Head Injury and
Long-Term Brain Disease

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The House Judiciary Committee today called
upon national experts and stakeholders in the fields of science and sport to
better understand the effects of head injuries on players in the National
Football League (NFL). Nationally recognized sports physician and
neurosurgeon, Julian E. Bailes, M.D. was called to provide expert testimony
based on decades of research detailing how repetitive head trauma on the field
leads to long-term neurological damage among athletes.

"From the microscopic examination of brains of deceased athletes and the lives
of retired NFL players, there is an overwhelming body of scientific evidence
that shows an irrefutable link between head trauma in the sport of football
and long-term brain disease," said Dr. Julian E. Bailes, Co-Founder of the
Brain Injury Research Institute and Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery
at West Virginia University School of Medicine. "I'm here today because I love
football and want to make the game safer."

In 2002, Dr. Bailes' colleague and Co-Founder of the Brain Injury Research
Institute, Bennet Omalu, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., discovered the first physical
signs of a condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a
condition which occurs in people who have suffered multiple concussions and
commonly manifests as dementia, declining mental ability, memory problems and
Parkinsonism. They found an abnormal collection of Tau protein - commonly
found in Alzheimer's patients - in the brain of NFL Hall of Famer Mike
Webster.

"Having identified the underlying typology in CTE, our objective now is to
target the abnormality and prevent the accumulation of abnormal Tau protein
and to develop a therapeutic cure for this disease," said Dr. Omalu.

Since 2002, the Brain Injury Research Institute physicians have collectively
examined over twenty brains, including former NFL players Mike Webster, Justin
Strzelczyk, Terry Long, and Andre Waters. They have also examined and
diagnosed CTE in WWE wrestler Chris Benoit - in a much-publicized tragic case.

"The Committee appreciated Dr. Bailes' participation in today's hearing," said
John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
"Through his testimony, Dr. Bailes provided compelling scientific data about
the lasting effects of head injuries on football players."

About the Brain Injury Research Institute
The Brain Injury Research Institute is a center for the study of traumatic
brain injuries and prevention, which is affiliated with the Blanchette
Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University. The purpose of
the Institute is to study the short and long-term impact of brain injuries in
order to better understand the impact of concussions, the development of
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and its psychosocial effects on
peoples' lives. Research indicates a clear link between brain injuries and
various debilitating neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and
other forms of dementia.

The founding members of the Brain Injury Research Institute include Julian E.
Bailes, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia
University School of Medicine and former NFL and current NCAA team physician,
and Bennet Omalu, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., a forensic neuropathologist who is
Chief Medical Examiner for San Joaquin County, California and a professor at
the University of California at Davis. Robert P. Fitzsimmons, an attorney and
expert in policy at Fitzsimmons Law Offices in Wheeling, WV, serves as the
Institute's general counsel.

SOURCE Brain Injury Research Institute

Natalia Garzon of Widmeyer Communications, +1-917-257-9793,
Natalia.Garzon@widmeyer.com