The one-time Pittsburgh pathologist who made the first discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former Steeler Mike Webster's brain has strong words for the city. Dr. Bennett Omalu claimed Pittsburgh "dehumanized" him, and ran him out of town.
Dr. Omalu's discovery put Pittsburgh at the center of the debate over football, concussions and brain damage. Fifteen years after Dr. Omalu's first discovery of CTE, his memories and thoughts of the Steel City are less than positive.
"I've reached out an olive branch to Pittsburgh, and they've treated me very ... in not so very good ways. The way they actually make me feel - they dehumanize me," said Omalu.
Dr. Omalu now lives and works in California, 2,500 miles away from Pittsburgh.
"You know I ran away from Pittsburgh, are you aware of that? I ran away. Because they were after me to destroy me, to destroy my career," said Omalu.
But Dr. Omalu's boss at the time he was in Pittsburgh, famed forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, remembers things differently.
"He may have felt that there were pressures and moments of unpleasant conduct and behavior. I don't know that he was chased in a literal sense," said Wecht.
Dr. Omalu is back in the spotlight with a new book, while he still creates new controversy. He recently said parents who allow their children to play football are guilty of child abuse.
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"Knowing what we know today, why would you place a helmet on a child and send him out to a field to suffer brain damage?" said Omalu.
Channel 11 asked Wecht to respond to those comments.
"I think that's a little dramatic, to imply that a family is actively, deliberately, cognitively, engaged in child abuse, but I understand what he's saying," said Wecht.
It's not just football. Dr. Omalu also said he doesn't believe children under the age of 18 should play any high-impact, high-contact sports, including ice hockey, boxing, mixed martial arts and wrestling.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- CONCUSSION EXPERTS: For a list of concussion specialists and doctors at UPMC CLICK HERE and for Allegheny Health Network, CLICK HERE.
- HEADS UP FOOTBALL: For youth football safety information, CLICK HERE.
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