‘I want to make the game safer’: Matt Hasselbeck advocates for CTE brain health research

Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is using his platform to shine a light on brain health and the long-term effects of playing in the NFL.

Hasselbeck joined “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio to discuss his involvement with the Concussion Legacy Foundation and a national study that hopes to change how chronic traumatic encephalopathy is identified and treated.

“So my dad played in the NFL for nine years,” Hasselbeck said. “My family’s played football. My kids play, you know, I coach. And so I want to make the game safer.”

Brain health & player safety

The study, available to anyone 50 or older who played college football, aims to help researchers distinguish between CTE, Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia.

Hasselbeck said the ability to diagnose brain trauma earlier could open the door to better treatment and, potentially, cures that don’t exist today. One of the biggest misconceptions, Hasselbeck said, is how casually concussions are sometimes treated.

“You need to respect it, you know, I think when someone has a concussion on television, they say, Oh, he’s got a head injury,”  Hasselbeck said. “He’s got a brain injury.”

Hasselbeck also noted the responsibility former players have to contribute to research, even if they feel healthy, noting that asymptomatic participants are just as valuable to long-term studies.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.