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WWE News
Benoit story: ABC's Nightline leads with story on Chris Benoit brain damage and WWE's response Sep 6, 2007 - 9:23:00 AM
Wednesday night's edition of "Nightline" on ABC opened with a top story on the medical findings of Chris Benoit's brain at the time of his double murder-suicide in June. The two-part segment included interviews with Chris's father, Michael Benoit, and members of the Sports Legacy Institute, Chris Nowinski and Dr. Julian Bailes, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine.
Michael Benoit opened the interview with ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff talking about Chris calling him on Father's Day - just one week before the tragedy - and telling him, "'Unfortunately, dad, I'm on the road. It's Father's day today. I wish I was home with my family.'"
Chris Nowinski contacted Michael a few days after the murders and requested Michael's permission to study Chris Benoit's brain for possible brain damage. Michael agreed because he was grasping for answers to why. Nowinski said he wanted to study the brain because he recalled a conversation with Chris a few years ago where Chris told him he had more concussions than he could count.
Nowinski said the lesson is that most people hadn't realized until recently that concussions can affect the brain in such a significant way. "When we did an examination on Chris Benoit's brain, we found results similar to the former NFL players," Nowinski said.
Dr. Julian Bailes said Chris's brain was affected by "multiple traumatic injuries." Regarding the role of steroids that was speculated on early in the medical investigations, Dr. Bailes said, "There is no consensus in the medical field that 'roid rage...even exists." He continued: "The changes we found in his brain tissue are not caused by steroids. There is no medical research or evidence that shows steroids cause those dead neurons."
Michael said it's much more than drug abuse or steroids that cause problems in the wrestling community, but also undetected brain damage.
The second-half of the report focused on whether brain damage can lead to murder and suicide because of a fundamental change to the brain. Dr. Bailes said he would set a cut-off at three concussions before considering the athlete at high risk for brain complications. He said Chris Benoit's pattern followed the same pattern of the NFL players they studied where they appeared normal and happy on the outside before becoming depressed with far-ranging behavior change.
Dr. Bailes said there are cases where this much brain damage leads to "abnormal, uncharacteristic behavior". He said the footage of Chris jumping off ladders and being hit by chairs shows why. Michael said he asked Chris one time if getting hit in the head by a chair hurts and Chris said, "'Damn right it does, dad.'"
When asked whether he's angry about the physical damage Chris suffered in the wrestling business, Michael said, "The company that I work for - the number one priority of the person who owns the company is the health and safety of the people that work in the company." He continued, "I wish the same could be said for the company that Chris worked for."
WWE sent a statement in response: "The analysis that concussions might have led to Benoit's murderous rampage was speculative. We respect the desire of that father to find some explanation."
Michael said wrestling has become a dangerous sport where getting hit in the head enough times is going to cause damage. He said this story on who's affected isn't about his son only, as he also lost a grandson and daughter-in-law.
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