Haloti Ngata is a 33-year-old All-Pro defensive tackle who has been in the NFL since 2006. After his first 10 seasons in the league, Ngata wanted to do something practical before ensuring his return for an 11th season – get his brain tested.
Ngata recently re-signed with the Detroit Lions for 2017 after playing for them over the past two seasons. But before he put the pen to paper, Ngata traveled to Brighton, Michigan about 45 minutes away from Detroit to “get cognitive and brain exams done at the CORE Institute,” according to ESPN.
The idea was first presented to Ngata by his agent and something he later agreed to.
“With all the things that’s going on with the brain and stuff throughout the league, you definitely keep an eye on, you hear that stuff and you don’t want — me especially. I don’t want to have problems when I’m older,” Ngata said. “I want to be able to raise my kids and be able to play with them when they are older and still be able to beat them in wrestling matches and stuff when they are teenagers.”
That’s an incredibly mature thing to say and important for the game of football right now. Just last week, Cleveland Browns All-Pro offensive tackle Joe Thomas admitted to already suffering from memory loss, possibly due to head injuries suffered while playing football.
Over his 11-year career, Ngata has only been diagnosed with one concussion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s hasn’t more. During his tests at CORE, Ngata told ESPN he had a brain scan, psychological tests, and other assessments that occurred both while he was working out and resting.
“I’ve talked to some of our PA guys here and trying to spread the word out more,” Ngata said. “The better we can get at getting some of these athletes to go out and get those brain checks, it’s safer and better for everyone.”
Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to truly test for CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) before death, but these tests are a step in the right direction.
Two of Ngata’s former teammates, linebacker DeAndre Levy and cornerback Rashean Mathis, have been vocal (much like Ngata) about how the league has handled brain injuries and CTE in the past. Last offseason, Levy challenged the NFL about what some doctors who advised the league on these issues have said. Mathis, meanwhile, spoke out about the league and NFLPA’s handling of brain injuries and has called for improvements to the system.
Ngata said over his career he’s changed how he’s played because of possible brain injuries. The defensive tackle said he “used my head a lot more” at the beginning of his career, but now uses different techniques to avoid brain injuries.
Through his tests at CORE, Ngata said doctors told him his brain was “pretty good, or really good, actually,” which may have led to his re-signing with the Lions. From here on out however, the veteran has said his career will become a year-to-year discussion with his family.
[ESPN]
