The opportunity to partner with the NFL Players Association is one former Florida State football star Dr. Myron Rolle has envisioned for years.
“It’s an absolute blessing to be in partnership with the NFLPA,” Rolle told the Tallahassee Democrat from his Orlando hometown. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
On Monday, July 6, the NFLPA announced that the pediatric neurosurgeon, former NFL safety and Rhodes Scholar has joined the union in strategic advisory roles focused on player health, brain cognition and preventive care across the player lifecycle.
The connection to the NFLPA dates back to Rolle’s first year as a neurosurgical resident at Harvard, when NFLPA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Thom Mayer first approached Rolle about becoming involved. At the time, Rolle felt his focus needed to remain on learning his craft.
“As a first-year resident, I was just trying to learn how to be a neurosurgeon and in training,” Rolle said. “I was still figuring out the basics of practicing medicine. I couldn’t even put orders into the electronic medical record system yet – there’s no way I can be advising athletes and administrators on brain health and other medical issues.”
Years later, Mayer reached out again, and this time Rolle felt ready. Rolle, 39, currently resides in Orlando, where he is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Nemours Children’s Health. He graduated from FSU Medical School in 2017.
“Now I have the experience, knowledge, bandwidth, enthusiasm and willingness to be part of something great,” Rolle said. “Football is such a wonderful game and has done so much for me and my family. And I want to help preserve the game.”
Dr. Myron Rolle wants to help current and former NFL players
Rolle said his priorities align closely with the NFLPA’s commitment to player health, particularly when it comes to protecting the brain.
“I’m biased, but the brain is the most important organ in our body,” Rolle said. “This gelatinous structure that’s suspended in cerebral spinal fluid with thousands of signals and chemical processes and electrical communication between cell bodies is happening every single second of every minute.
“We don’t want football to take away that because the brain is able to give us meaningful life and purpose.”
Rolle believes the NFLPA can make a meaningful impact through strategic health initiatives aimed at both overall wellness and brain health. Rolle, who also played in the NFL, pointed to former Titans teammate Chris Johnson, who recently publicly announced that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS.
“We’ve seen things with ALS with one of my former teammates Chris Johnson here in Orlando,” Rolle said. “So it’s something we need to prioritize for current, future and former players. … working with the NFLPA to create programs and initiatives that improve general health and brain health is the right step. It’s about caring for the player, the human being, the man.”
Rolle said he is eager to contribute to the organization’s medical efforts and help shape future projects.
“I’m excited. I’m fired up,” Rolle said. “I can’t wait to be part of these committee meetings and help lead some really important projects for our players.”
Since the announcement, Rolle said he has been overwhelmed by the support from former teammates and friends throughout football.
“Hearing from guys like Jason McCourty and Travis Johnson and having them tell me how proud they are of me for being in this position and being able to help,” Rolle said. “That means a lot to me and that’s another benefit of being in this position.”
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Jim Henry is the award-winning sports editor of the Tallahassee Democrat. You can reach Jim at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Exclusive: Why Myron Rolle is bringing neurosurgery expertise to NFLPA
Reporting by Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
