Former NFL QB Matt Hasselbeck part of latest CTE frontier — diagnosing brain disease in the living
PHOENIX (AP) — Matt Hasselbeck took some nasty hits to the head during his 17-year NFL career, four years at Boston College and a childhood full of sports, but the quarterback seems to have emerged from more than…
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who played for 17 years in the NFL, recently volunteered for a study to determine if he has CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to head trauma. Despite taking some nasty hits during his career, Hasselbeck appears to have emerged relatively unscathed. However, he knows that some of his friends and former teammates have not been as fortunate.
The 50-year-old quarterback underwent a series of scans and tests at Boston University, hoping to contribute to a goal that has eluded doctors - diagnosing CTE in the living. Hasselbeck acknowledged that his position as a quarterback spared him from some of the hits that other players, particularly those who blocked or played special teams, endured.
"I wanted to do something for the guys who were blocking for me, or playing special teams, or trying to get the ball back for me on defense," he said. CTE has been diagnosed in over 100 former NFL players, raising concerns about the sport's impact on brain health. While the disease can only be confirmed after death, studies like Hasselbeck's offer hope for future advancements in diagnosing and understanding CTE.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
