The Shady Side Of Bill Belichick

Sure, watching elite athletes slam into each other is a lot of fun, but the revelations about CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, make the sport increasingly controversial for everyone involved. CTE is a medical condition marked by degeneration of brain tissue brought on by repetitive brain trauma, including the kind of trauma a player might endure playing football. 

After he was sent to prison for murder in 2017, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez hanged himself; an autopsy uncovered a significant case of CTE. On the same day that the autopsy results went public, Hernandez's fiancée sued the NFL and the New England Patriots, claiming both entities "were fully aware of the damage that could be inflicted from repetitive impact injuries and failed to disclose, treat, or protect" Hernandez. 

When a reporter asked Belichick what the Patriots do to warn or protect players against CTE, the coach played dumb and dodged the question. "The whole medical questions are, you know, one that come outside of my area," he said. "I'm not a doctor. I'm not a trainer. I'm a coach. So, the medical department, they handle the medical part of it. I don't do that." 

On another occasion, after model Gisele Bundchen reported that her husband, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, suffered multiple, possibly secret concussions, Belichick told reporters that his team files injury reports "in compliance with league guidelines" and that that head trauma stuff is "what we have medical staff for." 

It's hard to believe that one of the most experienced and successful coaches in the game could be so clueless or disinterested about such a serious — and life-threatening — topic.

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