NFL Acknowledges Link Between Football, Head Injuries (AUDIO)

The National Football League's, senior vice president of health and safety policy, told the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce that there is certainly a link between football and degenerative brain disorders.

Dr. Brandon Brock, a specialist in detecting and diagnosing neurology disorders, spoke with KPEL's Rob and Bernie this morning about what the NFL's next moves may be in this delicate battle on (and off) the gridiron.

Brock said the scientific evidence is exceeding the NFL's opinion about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)  originating on the football field.

CTE remains difficult to diagnose because of the slow progression of the symptoms. Most symptoms are typically not seen until eight or 10 years after the initial injury occurs.

The development of problems such as moodiness, memory loss and loss of sleep may be a very gradual progress over the lives of a professional football player.

Dr. Brock is a family nurse practitioner and currently works in family medicine and general neurology. He also serves as a professor of clinical neurology with the Carrick Institute of Graduate Studies.