Nigeria’s Bennet Omalu Gets Honorary Doctor of Science Degree for Discovering Football-Related Brain Injuries

Nigeria’s Bennet Omalu Gets Honorary Doctor of Science Degree for Discovering Football-Related Brain Injuries

Nigerians continue to get all the recognition they deserve abroad, the latest being the famous doctor, Bennet Ifekandu Omalu, the man who discovered chronic traumatic encephalopathy (or CTE) after he conducted autopsy on former NFL player Mike Webster.

Yesterday, Ifekandu took to Twitter to announce that he has received a honorary Doctor of Science degree from the Xavier University in Louisiana in the United States, for massive contributions to science.

Got Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana today. I am deeply grateful and thankful. pic.twitter.com/NIkfLy6NlB

— Bennet Omalu (@bennetomalu9168) May 7, 2016

 

The school detailed his battles with the NFL which tried to discredit his earlier discoveries, Omalu’s refusal to back down, and finally gaining the attention of Hollywood’s Ridley Scott, who proceeded to work on a feature film telling Omalu’s stories with Will Smith starring as the doctor.

Last December, Concussion, the true life story of Omalu’s battles hit the cinemas, with hopes that it would draw attention to the link between the football head injuries and early onset of dementia that could lead to death, and more importantly, how this has continued to be a bone of contention within the NFL. Finally, in March, the NFL admitted that there’s link between football and brain damage.

Now, Omalu is gaining all the recognition is deserves, and as he said on Twitter, “Got Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana today,” he wrote, adding, “I am deeply grateful and thankful.”