Gary Bettman: ‘No Evidence’ Of Link Between Hockey, Brain Trauma Disease CTE

[JackStraw]

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/05/21/gary-bettman-no-evidence-of-link-between-hockey-and-cte/

 

“From a medical science standpoint, there is no evidence yet that one necessarily leads to the other,” Bettman said. “I know there are a lot of theories, but if you ask people who study it, they tell you there is no statistical correlation that can definitively make that conclusion.”

 

This is not the right way to handle this issue. Bettman seems to be using the same strategy that the NFL initially took... denial.

[Podein25]

This is not the right way to handle this issue. Bettman seems to be using the same strategy that the NFL initially took... denial.

 

 

Agreed, but I assume that's what the lawyers said he could say. Their concerned about liability first and foremost. They are being sued after all on this very question.

[yave1964]

What a tool. What more would you expect to hear from a pig but a grunt, as my grandma used to say.

[Commander Clueless]

While I hate to be the guy that "defends" Gary friggin' Bettman, Is what he said incorrect?

 

From what I understand, the science is a bit up in the air here.

 

 

Doesn't mean there isn't a serious concern.

[Podein25]

From what I understand, the science is a bit up in the air here.

 

Doesn't mean there isn't a serious concern

 

 

Yeah, despite all the advances of science, digital imaging etc our understanding of the brain is still relatively weak (e.g. Alzheimers). So, the science is still somewhat inconclusive in terms of a "smoking gun" of direct causation on this issue.

 

But for most people the correlation is so overwhelmingly strong that it seems either silly or intellectually dishonest to question it because of the absence of a smoking gun. 

[jammer2]

  The NHL way of dealing with concussions...

 

[ScottM]

As badly as it would go over if he had said nothing, even that would have been better than that stupid comment. Saying something that the public already believes is a lie is not a good idea. Lol

[JackStraw]

But for most people the correlation is so overwhelmingly strong that it seems either silly or intellectually dishonest to question it because of the absence of a smoking gun. 

 

This is the point. It makes no sense to say what he said given the overwhelming evidence that already exists. Even if a direct cause and effect isn't fully understood, there are things he could have said that probably would have made the lawyers happy (and Bettman is a lawyer himself remember) while not giving the appearance of being in denial.

[hf101]

Bettman is right though in his statement, there isn't the evidence to support that all players with X number of concussions causes Y amount of CTE.  

 

Some people who have concussions don't develop CTE.

 

But is the NHL likely liable towards the various lawsuits.... most likely yes and the plaintiffs don't need the above statement to win a case.

[radoran]

This is not the right way to handle this issue. Bettman seems to be using the same strategy that the NFL initially took... denial.

And almost exactly verbatim from the tobacco companies' playbook...

[jammer2]

As badly as it would go over if he had said nothing, even that would have been better than that stupid comment. Saying something that the public already believes is a lie is not a good idea. Lol

 

 

Gary would have been better off with a "no comment" than spit out this garbage. Damage control is much easier when you don't put your foot in your mouth.