ERST LESEN! » quarter.Ill talk to Kevin about it and that

Dennis Widemans hit on a linesman in January was haunting. The NHL had never seen one of its players steamroll a ref like that. Seven days after the incident, the league punished the?Calgary Flames?defenseman with a rare 20-game suspension.But on March 10, arbitrator James Oldham downgraded that suspension to just 10 games after being swayed by Widemans novel -- and medically questionable -- argument: Wideman claimed he was in a concussed state that kept him from knowing his actions would hurt the official. Call it the concussion defense.The arbitrator agreed. Oldham wrote, I do not believe that in his concussed state, Wideman could or should have anticipated that his push would cause [the linesman] to fall and bang his head against the boards ...On June 8, the NHL filed a lawsuit to reverse the arbitrators decision. According to the NHL, the decision cannot stand because the arbitrator exceeded his authority. Its currently awaiting the NHLPAs response on Widemans behalf, which is due by Friday.?But the arbitrators decision raises an important question that goes beyond the NHLs argument: Is the concussion defense legitimate?For those unfamiliar with Widemans case, the hit was pretty brutal. During the second period of Calgarys Jan. 27 game against the?Nashville Predators, Wideman took a nasty -- yet legal -- check into the?boards, which left him holding his head as he headed for his bench.On his way, the six-foot, 202-pound Flames defenseman came upon linesman Dennis Henderson, who was skating backward along the boards in Widemans direction. Suddenly, Wideman raised his stick, cross-checking the official in the back and violently sending him face-first to the ice, knocking him unconscious.Henderson suffered a concussion. As of the date the NHL filed its lawsuit, he still hadnt been cleared to return to work.Wideman later denied any recollection or intention. He said things were hazy after he was checked and blamed his actions on a concussion.Wideman isnt the first athlete to blame violence on head trauma. The defense is popping up in criminal courts across the country, albeit in cases where defendants are claiming long-term brain trauma and are accused of committing grave crimes.In January 2012, for example, Jordan Clemons, a 26-year-old former high school football star argued to a Pennsylvania jury that a decade of hard hits caused him to lose control and slit his ex-girlfriends throat. Clemons blamed his violence in part on the numerous head collisions hed suffered both on and off the field.The jury wasnt moved, however. He was sentenced to death.Blaming head trauma didnt fare well for Nathaniel Fujita either. A Massachusetts jury convicted the 20-year-old former high school wideout in March 2013 for strangling his high school sweetheart. A doctor retained by Fujitas trial team couldnt convince the jury that repeated on-field brain injuries contributed to his violent behavior.Massachusetts doesnt have the death penalty; Fujita got a life sentence.Just this month, former Arkansas and NFL running back Cedric Cobbs used brain trauma as a defense in federal court. He faced a maximum of four years in prison for his involvement in an OxyContin drug ring, but Cobbs received three years probation after convincing the court that repetitive brain trauma played a roll in his criminality and that hed fare better with continued treatment.Cobbs case didnt involve violence. And Clemons and Fujitas cases are different from Widemans in many ways, from the type of violence committed to the authority dolling out punishment. But most notably, unlike in those two cases, Wideman claimed his violence came on the heels of a single concussion rather than after years of repeated head trauma.According to Dr. Wayne A. Gordon, chief of rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology at the Mount Sinai Brain Injury Research Center in New York, the notion that a concussion could immediately spark a violent attack is simply wrong. Violent behavior is not a common short-term consequence of a concussion, he said.I see individuals who are months post- or years post-injury, and, yes, some become agitated for no reason. They lash out at people. They become more angry, Dr. Gordon said over the phone from his Manhattan offices. But those are long-term issues. Theyre not things that emerge immediately.In fact, peer-reviewed medical research backs Dr. Gordon. The research indicates that agitation, poor emotional regulation, difficulty exercising physical control -- some of the factors that could produce violent behavior -- are long-term consequences of concussions. Nothing indicates that these consequences appear moments after a concussion.The two neurologists the NHLPA hired for Widemans case -- who had examined Wideman via FaceTime four days after the hit -- argued otherwise.One of the doctors testified at Widemans arbitration hearing that the concussed often suffer impulse-control difficulties in the immediate postconcussion phase. He believed Wideman couldnt have intended to harm the official because somebody whose brain is not forming cohesive plans is unable to suppress inappropriate behaviors. The other neurologist echoed those sentiments, adding little.If widely adopted, this theory posited by Widemans neurologists -- that bad behavior is an immediate postconcussion symptom -- could create a slippery slope for athletes.Widemans defense hinged on the notion that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between concussions and craze -- that head trauma converts players from being rational beings with self-restraint into lethal animals without self-control. If that were the case, concussed players could have to prove that they are not ticking time bombs post-impact.The concussed could have to persuade their teams that they wouldnt need to be quarantined, sway their spouses to believe its safe for them to be alone with their children, or even convince health insurers that they wouldnt pose a danger to themselves or others such that higher premiums would be necessary.The concussion defense also could be subject to abuse. A hockey or perhaps football player could use it as a convenient excuse should they lash out violently during a game. And such abuse could effectively undermine the rules of organized sports -- rules that are in place to keep players safe, encouraging participation.Many potential dangers could come from allowing concussions to excuse violent behavior like in Widemans case. The arbitrators decision endorsing the concussion defense could be that catalyst. Yes, it is just one decision by one arbitrator (who the NHL has since dismissed for undisclosed reasons). But the decision could be persuasive in other sports arbitration hearings, which often rely on prior arbitration rulings as guidance.If the decision stands, it might be just a matter of time before the defense that helped Wideman avoid a 20-game suspension begins to work to his detriment and that of other players.Adrienne Lawrence is an attorney with a B.S. and M.A. in criminal justice, as well as a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School. She practiced law from 2008 to 2015 before joining ESPN in August 2015. Nike Flyknit Sale . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Cheap Nike Flyknit Shoes .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. 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HOUSTON -- The huge offseason investment the Houston Texans made in Brock Osweiler paid immediate dividends in the season opener.Osweiler threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns in his debut with Houston to lead the Texans and their revamped offense to a 23-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.I think hes everything that we thought he would be, Texans owner Bob McNair said.Osweiler, who signed to a $72 million contract from Denver in the offseason, was helped by an offense filled with playmakers.There was nothing about the game that was perfect but we just kept playing ... and we made the big plays when we needed to, Osweiler said.He completed passes to eight different receivers, led by rookie first-round pick Will Fuller, who became the first player in franchise history to have 100 yards receiving in a debut with 107 and a touchdown. DeAndre Hopkins added 54 yards and a score and running back Lamar Miller had 106 yards rushing in his first game with the Texans.Osweilers day started with a hiccup when he threw an interception on the first drive, but soon got going and looked comfortable after that.Houston trailed by 1 point entering the fourth quarter before Osweiler found Fuller on a short pass and he scampered 18 yards for a touchdown to make it 20-14.The Texans added a 38-yard field goal later in the quarter to make it 23-14.Chicagos Jay Cutler threw for 216 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but was also sacked five times and hurried several others on a day when linebackers Whitney Mercilus and 2014 top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney led the pass rush.Those struggles occurred a little bit more in the second half when we had to play backyard football where we had to throw it to catch up, Chicago coach John Fox said. Theyre a talented front and when you get too one-dimensional like that, it becomes problematic for everyone.J.J. Watt didnt seem to be limited in his return after sitting out all of the preseason after back surgery. But last years Defensive Player of the Year wasnt as effective as he normally is, and seemed to have a tough time dealing with three-time Pro Bowl left guard Josh Sitton.WHATS NEXTChicago: The Bears have a Monday night matchup with thee Eagles on Sept.dddddddddddd. 19.Texans: Houston hosts Kansas City next Sunday, looking for a win to erase the memory of last seasons 30-0 Wild-Card loss to the Chiefs.CUSHING INJUREDHouston middle linebacker Brian Cushing, who had 110 tackles last season, injured his knee in the first quarter and did not return. Cushing started every game last season and 14 in 2014 after playing just 12 games combined in the previous two seasons because of two significant injuries to his left knee. Coach Bill OBrien didnt specify exactly what the injury was after the game, but said he would miss some time and theyd have more details on Monday.THEY SAID ITI love everything about him, Osweiler said of Fuller.WHITE MAKES DEBUTBears receiver Kevin White, the seventh overall pick in the 2015 draft, made his debut on Sunday after missing all of last season with a stress fracture in his left shin. He showed of flashes of the game-breaking ability that made him a top-10 pick and finished with 34 yards receiving. But his inexperience cost the Bears when he appeared to run a wrong route that led to an interception early in the third quarter.Ill talk to Kevin about it and that was his first game out there, Cutler said. But it left my hands and its my responsibility.Alshon Jeffery led Chicagos receivers with 105 yards.IS IT THE SHOES?Hopkins became the first to wear low-top Kanye West-designed Yeezy Boost 350 cleats on Sunday.He and two other Adidas players received the 350s on Friday, a day after Von Miller wore the high-top Yeezy Boost 750s in Denvers game against Carolina.They were great, Hopkins said of the shoes in the popular turtle dove colorway. It was just Adidas cleats with the Yeezy design on them. It wasnt anything different than what Ive already been wearing. Just the design.The star receiver, who was second in the NFL with a career-high 1,521 yards receiving last season, compared his ones to those that Miller wore, which look more like a boot.I like Vons, but I prefer these.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '