[Embo]

This news should not come as a surprise to us.  Ann McKee, the neuropathologist at Boston University, released the results of her findings - Zach had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.  And he was 26 when he died.  26.

Former Stanford football player Zach Hoffpauir posthumously diagnosed with CTE

Here's another documentary which gives more detail into Zach's life and death.  

Zach Hoffpauir documentary

There are a few things that were a surprise to me:
- He felt pressured by his family to chose Stanford. 
- I remember around 2011 reading that Zach was a Cal verbal, but then got flipped to Stanford.  Regarding 2012 Big Game, there were three things that come to mind:  First was it was held on a warm day in mid October (thanks for nothing, Larry Scott).  Second was the introduction of Kevin Hogan.  And third was hearing the PA announcer saying, "Tackle made by Hoffpauir."  I actually wondered then if the Cal fans would boo because he had switched commitments.
- Turns out the recruiting reports were wrong.  He was recruited aggressively by Todd Graham, and the two had a mutual admiration. Zach wanted to go to ASU.  But even Todd Graham told him that "Stanford was a better fit for him, because it's hard to turn down a great school like that."
- He had two concussions during the 2016 season.  His mother said that's when they started to see the problems.  And that's painful to read.  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions (see Jamie Carey).  


n

[Embo]

This news should not come as a surprise to us.  Ann McKee, the neuropathologist at Boston University, released the results of her findings - Zach had chronic traumatic encephalopathy.  And he was 26 when he died.  26.

Former Stanford football player Zach Hoffpauir posthumously diagnosed with CTE

Here's another documentary which gives more detail into Zach's life and death.  

Zach Hoffpauir documentary

There are a few things that were a surprise to me:
- He felt pressured by his family to chose Stanford. 
- I remember around 2011 reading that Zach was a Cal verbal, but then got flipped to Stanford.  Regarding 2012 Big Game, there were three things that come to mind:  First was it was held on a warm day in mid October (thanks for nothing, Larry Scott).  Second was the introduction of Kevin Hogan.  And third was hearing the PA announcer saying, "Tackle made by Hoffpauir."  I actually wondered then if the Cal fans would boo because he had switched commitments.
- Turns out the recruiting reports were wrong.  He was recruited aggressively by Todd Graham, and the two had a mutual admiration. Zach wanted to go to ASU.  But even Todd Graham told him that "Stanford was a better fit for him, because it's hard to turn down a great school like that."
- He had two concussions during the 2016 season.  His mother said that's when they started to see the problems.  And that's painful to read.  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions (see Jamie Carey).  


n

[oldalum]

- He had two concussions during the 2016 season. . . .  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions 

I don't think those two statements are necessarily inconsistent. There were guidelines in 2016 on return to play after concussion which I suspect Stanford followed. It depends on the severity of the concussion and whether the athlete progresses through the graduated steps of recovering and returning to play without a recurrence of symptoms.

[oldalum]

- He had two concussions during the 2016 season. . . .  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions 

I don't think those two statements are necessarily inconsistent. There were guidelines in 2016 on return to play after concussion which I suspect Stanford followed. It depends on the severity of the concussion and whether the athlete progresses through the graduated steps of recovering and returning to play without a recurrence of symptoms.

[OutsiderFan]

That is a REALLY well done documentary and celebration of someone's life. Answers a lot of questions and begs others. 

As far as Stanford medical staff having any culpability in ZH's CTE, that's a bridge too far for me.  There are no doubt people who are more susceptible to CTE than others, and there are certainly many football players who played as long as ZH and had as many hits, who haven't had the disease.

It doesn't feel completely appropriate to comment on Hoffpauir's athletic performance after watching that doc, but he was a very good football player for Stanford.

[OutsiderFan]

That is a REALLY well done documentary and celebration of someone's life. Answers a lot of questions and begs others. 

As far as Stanford medical staff having any culpability in ZH's CTE, that's a bridge too far for me.  There are no doubt people who are more susceptible to CTE than others, and there are certainly many football players who played as long as ZH and had as many hits, who haven't had the disease.

It doesn't feel completely appropriate to comment on Hoffpauir's athletic performance after watching that doc, but he was a very good football player for Stanford.

[terry]

- He had two concussions during the 2016 season. . . .  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions 

I don't think those two statements are necessarily inconsistent. There were guidelines in 2016 on return to play after concussion which I suspect Stanford followed. It depends on the severity of the concussion and whether the athlete progresses through the graduated steps of recovering and returning to play without a recurrence of symptoms.

Here's what Hoffpauir's father said about Stanford (from Wilner's article in this morning's Mercury News):


Doug Hoffpauir wants the world to know that even now, 15 months later, with the CTE diagnosis confirmed, he isn’t mad.

He certainly isn’t mad at Stanford — quite the opposite, in fact.

“Stanford was excellent to Zach,” he said. “They went above and beyond, even when he had concussions. They offered him four amazing years.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/24/f...te-levels/

[terry]

- He had two concussions during the 2016 season. . . .  I had always thought the Stanford medical staff was very conservative regarding concussions 

I don't think those two statements are necessarily inconsistent. There were guidelines in 2016 on return to play after concussion which I suspect Stanford followed. It depends on the severity of the concussion and whether the athlete progresses through the graduated steps of recovering and returning to play without a recurrence of symptoms.

Here's what Hoffpauir's father said about Stanford (from Wilner's article in this morning's Mercury News):


Doug Hoffpauir wants the world to know that even now, 15 months later, with the CTE diagnosis confirmed, he isn’t mad.

He certainly isn’t mad at Stanford — quite the opposite, in fact.

“Stanford was excellent to Zach,” he said. “They went above and beyond, even when he had concussions. They offered him four amazing years.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/08/24/f...te-levels/

[BostonCard]

I'm not fully up on the literature, but it appears that frank concussions alone are only part of the story about CTE; cumulative sub-concussive injuries can also play a role.

BC

[BostonCard]

I'm not fully up on the literature, but it appears that frank concussions alone are only part of the story about CTE; cumulative sub-concussive injuries can also play a role.

BC

[Hurlburt88]

I wonder when those external helmet cushions that many players use in practice will become mandatory.

[Hurlburt88]

I wonder when those external helmet cushions that many players use in practice will become mandatory.

[TriangleTree]

I wonder when those external helmet cushions that many players use in practice will become mandatory.

I really hope they're proven highly effective and that they become mandatory soon. 
It may be not a fully rational reaction given other risks we commonly face and accept, but I get the sense these stories like Hoffpauir's are all too frequent to make football an acceptable risk for non-professional athletes, let alone for an educational institution sponsored event.

[TriangleTree]

I wonder when those external helmet cushions that many players use in practice will become mandatory.

I really hope they're proven highly effective and that they become mandatory soon. 
It may be not a fully rational reaction given other risks we commonly face and accept, but I get the sense these stories like Hoffpauir's are all too frequent to make football an acceptable risk for non-professional athletes, let alone for an educational institution sponsored event.