>>
more than 244,000
u.s. troops
have returned from the wars in iraq and afghanistan with
traumatic brain injuries
, an issue that is front and center for the
nfl
. a league dealing with the problem of concussions among many of its current and former players. the league is now teaming up with the
u.s. army
and
national institutes of health
to research ways to limit these types of injuries.
roger goodell
is commissioner of
nfl
. dr. landes director of the nih's institute.
general odierno
is the
chief of staff of the army
. good morning to all of you. general, that's a huge number, 244,000 military personnel with those
brain injuries
. i know the seriousness of those injuries varies from person-to-person but it's a problem that has to be addressed.
>>
absolutely. one of the problems we have are soldiers coming forward first to say i have a problem. one of the things we're really focusing on is making sure the physical, mental, dedication to accomplishment does not impede people from saying i have a problem and i need help. that's why this initiative is important to us. we're now putting sensors in helmets our kevlar helmets. about 7,000 soldiers have those in their helmets. we're collecting more and more data, collecting more and more information but we have a lot of work to do yet.
>>
commissioner, most people will not associate players injuries with when our men and women are dealing with in these wars but the problem is great for you as well. 190 concussions in 320 games last year. is that why this is the perfect partnership?
>>
well, we have a long history with the military.
general odierno
and i have spent a lot of time talking about our cultures, what it is to make sure our people stand up and say i have an injury and it's okay to ask for help or have your teammate or fellow soldier to say i've got an injury, so i need to get the proper
medical attention
. it's one of the big issues making sure anyone who has this injury get proper
medical attention
.
>>
you're announceing a grant to help research the problem.
>>
we are. we're going to be funding $30 million with the foundation for the nih to fund new research that will hopefully help and accelerate understanding of
brain injuries
. help not only athletes in the
nfl
but throughout sports and the military.
>>
doctor, what can that kind of money accomplish?
>>
can accomplish a huge am. i'd like to start off by saying not only is
traumatic brain injury
an issue in military and sports but affects people of all different ages. it's the leading
cause of death
and disability in young children and has increasing impact in older adults. so with this generous gift from the
nfl
to the foundation for the
national institutes of health
. nih-funded investigators will be able to determine what causes
brain damage
after
traumatic brain injury
, they will be able to find out who is at risk, who isn't at risk, to develop diagnostics, to help with having people come forward if you had a diagnosis you can say i have a problem think about prevention and treatments. we're very excited about this.
>>
an interesting partnership. general, thanks for being here. appreciate that. doctor, good luck. commissioner, it's nice to see you.
>>
good to see you, too, matt.
