Artie Burns is only in his second year in the NFL. Playing Cornerback, he plays a position many wouldn’t necessarily associate with collisions and head trauma.
CTE can not be tested among living patients, in light of this, Burns and several other NFL players spoke to Sports Illustrated about the dangers of football. The question posed, would you take a test for CTE if a method was discovered? His response was rather blunt.
I definitely know I have it,” Burns said. “I’m going to [test positive for] CTE. I don’t need a test. Is it going to tell me how much I have? We play a physical sport, man. Humans are not made to run into each other.
Yesterday, Kent Babb of the Washington Post did an extensive feature into the hardships of former Pro Bowl Running Back Larry Johnson and the demons he deals with due to brain injuries.
Burns is only 22 years old and has yet to miss a game in his two seasons in the NFL. He also has never been formally diagnosed with a concussion. The horrifying truth of the NFL is front and center. Burns is 100% correct, humans aren’t built to play football and there isn’t a way to make a cigarette safe.