Sad story. What stands out for me from this tragic event is the issue of domestic violence. It's a big issue that doesn't get enough attention and not limited to only one segment of society.
Maybe something good to come out of such a high profile tragic event is that the issue of domestic violence gets more attention.
This story reminds me of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak. I understand they didn't murder anyone but there is still some wonder about contact sport and brain trauma. Terrible news.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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The former San Diego Charger's death follows the suicide of former Atlanta Falcons player Ray Easterling less than two weeks ago. They aren't the first former NFL players to die by their own hands — former Chicago bears player Dave Duerson committed suicide last year — and very likely won't be the last, according to Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon and author of The Blaylock Wellness Report.
It's almost inevitable, Dr. Blaylock tells Newsmax Health, and the reason boils down to one word: glutamate. To be more precise, glutamate accumulation caused by repeated concussions is the culprit. Repeated injuries cause the microglial immune cells in the brain to become overactive and release toxic levels of glutamate, which creates a state of immunoexcitotoxicity in the brain — chronic brain inflammation, in plain terms.
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Brain damage caused by concussions is often found in the frontal lobe area of the brain — the part of the brain that causes restraint and controls impulsive actions — and a depressed person whose control is impaired is much more likely to commit suicide.
In the ordinary course of events for the average person, a concussion doesn't always cause such dire results. Football players and other athletes, however, are at greater risk because they can suffer repeated head injuries that are never allowed to heal, says Dr. Blaylock. "If you get a single injury and you take care of yourself and take the right supplements, brain damage reverses. But some of these players have 1,000 concussions during their careers, and if they're having repeated blows to the head — even if they are weeks and months apart — the microglia never shut off.
"There is a permanent state of immunoexcitotoxicity that continues even after they retire," he says. "So, they have brain inflammation combined with excitotoxic levels of glutamate.
Stunning that some people make a wildly speculative link to an unknown head injury as a possible cause, then come down on the guy that says 'not likely'.
Apparently some people don't know what hypocritical is if it they wrote it out on their own computer.
There are any number of things that could be causal, like his socio-economic background, his family dynamic, drug use, depression (non head trauma induced), or any number of things. But it is still pretty unlikely to be any single one of those things, although possible to be any.
Here's the thing you don't get. That a prediction of correlation is different than a declaration of causation. I specifically used the words correlation because I know what it is
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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"I can tell you that you have absolutely no idea what it's like to see someone kill themselves," said Kansas City Mayor Sly James, who spoke to Pioli shortly after the shootings.
"You can take your worst nightmare and put someone you know and love in that situation, and give them a gun and stand three feet away and watch them kill themselves. That's what it's like," James said. "It's unfathomable."
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"It was obviously tough for coach to have to tell us that," Quinn said. "He really wasn't able to finish talking to us. We got together and prayed and then we moved on."
But Quinn said the team was so stunned, it was hard to digest what had happened.
"It's hard mostly because I keep thinking about what I could have done to stop this," he said. "I think everyone is wondering whether we would have done something to prevent this from happening."
Here's the thing you don't get. That a prediction of correlation is different than a declaration of causation. I specifically used the words correlation because I know what it is
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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That sad part about all this is we will never know why he killed his wife and then shot himself. From what i've read this incident seems out of character for Poili.
I honestly think the events that unfolded are a combination of things.
First off, I think, like most killers, Belcher had a shorter fuse. He could get set off at something a lot easier than others. Speaking from personal experience, I have a tendancy to get incredibly upsed pretty fast. Have I killed anyone or myself? No. Combine that with the fact that he has in all likelyhood recieved multiple traumas to the head and who knows what could happen. the human brain is a complex and delicate thing. I don't think andyone can really predict how a head injury is going to effect someone.
So far we have a hot head with a brain injury. Again, this is pure speculation. Perhaps he and his girlfriend get into a heated arguement. Things could have gotten physical. Shoving or slapping. It isn't uncommon (which is sad). One reacts to the others aggression. Now we have escelation. Finally, it reaches the breaking point and Belcher kills Kasandra. The next probable conclusion we can jump to is guilt. He killed the mother of his child. Maybe she was the love of his life. All we know is he kills himself next.
Now I think once he calmed down a bit and realized what he did, he also realized the implications. His life was over. He was only 25, so he'd likely get out of jail when he was in his 60's. His football career is gone. he'd likely never know his child, and if he did, she would probably hate him. I know I would hate my dad if he had killed my mom then went off to jain all while I was a baby.
As to why he shot himself in front of his coach and GM is completely beyond me. Maybe they were just such a big part of his life he wanted to say thank you in person before ending it all.
Realistically, brain injuries didn't have toplay a role at all. He could have just lost it after a lovers quarrel. Who really know?
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Disregard any and all THANKS I give. I'm a dirty, dirty thanks-whore.
Do you ever contribute anything? All you do is complain and add one liners.
Try contributing to the thread and the subject for once.
I would like to hear your knowledge of how concussions affect the brain. If you can't reply to that and only can complain about my posting style, then it's clear you have no such knowledge.
Here's the thing you don't get. That a prediction of correlation is different than a declaration of causation. I specifically used the words correlation because I know what it is
You don't get my issue here, obviously.
You can speculate as wildly as you like, as irresponsibly and non fact based as you'd like. I really don't care about that.
But when the OP responds to such speculation with his own speculation that it likely is not a factor, then takes heat for speculating, it is ridiculously hypocritical.
As the OP tried to say, this happens to people with saddening regularity from all segments of society, the fact that in this case the perpetrator plays football may be some sort of a catalyst, on the other hand it may merely be incidental. The reasons behind it may be the same as for anyone else that commits a similar crime, other than the level of fame this man had.
Either way my point is speculation is speculation, so being critical of one posters speculation in an effort to try to legitimize your own is completely hypocritical.
Last edited by Ryan Coke; 12-02-2012 at 08:15 AM.
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I honestly think the events that unfolded are a combination of things.
First off, I think, like most killers, Belcher had a shorter fuse. He could get set off at something a lot easier than others. Speaking from personal experience, I have a tendancy to get incredibly upsed pretty fast. Have I killed anyone or myself? No. Combine that with the fact that he has in all likelyhood recieved multiple traumas to the head and who knows what could happen. the human brain is a complex and delicate thing. I don't think andyone can really predict how a head injury is going to effect someone.
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Sorry, do we know if he had a short fuse or is that speculation on your part? I am not an NFL fan so don't know him or his playing history?
Cause/reasion/motive aside, the real tragedy is explaining to that child why they have no parent(s).
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Captain James P. DeCOSTE, CD, 18 Sep 1993
Actually, both Ozy and Carom speculated that he may not have had a history of concussion. I was speculating that that would be a ridiculous assertion.
Why so sensitive?
Woah, woah, woah there buddy. I wasn't speculating about anything specific, in fact all I was trying to say is it is silly to try and conclude anything at this point. People seem to want immediate answers when really there may never be an answer or justification that satisfies people. I am all for trying to learn from this so be patient and let the experts try and take what they can from this, nothing more and nothing less.
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'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.'
Not every football player has suffured multiple concussions and not everyone suffers the same effect from concussions. I think this is what we know, but I may be wrong.
Wasn't picking on you but this sounded like you don't think football players regularly get concussed. I think that is wrong, as you may as well.
Concussions,depression are not an excuse for murder
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Originally Posted by Iginla
Thanks, tips. I've had a concussion, I know how it can effect the brain.
Still absurd to link the two unless something definite comes out.
No, but they are starting to find links between sports athletes with multiple concussions (and when i say multiple, i mean hundreds of concussions in one individual) and their behavior
see Christopher Nowinski's study of Chris Benoit's brain after Benoit's murder/suicide at 2:30
