NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman accused the media and lawyers of "fear-mongering."
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal is taking on the National Hockey League for what he calls "apathy and indifference" to concussions among its players.
Blumenthal said he became concerned when emails from NHL officials denied a link between repeated head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE later in life. CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can lead to memory loss, erratic behavior, dementia and even death in later stages.
According to Blumenthal, six former NHL players have died from CTE. He finds the NHL's denial puzzling. "Common sense and mounting scientific evidence show that there are clear links between brain trauma and degenerative neurological disease later in life, like CTE," said Blumenthal.
Back in June, Senator Blumenthal wrote to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, asking for clarification of its concussion policy. In Bettman's response to Blumenthal, he wrote that the health and safety of the NHL players is their first priority, and touted the league's concussion program.
But Bettman still insisted that there is not enough sound medical evidence linking concussions to CTE and accused the media and lawyers of "fear-mongering."
Blumenthal called Bettman's response inadequate and careless. "Their dismissiveness of the evidence that exists already sends a message to others who play and coach and support hockey," Blumenthal told reporters in front of Hartford's XL Center, home to the American Hockey League's Hartford Wolfpack.
Blumenthal said the NHL sets guidelines that minor league and collegiate hockey follow. He called on the NHL to lead by example.
Blumenthal sent another letter to Bettman, calling on the NHL to establish an independent foundation to fund research to explore and establish a link between head trauma and degenerative brain disease.
Under similar pressure, the National Football League earlier this year publicly acknowledged a link between repeated head injuries and CTE among its players.
