CTE researcher says Bettman misrepresented her in his testimony

Renowned neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee claims NHL commissioner Gary Bettman inaccurately described what she told him seven years ago when he recalled their discussion during his testimony in Ottawa this week.

"Mr. Bettman misrepresented our 2012 conversation," McKee wrote in a statement Thursday, according to TSN's Rick Westhead. "Our research at Boston University and the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank clearly shows that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is associated with ice hockey play."

While testifying before a subcommittee on sports-related concussions on Parliament Hill Wednesday, Bettman gave his account of their meeting.

"Dr. Ann McKee ... told me in my office that hockey and football are not the same," the commissioner said. "We don't have the repetitive head contact and impact that some of the other sports do. While we understand that this is an issue that needs to be constantly followed and focused on, there have not been conclusive determinations."

McKee, an expert in degenerative brain conditions who was named one of TIME's 100 most influential people in 2018, outlined the evidence that supports her conclusion.

"We have found CTE in every former NHL player we have examined and we have also found it in amateur hockey players, some of whom had no significant fighting exposure," she wrote in Thursday's statement. "We would be delighted to have Mr. Bettman visit the Brain Bank and discuss our research on CTE and repetitive brain trauma so that any future statements will more accurately reflect the state of the science."

Bettman also testified Wednesday that he believes banning hits to the head would eliminate body checking altogether.

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