Health Wanted CTE
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Feb 27, 2026 Dr. Chris Nowinski, former college football player and WWE performer turned behavioral neuroscientist and CEO of the Concussion and CTE Foundation. Conversation covers how repeated smaller head impacts — not just big hits — drive CTE. They explore how CTE develops, brain bank research, youth sports risks, limitations of helmets, diagnosis challenges in living people, and prevention campaigns.
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Nowinski's Career Ended By Repeated Concussions
- Dr Chris Nowinski retired from WWE after repeated concussions and post‑concussion syndrome.
- He recounts the 2003 Royal Rumble double missile drop kick and a later concussion that ended his career.
Concussion Harms Are Historically Documented
- Historical medical literature recognized concussion harms for centuries, not a new discovery.
- Laurel and Nowinski cite Hippocrates, Lanfrancus, 1870s warnings, and 'punch drunk' boxing observations as prior knowledge.
CTE Comes From Cumulative Subclinical Hits
- CTE risk is driven by number and strength of head impacts, not just diagnosed concussions.
- Nowinski estimates tens of thousands of subclinical hits across a career (he cites ~10,000) increase lifetime CT risk.
