By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

-- Former WWE wrestler Chris Nowinski recently appeared on NPR Radio (NPR.org story link) to promote his research in the area of concussions and head trauma.

In the interview, Nowinski focused on his work with the NFL, specifically research on the lingering effects of concussions after an NFL player's career is over.

Nowinski also said he's trying to work with the NFL on reducing hits during practice, which can lead to brain trauma. It's similar to WWE reducing the number of bumps developmental wrestlers are taking during training sessions.

"The bigger change in dramatically reducing how we practice the game (football), Nowinski told Dave Davies of NPR's "Fresh Air" show. "Seventy-five percent of hits happen in practice when no one is keeping score. If this is bad for you, we should eliminate them from practice and save hits for the game. If we did that, we would lower everyone's exposure by 50 percent."

Nowinski also recalled a story from his WWE career of suffering a concussion during a match and frighteningly not being aware of his surroundings.

"[After one] I remember looking up at the ceiling and I had no idea where I was," Nowinski said. "I had no idea what we were doing and I couldn't remember what was supposed to happen next. It's scary to be with 5,000 fans and become completely distracted."

-- On Friday, the Houston Chronicle published a story on Jim Nantz, one of CBS's most-respected announcers, promoting his own medical research endeavor in the area of head trauma in sports.

Nantz, who will be calling this weekend's AFC Championship Game on CBS, told the Chronicle it's a "lifetime commitment of my personal resources and time and energy."

Nantz's new program will work hand-in-hand with a local Houston hospital's concussion center to "explore potential links between head trauma and Alzehimer's (disease)," similar to the work done by Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy.

BU's CTE research program is a collaborative venture with the Sports Legacy Institute headed up by Chris Nowinski. Nantz told the Chronicle he hopes to mention his new research project during the NFL broadcast on Sunday.

Links: Details on the new project can be found on NantzFriends.org. The Chronicle story leading with Nantz's interview can be found at Chron.com.

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