Jerry Jones Says Link Between CTE and Football Is ‘Absurd’

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated on Tuesday that he believes the connections between Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and football are ‘absurd.’

Jerry Jones Says Link Between CTE and Football Is ‘Absurd’

Jones told reporters there was not sufficient data to establish a concrete relationship between the degenerative brain disease, which is largely caused by repeated blows to the head, and the game of football.

“We don’t have that knowledge and background, and scientifically, so there’s no way in the world to say you have a relationship relative to anything here,” Jones said, according to the Washington Post. “There’s no research. There’s no data. … We’re not disagreeing. We’re just basically saying the same thing. We’re doing a lot more. It’s the kind of thing that you want to work … to prevent injury.”

NFL senior vice president for health and safety Jeff Miller stated just last week that there was “certainly” a link between football and CTE, which several former professional football players have been diagnosed with postmortem.

Miller testified before the House of Representatives and was asked by Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky whether he believes “there is a link between football and degenerative brain disorders like CTE.”

Last week, the NFL released a statement via spokesman Brian McCarthy regarding Miller’s comments.

“He was discussing Dr. McKee’s findings and made the additional point that a lot more questions need to be answered,” McCarthy said, reerencing Boston University neuropathologist Ann McKee. “He said that the experts should speak to the state of the science.”

Caption: TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 15: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks with fans during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on November 15, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)