Acclaimed Author Chris Nowinski to Speak at GUS

Chris Nowinski, acclaimed author, cofounder and executive director of the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving the sports concussion crisis through education, policy, and research, will speak at Glen Urquhart School on January 15, at 7:00 PM. Nowinski’s book, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis has been made into a documentary film of the same name.

Nowinski’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Time, ESPN, and The New Yorker, and on television programs including ESPN, CNN, Fox News, and ABC Nightline. Nowinski also serves on the NFL Players Association, the Ivy League Concussion Committee, and as a consultant to Major League Lacrosse. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at Boston University School of Medicine.

Josephine Pucci, a member of the 2014 US Women’s Hockey Team that won the silver medal in Sochi, will accompany Nowinski as a special guest speaker. Pucci was named captain of the Harvard Crimson women’s ice hockey program and made her debut for the United States women’s national ice hockey team at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships (gold – 2011, silver – 2012).

Nowinski’s interest in brain trauma stems from personal experience. He was an All-Ivy defensive tackle for Harvard University. After graduation, he decided to explore his passion for professional wrestling and enrolled in wrestling school. Eighteen months later, he debuted on World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE’s) flagship program, Monday Night RAW.

Nowinski suffered a serious concussion in June 2003, but due to a lack of understanding, continued to wrestle while symptomatic. He developed post-concussion syndrome and was forced to retire. It wasn’t until he visited the renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu that he was exposed to medical research that revealed to him that concussions and brain trauma were misunderstood in the sports world. Nowinski soon realized that this lack of awareness among athletes, coaches, and even medical professionals not only cost him his career but also threatened the health and well being of athletes of all ages.

This event is open to the public. For more information, please contact Kelly Rostad: krostad@gus.org