SUPER BOWL 56 RADIO ROW: Chris Nowinski

Join us on Radio Row as Sports Philanthropy Network’s Roy Kessel and Kayla Bradham sit down with co-founder and executive director of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, as he shares his advice and wisdom about how to battle against CTE and how to improve our efforts to prevent concussions.

Chris Nowinski joins Kayla and Roy to talk about his concussion research focusing on college and pro athletes. Chris studies chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and works to lessen the common trauma that the athletes and families face with concussions. Chris has sustained multiple concussions from his time in the WWE and he was faced with recovering from post-concussion syndrome three times. It was after his own experience that he decided he wanted to change the culture around concussions to ensure athletes “don’t throw away their own health”. In addition to discussing about his work at the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris speaks on how properly address concussions with children and the necessary recovery period for both children and adults. Chris discusses the issues athletes often dace with self-reporting concussions, which include feeling obligated to still play and not being able to recognize your own injury. He believes that there is still a lot of work needed to be done, but that he is thankful to be doing such impactful work for both athletes and their families.

Chris Nowinski joins Roy Kessel and Kayla Bradham on Radio Row

The Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., and Robert Cantu, M.D. Nowinski met Dr. Cantu, a world-renowned concussion expert while seeking treatment for the Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) he developed from a concussion suffered during his career as a professional wrestler with WWE. Today, CLF’s mission is to support athletes, Veterans, and all affected by concussions and CTE; achieve smarter sports and safer athletes through education and innovation, and end CTE through prevention and research.

Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a non-profit organization leading the fight against concussions and CTE and dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted.

Chris wrote the novel, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, in 2006, co-founded CLF in 2007, co-founded the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank in 2008, and served as a co-director of the Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy from 2008 to 2014. Nowinski serves on the NFL Players Association Mackey-White Health & Safety Committee, the Ivy League Concussion Committee, the Positive Coaching Alliance National Advisory Board, and as an advisor to All-Elite Wrestling.

In 2010, Sports Illustrated named Chris a finalist for Sportsman of the Year. Chris is an Eisenhower Fellow, a program that identifies, empowers, and connects innovative leaders to pursue projects that create positive impact across sectors and borders to make the world more peaceful, prosperous, and just.