Dr. Bennet Omalu Says 'Fascination with CTE' Distracts from Other Brain Diseases

Dr. Bennet Omalu—the man who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—said Thursday that obsession with CTE has caused a lack of focus on other types of brain injuries. 

According to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert, Omalu said every football player is taking a great risk with regard to potential brain injuries:

"There has been so much fascination with CTE that we are going the wrong way. CTE is just one disease in a spectrum of many diseases caused by brain trauma. If he doesn't have CTE, that doesn't mean he doesn't have brain damage. ... I've always said that every child who plays football has a 100 percent risk of exposure to brain damage. And I've always said that at a professional level, 100 percent would have brain damage of some kind to some degree. That's whether or not their brains are found to have CTE."

Omalu rose to national prominence after Will Smith portrayed him in the movie Concussion. Omalu is also set to release a book next week entitled Truth Doesn't Have a Side.

Per Seifert, Omalu said he wouldn't let his child play football, and added that the onus is on parents rather than the NFL to do something about brain injuries connected to the sport:

"I don't attack the NFL. I shouldn't. The NFL is a corporation. This is a free market. What do corporations do? They try to make money by selling a product or service. The NFL is not in the business of health care. It is not a research organization. If you think the NFL is not doing anything, well, what do you expect? They are in the business of making money. The issue is parents."

A recent study published by medical journal JAMA (h/t CNN.com's Daniella Emanuel) found that CTE was evident in 110 out of the 111 brains they examined from deceased former NFL players.

It also found CTE in 48 of 53 brains from former college football players and three of 14 brains from former high school football players.