Joe Rogan gives his take on why fighters continue to compete despite suffering from CTE
Joe Rogan believes fighters suffering from CTE will continue to step back into the octagon as the thrill of the fight is more exciting than regular home life.
On episode #1920 of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), Rogan welcomed guest Dave Portnoy. The pair originally unpacked and tackled the CTE issues that the NFL is facing before they moved onto MMA and fighters who were suffering from brain injuries.
Holy shit Michael Chandler put Tony Ferguson’s lights out 😰
#UFC274 https://t.co/E6p3kqQejz
The 55-year-old believes organizations like the UFC will continue to see fighters competing despite suffering from brain injuries such as CTE. Rogan explained that the thrill of stepping into the octagon to go to war in front of a crowd is incomparable to regular life:
"I think that people don't generally think about the risks in terms of the future. They think, how do I feel right now? Especially fighters. The glory of winning a fight, the glory of getting your hand raised. It's so above and beyond normal life experiences."
Joe Rogan continued:
"Even guys who have taken some shots and do feel the effects so they take a few months off and they want to get back in there again because it's so much more exciting than regular life."
Watch the clip here:
Joe Rogan exposes CTE issues facing the NFL
In the same episode, Joe Rogan also discussed the CTE crisis that the NFL is currently facing. The National Football League (NFL) has been accused of hiding information regarding head and brain injuries as well as scientific evidence linking the sport to them.
NFL didn't learn anything from Tua's concussion.. How is pushing a QB roughing the passer but slamming them down isn't?? #DENvsKC https://t.co/mmcv8CzFhF
In 2013, the NFL reached a settlement with a group of former players who had sued the organization due to injuries sustained whilst playing and following their retirement. The NFL was forced to pay over $765 million in damages.
In the episode, Rogan read out a statement regarding the league, which explained that the hiding of the information had even affected teams' choices during the NFL draft:
"Various players have filed lawsuits against the league for the concussions, accusing the league of hiding information that linked head trauma to permanent brain damage, Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Some teams chose not to draft certain players in the NFL Draft due to their past concussion history."
Giving his own thoughts on the situation, Rogan added that it was only a matter of time before enough evidence has stacked against the league that they cannot continue to deny the links anymore:
"The more the information comes out, it kinda of traps them. What are you going to do? You're going to have to admit that all those players have issues...I wonder when did they know, when did they first find out about it? [A link between football and CTE]."