"Gray Matter: Brain Injury In Sports," with Twellman, Nowinski, and Lobel

Sept. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in professional sports has made the headlines this year, but has been problematic for scores. Retired professional soccer player Taylor Twellman and retired WWE wrestler Christopher Nowinski both have first-hand knowledge of the effects of TBI on behavior, mental processes, and careers. At ThinkTaylor, Twellman educates players on recognizing and treating injuries, while Nowinski’s work at the Sports Legacy Institute includes researching TBI in sports and translating results into safety programs. Legendary sportscaster Bob Lobel draws out whether the threat of TBI means new rules, new equipment, or the end of certain professional sports.

Further background information on participants:

Taylor Twellman
As a Major League Soccer (MLS) star Forward for the New England Revolution, Taylor Twellman scored 100 goals in a 174 games (101 total) and was the youngest player to hit that mark. He won countless honors as a professional soccer player, including MLS MVP in 2005, before retiring at age 30 due to lingering concussion symptoms following a collision on the field. Since then, Twellman has announced games such as the 2010 World Cup for Comcast New England and for ESPN. Twellman founded THINKTAYLOR to provide athletes and their families with critical information for prevention and immediate treatment resources in the event of a sports-related brain injury.

Christopher Nowinski
A former Harvard football player and WWE professional wrestler, Nowinski was forced to retire from professional sports after a series of concussions in 2003. He is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Sports Legacy Institute, a non-profit dedicated to solve the sports concussion crisis. He is also a Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, which has studied the brains of dozens athletes post-mortem. In addition, Nowinski serves on the National Football League Players Association Mackey/White TBI Research Committee and on the board of directors of the Brain Injury Association of America. Nowinski is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine and author of the critically acclaimed book, “Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis.” He has received the Patrick Brady Award from the Brain Injury Association of Illinois, and the CoBI Award from the Council on Brain Injury.

Bob Lobel
Bob Lobel was a sportscaster for WBZ-TV for almost 30 years. He anchored the sports segments on the evening newscasts between Sunday and Thursday, and hosted the weekly programs Sports Final and Patriots 5th Quarter. Lobel has also done play-by-play work for the Boston Marathon, the Boston Celtics, the Boston College Eagles, the New England Patriots preseason games, and the NFL. Prior to joining WBZ-TV, Lobel worked at WJOY in Vermont, WGIR in New Hampshire, and at WBZ Radio as the co-host of the nightly sports talk show Calling All Sports. Since departing WBZ-TV, he has continued to work for them on occasion in various sports-related capacities. He also briefly co-hosted a morning talk show on WODS-FM and appeared on The Boston Sports Show on Boston's ESPN Radio affiliate, WAMG-890. Lobel currently co-hosts “The Bob Lobel and Bob Lipman Show” on WTPL-FM in New Hampshire, weekdays from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

About Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University: "Provoking Thought: Listen. Learn. Engage”

Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest free public lecture series, providing an open venue for sharing opinions and discussing controversial points of view. It advances the First Amendment through freedom of expression, encouraging attendees to engage directly with speakers. Ford Hall Forum discussions illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking orators from a broad range of perspectives. These experts participate for free, and in settings that promote a culture of involvement in a non-partisan environment.

The Forum began in 1908 as a series of Sunday evening public meetings held at the Ford Hall, which once stood on Beacon Hill in Boston. While the original building no longer exists, the public conversations have continued throughout the Boston area with the generous support from state agencies, foundations, corporations, academic institutions, and individuals. In its 104th year of programming, the Forum continues to build upon its partnership with Suffolk University. Suffolk is now housing the Forum's administrative offices just a block away from where the original Ford Hall once stood.

Ford Hall Forum programs are made possible through the generous contributions from individual members as well as corporations and foundations, including American International Group (AIG), AMES Hotel, Broadway Video, The Fred & Marty Corneel Fund, Gray Media, Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Helen Rees Literary Agency, Iron Mountain, Jackson & Company, Katz Nannis + Solomon, The Lowell Institute, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, Penny Pimentel, The Pfizer Foundation, Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation, Prince Lobel & Tye, Saturday Night Live, Suffolk University, True North,  and WBUR 90.9 FM.

For more information, call Ford Hall Forum at 617-557-2007 or visit http://www.fordhallforum.org. Information about Suffolk University’s partnership with Ford Hall Forum can be obtained by contacting Mariellen Norris, (617) 573-8450, mnorris@suffolk.edu.