With the growing concern over brain trauma and its longterm effects on NFL players, Roger Goodell announced prior to the Super Bowl that he’d be hiring a Chief Medical Officer to … well, we aren’t totally sure. He didn’t lay out the specifics of what the CMO would be doing. But still, step in the right direction and all that, right former NFL player Jack Brewer?
“This is another very positive step in the right direction. After years of Roger Goodell denying that football could be linked to cognitive impairment, its refreshing to see that the NFL is continuing to taking the necessary steps toward protecting its players. The new CMO of the NFL will be one of the most high profile positions dealing with brain health.”
Great! So who is the expert in brain health that Goodell decided to appoint as his CMO? Cardiologist Dr. Elizabeth Nabel. Hold up, did you say cardiologist? Yep, sure did.
“From the perspective of the league,” said lawyer and professor Michael Kaplen, “my first question is why they picked a cardiologist?”
“I think it’s a good step the NFL is making,” said rehabilitation specialist Dr. Michael Marino, “but the fact that it is not a brain injury specialist jumps out at me.”
It’s too late now — the hire has been made — but for future CMO hires, we made this handy chart for Goodell to reference:
But there’s more! As Sporting News’ David Steele detailed on Thursday, Dr. Nabel has close ties to Robert Kraft and the Patriots:
Nabel is president of Boston’s prestigious Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is a partner with the Kraft Group (Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s holding company) in a health-care center bearing the family name at the Patriot Place retail complex near Gillette Stadium. On the health center website is a photo of Nabel in a group that includes Josh Kraft, Robert’s son and president of the team’s charitable foundation. Kraft family members have sat on the boards of both Brigham and Women’s and the affiliated Massachusetts General.
Kraft-Goodell are the Illuminati of football.
