How CTE fears exceeded what science truly is aware of

A YEAR AGO, as greater than 6,000 media representatives descended on Arizona for Tremendous Bowl LVII, Boston College’s Continual Traumatic Encephalopathy Middle issued a information launch with the headline: “Researchers discover CTE in 345 of 376 former NFL gamers studied.” It emphasised that two of the brains dissected within the earlier 12 months and located to have the neurodegenerative illness tied to soccer got here from males who as soon as performed for the very groups that may be vying for the Lombardi Trophy, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

The discharge had no new details about CTE itself, nor was it tied to recent analysis produced by BU. Nonetheless, it had the specified impact: It put the subject again on the radar on the eve of soccer’s greatest occasion. The concept to situation the discharge had come from Chris Nowinski, a BU researcher and the co-founder of the CTE Middle’s schooling and advocacy associate, the Concussion Legacy Basis.

Typically “folks have to be uncovered to sure concepts and data a number of occasions to grasp, you understand, to study them,” Nowinski advised ESPN not too long ago.

What we have realized about CTE and its connections to soccer has been formed largely by the analysis produced by BU over the previous 15 years. That work has led to a revolution in the best way America considers its hottest sport: instilling a deeper understanding that repetitive hits to the pinnacle can result in cognitive issues later in life, prompting reforms in any respect ranges of the game, sparking a decline in participation and spawning legislative debates in some states, most not too long ago California, about whether or not youth sort out soccer needs to be banned altogether.

However the narrative about CTE has outpaced the science. Fueled by the publicizing of a number of high-profile circumstances and knowledge that even the BU researchers acknowledge is proscribed, the result’s a heightened degree of concern in gamers and households, from the professionals all the way down to Pee Wee. That concern has led some NFL gamers, youngsters and weekend warriors to conclude — fatalistically — that no matter cognitive or emotional troubles they’re enduring have to be rooted in CTE; and it has created tensions inside the analysis neighborhood that the story has change into far too simplified.

Someplace in the course of this sits BU, the undisputed king of CTE analysis.

“I am very respectful of what [BU has] performed,” mentioned Dr. Aaron Baggish, a former heart specialist for the New England Patriots and a member of a Harvard College analysis crew learning former NFL gamers. “But it surely has contributed to a really single-sided dialogue and has, sadly, left many to suppose that this can be a a lot easier drawback than it truly is.”

BU has “taken over the analysis, [it’s] all you hear from,” mentioned a number one professional on mind harm and neurocognitive illness who spoke on the situation of anonymity. “I actually want these circumstances would not be publicized so closely.”

EVEN AS THE BU group dominates CTE analysis, one pervasive fact stays, which the researchers readily admit: Their work suffers from a “great choice bias.” It is constructed on a choose pattern of soccer gamers who reached the very highest degree of the game; a selected set of NFL gamers who, years after they retired, had been so cognitively addled that their households donated their brains for examine.

But, the numbers screamed out in headlines, from The New York Occasions to ESPN: “New Examine of 111 Deceased NFL Gamers Finds 99 P.c Had CTE” … “111 N.F.L. Brains. All However One Had C.T.E.” … “How CTE was present in 110 of 111 Ex-NFL gamers’ brains.”

Plus, there have been high-profile circumstances of former NFL stars shedding themselves after which killing themselves or others. Stars like Junior Seau or Aaron Hernandez. Or Dave Duerson, who went from CTE nonbeliever to taking pictures himself within the chest and leaving a word directing his mind to be studied.

Out of the blue, the very considered a forgotten title, a misplaced set of keys, or a missed activate the interstate represented an indication to a former participant or his spouse. An indication that CTE was hovering — despite the fact that there’s nonetheless no option to diagnose the illness within the residing nor, actually, are there clear signs definitively tied to it alone.

“I feel one of many issues that some folks locally [believe] is that CTE is a deadly illness,” mentioned Dr. Julia Kofler, a neuropathologist on the College of Pittsburgh who runs a not too long ago established a mind financial institution, “And that in the event that they develop any neurological signs and occur to have performed soccer, that they’re doomed.” The Nationwide Sports activities Mind Financial institution was launched final Could with some funding from the Chuck Noll Basis, named for the legendary Steelers coach, and different teams.

“I feel and really feel snug that despite the fact that the Steelers present some help, that I’ve scientific independence, which is necessary for me,” Kofler mentioned.

4 months in the past, the mind of a 47-year-old man from Columbus, Ohio, was donated to Kofler’s lab. The person, whom ESPN shouldn’t be figuring out by title, had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest and on his left forearm had written with a black Sharpie: “Search for CTE.”

His spouse of 15 years advised ESPN her husband was a leisure soccer participant, a snowboarder and a race automobile driver who had taken many hits to the pinnacle doing all three. She recalled a time when he forgot his manner residence from the soccer discipline the place he had performed recurrently for years. He usually had complications, she mentioned, however he hated going to medical doctors and was by no means clinically identified with a concussion. She mentioned he gave no indication to her, different household or associates that he was below duress.

“The way in which I knew he had a headache was I might hear him entering into the medication cupboard and you may hear the little bottle of Tylenol rattle round, you understand?” she mentioned. “If he was struggling, no one knew that he was struggling. He stored it fully silent.”

When Kofler studied the mind, she mentioned she discovered some pathology that instructed a attainable early-stage CTE prognosis however not sufficient to warrant a definitive prognosis. Nor sufficient that may counsel vital cognitive points. Her workup, although, revealed a devastating fact: The person had a uncommon kind of mind tumor. Kofler mentioned the tumor was benign, however it may have defined his signs. She wrote in her report that “these tumors mostly current with seizures, adopted by complications, episodic confusion and dizziness …”

“The connection between this tumor and any scientific signs the affected person might have skilled resulting in his suicide is unsure,” Kofler wrote.

Kofler mentioned the tumor kind has a superb prognosis and doubtless wouldn’t have affected his life expectancy.

Kofler mentioned the case “bolstered my emotions that we have to elevate extra consciousness about psychological well being points and that folks, as soon as they’ve any signs, shouldn’t mechanically self-diagnose themselves with having CTE.”

Michael Alosco is a scientific neuropsychologist and co-director of scientific analysis on the BU CTE Middle. As a part of his follow, Alosco recurrently treats former NFL gamers. And though CTE can’t be identified in life at this level, he says it’s “frequent” for a lot of to be involved they’ve it.

“After they come to us, we do the total normal workup,” mentioned Alosco, who sees progress in serving to gamers and is hopeful that having the ability to diagnose CTE within the residing is not far off. “We inform them, ‘We will inform you whether or not or not we predict there’s impairment in your pondering and reminiscence. We will inform you whether or not or not we see modifications according to a progressive mind illness on MRI. We will rule out Alzheimer’s illness. However at this level, we won’t sit right here and say confidently that you’ve got CTE.'”

Requested if he has issues about selling analysis and the outcomes being misunderstood by the general public, Alosco mentioned, “I usually wrestle with when do you simply let tales sit within the science, versus making it public and making it the information? What’s that line?”

CTE DIDN’T ALWAYS get this consideration. Neither did BU.

Fifteen years in the past, Nowinski organized a information convention in Tampa simply days earlier than the Tremendous Bowl. Lower than two dozen of the greater than 4,500 credentialed media members confirmed up for an announcement that former Buccaneers lineman Tom McHale had died with CTE. On the time, McHale was solely the sixth former NFL participant identified with the illness, however the circumstances had been elevating issues.

Although the six had been all former NFL gamers, Nowinski issued a far-reaching warning.

“This needs to be a wake-up name, particularly to oldsters, coaches and league directors,” he advised the handful of reporters. “We’re exposing greater than one million youngsters to early-onset mind injury, and we do not know but the way to stop it.”

Way more is thought now than on the time of Nowinski’s remark. And but, it stays unclear how proper he was about the actual long-term menace to the mind for a child who’s by no means going to play soccer previous highschool, not to mention to different youngsters and younger adults enjoying contact sports activities.

Through the years, the BU mind financial institution had amassed greater than 150 from younger contact sports activities athletes, and neuropathologist Ann McKee not too long ago determined she needed to look extra carefully at what they’d. Dr. McKee, the BU CTE Middle’s director, has identified extra brains with CTE than anybody else on the planet. A few of these caught along with her greater than others — similar to that of Eric Pelly, an 18-year-old who had performed highschool soccer, hockey and rugby. He died in 2006 after a sequence of concussions.

The 152 brains studied represented the biggest case sequence of contact sports activities athletes who had died earlier than the age of 30. Final August, McKee and her crew reported that greater than 40% had CTE. Virtually all of the brains studied had been within the earliest phases of the illness, phases when scientific signs do not sometimes manifest, mentioned Alosco, a co-author on the paper.

“That they had delicate CTE, however that is nonetheless an issue as a result of delicate CTE turns into extreme CTE with growing old,” McKee advised ESPN. She deemed the examine considered one of her “most necessary” and mentioned it was “private,” too. “They do not must play any extra soccer,” she mentioned, emphasizing that danger for CTE can come from low-level beginner soccer, even when they by no means play professionally.

However like most, the examine got here with caveats and limitations. It was a small pattern of the sickest brains, symptomatic sufficient to have family members donate searching for solutions. There was additionally no management group of non-contact athletes resulting from donated brains of younger folks being “extraordinarily restricted.”

The findings revealed that whereas some within the pattern had CTE, a majority did not. It additionally famous that there have been “no statistically vital variations” between the CTE and non-CTE circumstances by way of the younger athletes exhibiting scientific signs earlier than they died.

Additionally, despite the fact that the paper instructed issues for younger folks enjoying soccer and different contact sports activities, the examine concluded, “Regardless of the slim age vary of the pattern, mind donors with CTE had been older, had been extra prone to play American soccer, had longer period of soccer play, and had been extra prone to play at an elite degree.” The paper additionally famous that “no estimates of incidence or prevalence may be implied or concluded from this examine.”

However these messages had been misplaced within the middle’s efforts to advertise the examine. Information headlines on the examine, even when correct, usually lacked nuance: “Examine Finds CTE in 40% of Athletes Who Died Earlier than 30” … “Boston College: Examine Finds CTE in Greater than 40% of Athlete Deaths Below Age of 30” … “CTE signs linked to 40% of athletes who died younger.”

The paper and its presentation created some debate even inside the BU group.

“A part of that is the best way the paper’s written, a part of that is the best way I feel we introduced it to the world, and a part of it’s the outdated, ‘If it bleeds, it leads,'” mentioned one BU researcher who requested to stay nameless out of respect for colleagues. “The messaging of it was, in my thoughts, solely going to create extra concern and extra backlash from the scientific neighborhood as a result of it feels like we’re saying 42% of younger beginner athletes have CTE.”

Certainly, one of many challenges BU and others have confronted in telling the CTE story is attempting to make their findings comprehensible to the media and public with out shedding scientific precision. And since a lot of the story is constructed round America’s most-popular sport, the curiosity is widespread.

Alosco mentioned he thinks the paper is “crucial scientifically” for researchers within the neurodegenerative illness neighborhood, however he acknowledged, “I feel it is a very arduous message for most of the people to wrap their head round it and what it means.”

One other situation emerged. Within the paper, suicide was famous as the most typical explanation for demise amongst these studied, which was not stunning, given it is a main trigger in that age group. Additionally, a majority of the group had signs of melancholy and apathy, regardless of their CTE standing.

Suicide was not referenced within the information launch, and it was not talked about in relation to CTE within the examine itself, apart from to notice that “there have been no variations in explanation for demise primarily based on CTE standing.” But that turned a central a part of the story when BU’s advocacy arm, the Concussion Legacy Basis, which is run by Nowinski, related The New York Occasions with households whose family members had been a part of the analysis.

The consequence was a strong function printed in November. The story opened with a video suicide word made by an 18-year-old boy moments earlier than he shot himself within the chest. Within the video, the boy detailed concussions and hits he took whereas enjoying soccer, and he directed a last request to his father: “I would like my mind donated to be studied.” Later, the mind can be identified with what the BU analysis paper termed “delicate” CTE.

The remainder of the venture explored the boy’s story and that of 4 others who died with CTE, three of whom additionally dedicated suicide. It additionally highlighted the battle that plagued the dad and mom over their option to let their youngsters play sort out soccer.

What the piece did not deal with is that there is not any proof at this level linking CTE and danger of suicide. Nor did it point out that the early 20s characterize the common age for vital psychological well being problems to floor. Or that main cognitive signs are unlikely to be related to the earliest phases of CTE.

None of this info was included within the CTE Middle’s information launch or within the examine printed in August within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation Neurology. The information launch did embrace a quote from McKee cautioning towards making sweeping generalizations: “The examine means that a number of the signs these younger athletes are experiencing will not be attributable to the early tau pathology of CTE.” McKee urged younger athletes experiencing neuropsychiatric signs to hunt therapy.

Baggish, the Harvard researcher, mentioned that he discovered the depiction of suicide in The Occasions story “appalling” and that it was a “disservice” to the world to counsel that younger contact sport athletes are in danger for suicide, given the shortage of a confirmed hyperlink.

In an announcement to ESPN, a Occasions spokesperson mentioned the outlet “reported precisely on the Boston College analysis exhibiting that younger contact sport athletes are vulnerable to getting C.T.E. Whereas some athletes within the examine, together with some we featured, died of suicide, we didn’t assert a hyperlink between C.T.E. and suicide.”

Requested about BU selling the examine given the varied caveats, Baggish mentioned, “I feel scientists all the time have the prerogative to decide on the weather of their science that they wish to actually champion and to barely ignore these which may be much less horny or might present extra caveat or nuance to the story.”

Gina DiGravio, the BU medical faculty’s affiliate director of media relations, mentioned she will’t be “accountable” if nuances get misplaced in translation.

“All I may be chargeable for is presenting the information within the press launch that precisely explains the analysis,” she mentioned, including that she wasn’t criticizing The Occasions or another media.

Questioned in regards to the Concussion Legacy Basis’s promotion of the examine and his half in The Occasions piece, Nowinski advised ESPN, “Our function was simply to attach the households with the reporters.”

Requested what he considered the piece given CLF’s involvement, Nowinski looked for the appropriate phrases earlier than pulling up an inside memo on suicide titled, “Discussing CTE and Suicide.” The doc begins, “It’s important that we proceed to observe greatest practices when discussing suicide within the context of CTE,” and goes on to checklist a sequence of pointers for accountable reporting. Merchandise No. 1 reads, “Suicide is complicated and multifactorial. A autopsy CTE prognosis shouldn’t be thought-about the reason for a suicide and isn’t recognized to be a danger issue for suicide.”

Nowinski mentioned the memo was not shared with The Occasions. “At the moment, our coverage was to distribute the memo internally to all members of the crew concerned in public-facing roles to tell all conversations and content material improvement on the subject,” he wrote in response to a query.

Relating to suicide and CTE, Nowinski mentioned, “I imply, that is one thing that, yeah, it was introduced up early and we attempt to not convey it up as a lot anymore as a result of we have listened to different views and agree that there is not proof of a transparent hyperlink between CTE and suicide proper now.”

Nonetheless, Nowinski added, “The opposite aspect of that’s (traumatic mind harm) is related to suicide unbiased of CTE. Systematic critiques have discovered {that a} single identified concussion will increase your danger of suicide by two occasions. CTE is attributable to repeated traumatic mind accidents. So it may have a speculation that if one concussion doubles the danger of suicide, a number of concussions might improve it extra. However no one has performed these research with acceptable management teams, so there’s nonetheless lots of unknowns.”

THE BU GROUP isn’t any stranger to criticism. They have been learning the neurological illness so lengthy they’ve gone from being the “rowdy highway crew” taking over Huge Soccer to the main voices within the science. BU has printed greater than 180 papers on CTE.

In 2008, BU and Nowinski’s basis labored with the U.S. Division of Veteran Affairs to determine what would change into the UNITE Mind Financial institution. It at present holds greater than 1,000 brains, making it the biggest on the planet to concentrate on CTE and traumatic mind harm. They don’t seem to be the one ones learning the situation, however McKee mentioned that they “by no means will probably be caught.”

The work has contributed to a big understanding of what the world now is aware of in regards to the topic. And what was as soon as met with denial and doubt, notably by researchers tied to main sports activities organizations, has change into accepted science.

In July 2022, Nowinski was the lead writer on a paper printed in Frontiers in Neurology that concluded repetitive head impacts trigger CTE. After years of some researchers refusing to acknowledge any hyperlink, now the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) — America’s foremost medical analysis middle — cites the clear connection.

BU’s research even have confirmed that it is not the variety of concussions that predict the event of neurological struggles later in life, however fairly the cumulative drive of the hits, concussive or non-concussive. As effectively, in partnership with the Michael J. Fox Basis for Parkinson’s Analysis, the BU group not too long ago reported a “sturdy hyperlink” between enjoying soccer and elevated odds for getting Parkinson’s or associated ailments.

However being out in entrance attracts consideration — and occasional sniping from different researchers.

“Science is aggressive, like all the pieces else,” McKee mentioned.

In March 2019, a letter signed by 61 researchers was printed within the Lancet, one of many world’s main medical journals. Titled “Primum non nocere: a name for steadiness when reporting on CTE,” the letter criticized not simply the media’s protection however, extra pointedly, the medical and scientific communities. It emphasised the numerous unknowns that surrounded CTE and urged that “distorted reporting” might need “dire penalties,” particularly on folks with treatable situations.

The letter concluded: “We suggest that the precept of, first, to do no hurt, is used when speaking on CTE, regardless of the platform. Specifically, the numerous remaining uncertainties ought to all the time be acknowledged. In any other case, the danger of doing hurt may be very actual.”

Along with concentrating on the media, the letter clearly was directed at BU. Kofler, one of many signatories, mentioned the letter mirrored discontent within the neuropathological neighborhood over the shortage of “honest scientific discussions” and freedom to have differing opinions on the illness.

In a present of help for the BU group, a rebuttal from a handful of researchers was printed three months later within the Lancet: “They misconstrue the time period ‘first, do no hurt’ as a name for inaction and the one-sided reporting of necessary uncertainties.”

It hasn’t been straightforward for different researchers to criticize BU. One byproduct of the NFL spending a long time and tens of millions of {dollars} discrediting analysis connecting soccer and mind injury is that researchers who raised doubts had been generally labeled deniers. Or not less than they concern as a lot. A number of scientists interviewed by ESPN expressed concern about speaking freely after which being lumped in with the NFL or others who’ve sought to disclaim any hyperlink between CTE and sports activities.

“CTE is clearly actual, repeated hits to the heads will not be good for you, however …” was an everyday chorus.

BU IS HARDLY alone anymore within the CTE enterprise. Nowinski has centered on increasing the middle’s attain by creating collaborations with teams around the globe.

But, there’s one analysis group that stands out as having just about no relationship with the BU crew. This, regardless of each teams specializing in former NFL gamers and dealing at establishments separated by only a few miles and the Charles River. In some ways, the teams are worlds aside, each in method and messaging.

The Soccer Gamers Well being Examine was launched at Harvard in 2014 towards the backdrop of a funding disagreement between the NFL and the NFL Gamers Affiliation. The multimillion-dollar initiative has been funded by the union since then, and a contract extension was signed two years in the past. The purpose of the venture is assessing whole well being in former gamers. Researchers are analyzing a spread of points past head hits — points, they word, that may contribute to cognitive issues.

“The platform that I champion is that CTE is a component of a bigger dialogue,” mentioned Baggish, a senior college member who helped write the preliminary proposal to the gamers affiliation. “That we all know that cognitive operate, mind well being, name it what you need, is a really related situation amongst soccer gamers, each former gamers in addition to lively gamers. And we have to do a greater job understanding why. And to easily concentrate on one trigger is short-sighted, notably after we know quite a bit much less about that one trigger, notably because it impacts folks which can be residing.”

Greater than 4,300 gamers have signed up for what’s the largest examine of residing NFL gamers. By way of a mixture of in-person assessments and questionnaires, the analysis has revealed that early-life mind harm may cause cardiovascular points similar to hypertension, which could additionally contribute to cognitive decline. That, for the Harvard people, begs the query: How a lot of this decline is attributable to CTE and the way a lot by different elements? Elements which can be treatable.

Maybe the solutions lie someplace in between the biggest repository of donated brains, at BU, and the granular knowledge of the residing housed at Harvard. But the suggestion of collaboration between the 2 teams is met with uncomfortable pauses and a basic lack of enthusiasm. There is a palpable degree of mistrust, and one purpose for that appears to be Grant Iverson.

Iverson is a neuropsychologist working as an investigator on the Harvard examine. He is additionally labeled by some as a CTE denier. Iverson has been co-author on a number of papers analyzing the connection between concussions or repetitive hits to the pinnacle and later-in-life cognitive issues. The outcomes are usually the identical, with conclusions similar to: “Proof doesn’t help an elevated danger of psychological well being or neurological ailments in former beginner athletes with publicity to repetitive head impacts.” … “There are minimal noticed variations in efficiency on neurocognitive assessments between collision sport, contact sport and non-contact sport athletes.” … “Males who performed high-school soccer didn’t report worse mind well being in contrast with those that performed different contact sports activities, noncontact sports activities, or didn’t take part in sports activities throughout highschool.”

One researcher not affiliated with both faculty referred to as Iverson a “gadfly,” and Robert Stern, the BU CTE Middle’s director of scientific analysis, described Iverson as somebody who made his latest profession “bashing something associated to CTE.”

“Now we have totally different factors of view, and people factors of view are very — effectively, you’ve got bought Grant Iverson over there, who’s, phrases cannot even describe him,” McKee advised ESPN. “… I imply, the person’s obsessed along with his personal private agenda. I am going to say that about him. To me, there is no such thing as a logical discourse there.”

However a number of of Iverson’s colleagues raved about him.

“Grant Iverson is an astounding researcher and scientist and has a piece ethic like I’ve by no means seen earlier than,” mentioned Doug Terry, a neuropsychologist who was mentored by Iverson and is at present the co-director of the Vanderbilt Sports activities Concussion Middle. This middle was based by Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s present chief medical officer.

Terry mentioned Iverson has “an unparalleled manner of conceptualizing science and describing the findings and limitations of these research,” and added, “I feel it is unlucky that he has been perceived in sure methods after I suppose he is really attempting to extend the scientific rigor of the instruments that we use to measure something on this realm.”

Iverson did not reply to a number of requests to be interviewed for this story.

Nowinski means that the shortage of collaboration between the BU and Harvard researchers is said extra to the teams’ differing objectives than anything.

“I feel we now have very totally different assignments,” he mentioned. “The [union] desires to know the way to maintain the outdated guys, and that entails speaking about greater than their brains. However for me, the mind is crucial issue and once more, it is the one which we are able to change. The opposite stuff would not actually occur whilst you’re enjoying, proper?

“We do not essentially want a examine to inform us to shed some pounds, management your blood strain, do not get diabetes and management your ache. However you will need to take into consideration clinically, after we’re attempting to find out what’s CTE inflicting versus what it isn’t.”

Simply as Iverson represents a divisive determine, Dr. Dan Daneshvar is perhaps a unifying one. Daneshvar, the chief of the division of mind harm rehabilitation at Harvard Medical College, goes manner again with the BU group; with McKee as his mentor, he produced the primary Ph.D. dissertation in historical past on CTE, in 2013. Now, Daneshvar is working alongside members of the BU group on some research and with the Harvard researchers as a part of their analysis.

“We in the end are all inquisitive about determining what is going on on and the way we may help these athletes,” Daneshvar mentioned. “And I feel that due to my background, I’ve the chance to function a bridge between totally different colleges of thought.

“The fantastic thing about the scientific technique is that it supplies a framework that we may use to determine the reality.”

BACK AT BU’s CTE Middle, simply outdoors McKee’s workplace hangs a portray of a mind made to appear to be a soccer helmet: Life come to artwork. Nonetheless, Nowinski stays satisfied that, as frequent as CTE has change into within the public discourse, present ranges of schooling and prevention aren’t sufficient. He would not consider there’s “knowledgeable consent at any degree of the sport.”

So BU and the CLF press on with their analysis and their messaging, toeing a slim line between consciousness and concern.

“Is that my fault that concern exists, or is it the truth that nobody’s responded to the truth that it is a dangerous habits?” McKee mentioned.

A 12 months in the past in Arizona, BU selected to sound the alarm once more, although McKee acknowledges now she had her reservations. Why, then, did she comply with Nowinski’s push to replace the numbers on the Tremendous Bowl with none new analysis to accompany them?

“Effectively, I caved,” she mentioned, laughing. “That is most likely extra correct than something.”

Nowinski mentioned he hoped that releasing the numbers would “encourage people involved about CTE to hunt medical care, with the hopeful message that medical therapy may be efficient for signs.”

The BU medical faculty’s communications crew advised ESPN there is a new coverage in place: No extra reporting of numbers until they’re tied to a corresponding examine. Additionally they initially mentioned there have been no plans to make any information throughout this 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl buildup. However late final week, Maria Ober, affiliate dean of communications at BU’s medical faculty, advised ESPN a brand new examine had been accepted for publication in a neuroscience journal, and it will be distributed throughout Tremendous Bowl week.

Wrote Ober: “We’ll situation a press launch then.”