12 Athletes Leaving Brains to Concussion Study

A dozen athletes, including 6 NFL players and a former U.S. women's soccer player, have agreed to donate their brains after their deaths to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. The former New England Patriots linebacker, Ted Johnson, is one of the players who has agreed to donate his brain. Johnson hopes that the center will clarify the issue of concussions' long-term effects, which have been tied to cognitive impairment and depression in several published studies. Johnson has dealt with degenerative problems with memory and depression, which are due to the multiple concussions he faced from 2002-2005. The NFL is conducting its own study to see if there are any long-term effects of concussions in NFL athletes.

The findings of this study have the ability to change contact sports forever!