I just finished watching NightLine on ABC. The show talked about the Chris Benoit tragedy, specifically the study that the Sports Legacy Institute recently completed about how concussions may have caused brain damage. Former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski, who retired from wrestling due to concussions, convinced Michael Benoit to donate a portion of Chris’ brain for study. The neuropathological tests demonstrated that Chris Benoit suffered from a type of brain damage called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which was found in all regions of his brain. And the WWE is writing it all off as speculation and Michael Benoit trying to prove to himself that his son wasn’t a monster.
The Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), which oversaw and coordinated the testing, is an independent medical research organization dedicated to studying the long-term effects of head injuries in sports. SLI President Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit on June 28th, the Thursday after his son’s death, to obtain permission to study the wrestler’s brain. SLI’s research has indicated there is a connection between the repeated head injuries suffered by many athletes involved in contact sports and an aggregation of abnormal Tau proteins in the brain, causing CTE. CTE’s most common symptoms include depression, cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinsonism and erratic behavior. Experts believe that CTE may have been a cause or contributing factor in the Benoit tragedy.
Continue reading Shame On You World Wrestling Entertainment
NEW YORK, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Leading medical experts associated with the Sports Legacy Institute today appeared with Michael Benoit, father of professional wrestler Chris Benoit, to release the results of neuropathological tests that demonstrate his son suffered from a type of brain damage called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which was found in all regions of his brain. The Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), which oversaw and coordinated the testing, is an independent medical research organization dedicated to studying the long-term effects of head injuries in sports. SLI President Christopher Nowinski contacted Michael Benoit on June 28th, the Thursday after his son’s death, to obtain permission to study the wrestler’s brain. SLI’s research has indicated there is a connection between the repeated head injuries suffered by many athletes involved in contact sports and an aggregation of abnormal Tau proteins in the brain, causing CTE. CTE’s most common symptoms include depression, cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinsonism and erratic behavior. Experts believe that CTE may have been a cause or contributing factor in the Benoit tragedy. While CTE has long been found in boxers, and more recently in NFL football players, the findings of CTE in Benoit suggest that athletes involved in other contact sports may also be at a heightened risk for this type of brain injury.
Continue reading Results Released On Study Of Chris Benoit’s Brain
A new study suggests that a series of concussions may have caused the rage that led wrestler Chris Benoit to murder his wife, his son and commit suicide. Benoit’s father, Michael Benoit, turned over part of the wrestler’s brain to researchers at West Virginia University and the Sports Legacy Institute.
Dr. Julian Bailes, head of neurosurgery at WVU, said the results of tests on Chris Benoit’s brain were striking. Showing a slide of Benoit’s brain tissue Wednesday morning on ABC’s Good Morning America Bailes pointed out what he called abnormalities. The researcher said Benoit’s brain scan looked similar to those of Alzheimer’s patients. Bailes has done similar research on the brains of former professional football players who committed suicide. He said he found similar brain damage in their cases.
Amid reports that WWE wrestler Chris Benoit allegedly injected his son with hormones because of a health condition, Scott Ballard, District Attorney of Fayette County, Ga., just released this statement:
“There are additional reports that contradict the earlier information that suggested that Daniel Benoit may have suffered from Dwarf Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome. Daniel’s family denies that he suffered from either condition. As a result of the family’s concerns, the Fayette County Sheriff’s investigators and the District Attorney’s Office have inquired into this matter. A source having access to certain of Daniel’s medical reports reviewed those reports, and they do not mention any pre-existing mental or physical impairment. Reports from Daniel’s educators likewise contradict the claims that Daniel was physically undersized. The educators report that Daniel graduated kindergarten and was prepared to enter the first grade on par with the other students.”
And who was it that fed the information to the DA about Chris and Nancy were having a rough time over their handicapped son . . . that’s right WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt. Was this a flagrant case of trying to mislead an investigation?
Why isn’t District Attorney Ballard filing charges against the WWE and their lawyer Jerry McDevitt for Obstruction of Justice?
Dr. Phil Astin, who saw Chris Benoit on Friday shortly before he returned home and killed his wife and son, turned himself in today to face federal charges. He was charged Monday with improperly dispensing painkillers and other drugs. The seven-count indictment said Dr. Phil Astin dispensed drugs including Percocet, Xanax, Lorcet and Vicoprofen between April 2004 and September 2005. The recipients were identified in the indictment by the initials O.G. and M.J. Benoit’s initials were not listed. A criminal complaint was also filed, but was under seal. A law enforcement official close to the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity before the hearing, said the case involves steroids.
Chris Benoit’s former wife, Martina Benoit, said the wrestler “was the most loving person anyone could imagine. I love him.” Reached at her home in Ardrossan, Alberta, Canada, Benoit called reporting of the killings in Fayette County “crap.” She did not elaborate before ending the call. He had two other children with Martina Benoit, who has not remarried.
Chris Benoit was a “delusional juice freak” who chased the dark side and had trouble distinguishing between his fictional character and reality, says the man who started him out in professional wrestling. “The last time I saw him he was in pretty rough shape mentally,” said Bruce Hart, son of the legendary Stu Hart.
“I didn’t know all the details but I knew it wasn’t good. I was not at all shocked (by what happened). “If I could see and determine that in a few visits, how the hell could they (World Wrestling Entertainment) not have known something was wrong? (In my opinion) I think the WWE needs to re-evaluate what it is doing here.”
Hart will not simplify the shocking murder of Benoit’s wife and 7-year-old son or the eventual suicide of the wrestler by attributing it only to steroid usage. But he truly believes that steroid abuse, in combination with delusional behaviour, painkillers and failing health — “almost all the people we started out with (who did steroids) began breaking down around 40,” Hart said — is a deadly cocktail that needs to be further examined.
They hadn’t seen each other much over the past few years, with Hart still in Calgary and Benoit working the circuit. “We saw each other mostly at funerals,” Hart said. “At my brother’s (Owen), my dad’s, my brother-in-law’s (Davey Boy Smith). Not that long ago I was talking to Hillbilly Jim and we were reminiscing a little. I told him I was worried about Chris.”
While the WWE has a drug-testing policy, Hart believes they should bring in psychologists and physicians to evaluate not only their drug-testing procedures but how they treat their athletes, deal with them, and the toll their gimmicks take on the lives of their performers.
Hart was also deeply angered that the WWE aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit on Monday night. “I kept hearing ‘He was a nice guy, a great guy’ and I knew him when he was a kid. But all I know now is he’s a murderer,” Hart said. In my opinion, “for them to do a tribute show was disgraceful.”
Who knew Bruce Hart was such a class act. Bruce Hart is a piece of garbage. While I agree with him that the WWE needs to include mental health in their Wellness Plan, everything else he says is pure garbage. And if he knew something was wrong with Benoit, why didn’t he tell someone besides Hillbilly Jim? What a piece of crap. How about telling Benoit’s wife, someone in Talent Relations at the WWE or even his own brother Bret Hart, who I am sure would have helped Chris Benoit out. But no, this wrestling legend, well, wrestling star, well, wrestler, well Bret Hart’s brother, didn’t think it was important enough to tell anyone else but again, Hillbilly Jim. What is this world coming too. As if this whole Benoit tragedy wasn’t bad enough, here comes Bruce Hart on his high horse to kick a dead guy in the nuts - so to speak - and then tell everyone “hey I knew”. A fine example of a nobody trying to get some publicity out of a tragedy.
A Wikipedia posting about the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit’s wife that preceded the discovery of the Benoit family’s bodies has become a major obstacle in the murder-suicide criminal investigation, authorities told ABC News. “It is unbelievable what a hindrance this has put on our investigation,” said Lt. Tommy Pope, a spokesman for the Fayette County, Ga., Sheriff’s Department. “We’ve got to put a lot of effort and time into working to prove or disprove that someone put up a hoax situation or that somebody was conceiving the death from out of state,” Pope said, adding that investigators have been flooded with tips regarding a Web posting that’s very likely a bizarre coincidence.
Police have traced the Wikipedia posting and subsequent anonymous confession and apology to an IP address in Connecticut. Pope said local authorities there are working with his department and have seized computer equipment from the person responsible for the postings. “We know who the person is,” Pope said, adding that police wouldn’t reveal his or her identity until early next week. By then they hope to have determined whether the person was implicated in what police earlier this week called a double murder-homicide. If the person had knowledge of the death before police discovered the body, he or she could face criminal charges.
Chris Benoit’s father said Friday that he was eager to see whether chemical tests can help explain why Benoit killed his wife and son and committed suicide, acts that the wrestler’s father said he had no clue were coming. Michael Benoit said by phone from his home in Alberta, Canada, that his family is shocked and in disbelief over the slayings. “We have no understanding of why it happened,” he said. “We need some time to gather our thoughts and wait and see. There’s still more information that’s going to come out from toxicology tests that will give us some understanding of why this happened.” Michael Benoit, who lives near Edmonton in Ardrossan, said the test results, which could take several weeks to be completed, “could give us closure.” He said his son had seemed fine when they spoke on Father’s Day, and had even said he regretted having to work instead of spending the day with his family. “That really wouldn’t give you an indication of someone who would do what he did a week later,” the father said.
Wikipedia has posted a statement from the person who posted on their online resource that Chris Benoit missed the Vengeance PPV due to the death of his wife Nancy, before the deaths were discovered. Wikipedia does not list the person’s name, which frankly they should at this point. I have been a big detractor of Wikipedia since its inception because it allows people to write whatever they want, whether it’s true or not, and a lot of people take what is written there as if it’s the gospel. Here is the Wiki confession, unedited:
“Hey everyone. I am here to talk about the wikipedia comment that was left by myself. I just want to say that it was an incredible coincidence. Last weekend, I had heard about Chris Benoit no showing Vengeance because of a family emergency, and I had heard rumors about why that was. I was reading rumors and speculation about this matter online, and one of them included that his wife may have passed away, and I did the wrong thing by posting it on wikipedia to spite there being no evidence. I posted my speculation on the situation at the time and I am deeply sorry about this, and I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard that this actually would happen in real life. It is one of those things that just turned into a huge coincidence. That night I found out that what I posted, ended up actually happening, a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening, or so I thought. I was beyond wrong for posting wrongful information, and I am sorry to everyone for this. I just want everyone to know it was stupid of me, and I will never do anything like this again. I just posted something that was at that time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on wikipedia, as it is done all the time.
Nonetheless, I feel incredibly bad for all the attention this got because of the fact that what I said turned out to be the truth. Like I said it was just a major coincidence, and I will never vandalize anything on wikipedia or post wrongful information. I’ve learned from this experience. I just can’t believe what I wrote was actually the case, I’ve remained stunned and saddened over it.
Continue reading Wikipedia Contributor Apologizes For Benoit Coincidence