[M T]

Stanford had a chance (IMO) to be a leader and to drop football rather than sign onto the already-bad deal with the ACC.  There was already evidence of the CTE issues at the time.  Here's a post from 3 years ago during the discussion of what to do about the implosion of the PAC-12..

Or maybe it is time to own up to CTE and start down the road of academics without football.

Yes, there is something visceral about head-to-head combat on a football field and many of the public would miss that.  But the game of football has evolved over the years, trying to become safer.  In the meantime, we are beefing up and speeding up the players, causing hits delivered with more momentum.  Despite all the changes in helmet design and rules, we have not figured out a way to cushion the human brain inside its skull to take the acceleration due to impact.

A Penn State web page indicates

Stefan Duma, director of the university’s Center for Injury Biomechanics, states, “We see 100-g impacts all the time, and several over 150 g’s.”

as measured by sensors in helmets at Virginia Tech.

As I understand it, that means the 3-pound brain suddenly impacts the skull as though it is 300-pounds (100-g impact). Take the full weight of "Refrigerator" William Perry on about 8 square inches of the opposite side of the skull..

[M T]

Stanford had a chance (IMO) to be a leader and to drop football rather than sign onto the already-bad deal with the ACC.  There was already evidence of the CTE issues at the time.  Here's a post from 3 years ago during the discussion of what to do about the implosion of the PAC-12..

Or maybe it is time to own up to CTE and start down the road of academics without football.

Yes, there is something visceral about head-to-head combat on a football field and many of the public would miss that.  But the game of football has evolved over the years, trying to become safer.  In the meantime, we are beefing up and speeding up the players, causing hits delivered with more momentum.  Despite all the changes in helmet design and rules, we have not figured out a way to cushion the human brain inside its skull to take the acceleration due to impact.

A Penn State web page indicates

Stefan Duma, director of the university’s Center for Injury Biomechanics, states, “We see 100-g impacts all the time, and several over 150 g’s.”

as measured by sensors in helmets at Virginia Tech.

As I understand it, that means the 3-pound brain suddenly impacts the skull as though it is 300-pounds (100-g impact). Take the full weight of "Refrigerator" William Perry on about 8 square inches of the opposite side of the skull..