Iron Mike Bailes: A Personal Hero

“Iron Mike” Webster labored in football like a possessed man, he had great work ethic on the field. He always showed great power during games for his fans who all saw him as a local superhero. He played as a center on the Steelers for fifteen seasons from the 1970’s to the 1980’s. He helped his team through four super bowls and his exploits made him a candidate for a football hall of famer. That's exactly what he became after showing multiple examples of courage like his own personal hero John Wayne. Mike died in the Pittsburg hospital at only the age of fifty on and left all of his fans wondering how and why.
After Mike left the game of football his behavior started to become out of the ordinary over time. He began to behave violently and …show more content…
His former trainer's name was Julian Bailes who after retiring from the game of football Dr. Julian Bailes became a neurosurgeon, concussion researcher, and then chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University School of Medicine. Mike would come to him when he would hear voices in his head but there was nothing Dr. Bailes could do for Mike except give him shots to help him calm down and to help him sleep. Dr. Baies had admitted that while when he was the Steelers trainer he’d give them whatever to have them get back on the field. He had not realized what he had done and what the NFL was doing to these kids until Doctor Omalu had opened the world’s eyes with the “Autopsy that changed football.” …show more content…
(1.5 kilograms) The average football player is around six feet and 200 pounds and that is for a defensive back. If running from the 40 yard dash line you could be hit at approximately 1,600 pounds of tackling force against a 3.3 pound brain. This is how CTE develops, bing constant hit again and again. When this happens the brain releases fluids and the nerves start to function differently. Footballs dangerous to the brain because humans do not have a anything in the skull to protect the brain. For example Woodpeckers do, that is why they are able to peck wood with a force 1000 times that of gravity. For woodpeckers, "thick skull" is no insult. (pappas) Researchers had previously figured out that thick neck muscles diffuse the blow, and a third inner eyelid prevents the birds' eyeballs from popping out.