Rob Gronkowski has been unafraid to speak out about head injuries and CTE since his retirement. Recently, Gronk admitted that he had suffered at least 20 concussions during his football career. And recently, he breached the subject of CTE on Twitter.
Gronkowski tweeted a response to BU CTE Center co-founder, Chris Nowinski, who challenged Gronkowski's notion that CTE is "fixable".
In his response, Gronk doubled down and said that he had fixed his CTE.
It is fixable. I fixed mine. There are plenty of methods in this world that allow the brain to recover from severe damage. That is also why I would allow my kid to play football. https://t.co/9aI1olAdqP — Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) September 13, 2019
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Nowinski tweeted back and offered Gronkowski a chance to discuss the "nuances" between brain plasticity and curing neurodegenerative diseases.
You are right about brain plasticity, and I am glad you are feeling great today, but neurodegenerative diseases (CTE, Alzheimer's, etc.) cannot be "fixed" or cured today. They eventually win. Please come on over to the BU brain bank next week and we can discuss the nuances. https://t.co/FxlzRi1BEU — Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) September 13, 2019
"Concussions, yes. They are treatable. CTE, not yet treatable," Nowinski told NBC10 Boston. "This is not a curable disease and you should realize that as you're thinking about if and when to put your son or daughter into contact sports."
Given that Nowinski is a doctor, it's probably safe to take his word over Gronk's on this matter. As Nowinski pointed out in his response, it's great that Gronkowski is feeling good right now. But that doesn't necessarily mean that any neurodegenerative diseases he may possess have been cured.
Perhaps Gronkowski will take up Nowinski on his offer and the two can discuss ways to collaborate and work to find a cure for CTE.
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