Joe Kinnear's daughter says heading contributed to his death

[Piethagoram]

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Piethagoram

Over the past few years the Deaths of Players from the 50's and 60's have been linked to the Fact of them heading a Football. I believe Jeff Astle  and Nobby Styles were two other players who suffered from Dementia in later life which was linked to their heading a Football. The Old leather laced footballs back then weighed around 5 pounds and in Wet and Muddy conditions considerably more.

It will be of Little Comfort to the Grieving Families of these Players, but now Thankfully Modern Footballs are a totally different item and  are safer to use. And hopefully technology in the making of New Footballs will advance even more, to totally eliminate any Danger of Brain Injuries to Players.

[Fan of Big Tone]

I’ve noticed in this years Euros there have been numerous head injuries caused by two players trying to head the same ball, it’s only a matter of time before a serious life threatening injury occurs, I wonder if some form of head protection will eventually be introduced.

I think heading the ball in some kids games has been banned is that right?

[Chris]

This might seem controversial, but I don't like when people decide to sue for retrospective issues, especially when nobody made them do what ultimately is the thing they are suing for. If they want to spread awareness, there are far better ways because it just comes across as wanting money. Making a difference isn't believable either, because all you are doing is lining your pockets.

Dementia is a horrible, horrible illness, and it's hard seeing a loved one go through it, but you can only make changes now to help the future.

If the grief is making them lash out, that's different entirely, but I still think it's wrong. Joe Kinnear managed teams when I was younger. He really deserves to be remembered for the right reasons.

[Piethagoram]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Chris

You are right basically back when these players were playing Nothing was known about the problems of heading a Football could Cause. Medical theories weren't advanced then as they are today. Neither was Dementia a Headline illness back then, it was called or referred to as Senile Decay. Something some Old People Suffered From. Suing people no matter how much money you get, wont Bring your Loved one back.

[Chris]

@Piethagoram I met his family and daughter at the unveiling of the Jimmy and Jack statue, she also thanked me and Joe for writing about their work and honouring Jeff. They have dedicated a lot of their lives to research and bringing awareness, something Joe Kinnear's daughter could contribute if she wants to help other people in the future - not just footballers.

@Wheelbarrow repair man I nearly wrote about the NFL, who in the past dismissed studies and failed to acknowledge the severity of brain injuries. I can understand why they have had class actions brought against them but football, there's little known and the major research that has been conducted is mostly through ex-players families such as Jeff Astle. I know, Alan Shearer did a documentary which was well worth watching. There's also professional wrestling, where the WWE (formerly WWF have been taken to court over brain injuries, especially after the Chris Benoit incident) but that was a tragic event and suing them in hindsight for not knowing, it rubs me the wrong way.

The family of Jeff Astle is deeply committed to making sure that no one else has to go through what they went through. Their efforts have helped to re-design footballs, brought changes such as not to head the ball in training and even removing it from kids games as mentioned by @Fan of Big Tone.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Fan of Big Tone

I don't think the Idea of a Player wearing head protection, would be approved by the F.A but then again it may be considered. Peter Cech the former Arsenal Goalkeeper wore Head Protection, but that was due to a Medical Condition. Weren't certain bones in his Skull thinner than normal peoples? I think I either read that or heard it in an Interview he gave.

Further more would Players wont to wear  Protective Head Gear? Some wear face masks to protect a Broken Nose, but I'm not sure about Head Protection. A Clash of Heads will always happen, I remember Derby's Roy Mcfarland wearing a Bandage during a Match after a Clash of heads. And I'm sure lots of PON Members will Remember the horrific Blood Splatted Images of Terry Butcher who despite his injury played on for England during a Game. It may end up that  Players are Given a Choice whether to wear Head Protection or Not.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Chris

In addition to the Sports you mentioned, Boxers while they are Amateurs they  wear Full Head Gear, But once they Turn Professional the Head Gear is taken away ???

[Robbie]

I'm not convinced that heading a football directly leads to dementia.

There are thousands of people, who are not even connected to football that are getting diagnosed with dementia, 944K people in the UK over 65 have dementia, that includes 1 in 11 people over 65.

I think that all the chemicals that the food processors have been putting in the foods over the past 120 years to help preserve them, don't do the body any good over a long period of time.

Footballers have been heading balls for a long long time, but over the last 30 years Dementia has been increasing so fast as a cause of death & tens of people are getting diagnosed every day.

Something is going on that is causing such a big increase in this disease and I don't think we are getting all the facts from the Government why it's happening, but they probably know.

[Fan of Big Tone]

@Robbie ooh I love a good conspiracy theory, I blame Sunak.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Robbie

My Mum passed away with Dementia, heart failure killed her. But her Dementia started after a Slight Stroke she had, and I can never remember her Heading a Football.

[Robbie]

5 minutes ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

@Robbie

My Mum passed away with Dementia, heart failure killed her. But her Dementia started after a Slight Stroke she had, and I can never remember her Heading a Football.

So sorry to hear that, my Mum died of a massive stroke while in hospital after having complications with type 2 diabetes, it was 26 years on June 3rd this year.

One never gets over losing a Mum.

[Chris]

32 minutes ago, Robbie said:

I'm not convinced that heading a football directly leads to dementia.

You can suffer many type 1 concussions heading the ball, even though your forehead is protected by your skull - the brain still moves, and it's that constant movement which causes a lot of damage. There needs to be more studies with lighter balls, which I am sure is happening, but the data really does need to be collected.

Data has shown that footballers are at a high risk of brain related injuries, including dementia.

This is the documentary, which I mentioned.

 

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Robbie

That is So True about Mum's. But at least there is Comfort in the Fact Despite Mum Forgetting Things at least she did remember all her Kids (Mixed my sisters up a few times) Grandkids and Great Grandkids. So that was a Blessing.

[liampie]

i think its just awful that dementia is still not fully understood but at least some changes have been made. i would not be surprised that it can lead or increase the chances of various dementia illnesses. i do agree with @Chris, suing over it is not right and i would think it can take away from a persons legacy due to the way things can take over.

its just very, very sad.

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man

I would have thought that when amateur boxers wear head guards the guard will only protect from superficial injuries such as cuts and bruises, just like seatbelts in cars do

But head guards and seatbelts don't protect the brain from head blows and cars coming to a quick sudden stop at speed in an accident.

The blows to the head by punching & car accidents, like a sudden stop causes the brain to move around in the head. That is what can cause the brain injuries as far as I know. 

[Fan of Big Tone]

My mum also had dementia and had to go to a care home eventually, I visited her there many times but towards the end she didn’t know me, I just sat and held her hand I felt helpless it still hurts now many years later, she didn’t deserve that, she worked hard all her life and was the kindest person you could wish to meet. Dementia is absolutely awful.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

@Chris

Thanks for the Documentary Chris, I'd not seen it before. Despite it being Hard to watch in Certain Places, when listening to Jeff's Daughter Dawn at the start in particular , bought back memories of my Mum, I'm Glad I watched it and I appreciate the Up Load.

[KB1862]

I do believe that heading the football, especially back in the days when the ball was made of pure leather and became really heavy when it was soaking wet, does have an impact on ex-footballers later on in life especially leading to issues like Dementia. 

Football's of today are nothing like they were but even despite this, there is still a danger that it could have an impact on the brain. It just depends on how long before it takes effect, especially if you're continually heading the ball. Irrelevant of how lightweight the ball is, it's about the impact. In the images of Jeff Astle from a post above you can see how much impact there is.

The only thing that can really be done is something they've slowly started integrating and that is to limit heading in training. Matchday scenarios can't be helped as it is part and parcel of the game, unless they want to do something drastic like go 5-a-side rules and stop the ball going above head height. Though I do agree in doing as much as possibly to stop children heading the ball. 

I don't think it's right to sue anyone no matter how much you believe in it being the root cause. Even if it was proven to be the case, in those days there wasn't much in terms of assessing the dangers of heading the football as much as there is in today's world. Medical science has come a long way. 

[JustLikeJuve]

So many people are attempting to take legal action over issues that weren’t known at the time. I think Joe Kinnear’s daughter may struggle to prove that people knew injuries would lead to Joe’s death. Where does this insanity end? It reminds me of people trying to sue American gun manufacturers because of deaths caused by their use.