Founding Members


CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI– President
Consultant, Trinity Partners LLC, Waltham, MA
Political Correspondent, WWE’s Smackdown Your Vote! Campaign

Author, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis

Chris Nowinski is best known as a former professional wrestler with World Wrestling Entertainment. He debuted on WWE's flagship program Monday Night RAW in 2002, when he was named "Newcomer of the Year" by RAW Magazine, and was the youngest male Hardcore Champion in WWE history before his career was ended in 2003 by a concussion.

Diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, Chris began a quest to better understand this condition. It wasn’t until he visited his 8th doctor, the renowned neurosurgeon Robert Cantu, that Chris first learned the reason he wasn’t bouncing back from his concussion was that he had been suffering undiagnosed concussions regularly throughout his football and wrestling careers, and the cumulative damage seemed to have finally caught up with him. Through his own efforts he also discovered research linking multiple concussions with serious long-term neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease, memory impairment, and depression – information he felt should have been made known to him at some point during his 11 years of banging heads in contact sports. He found that throughout sports, there is a startling lack of awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of these injuries that threatens the health and well-being of athletes of all ages. This led Chris to write the book, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis, published in 2006, in an effort to educate parents, coaches, and children about this serious public health issue.

Through his continued advocacy and investigative work, Chris has raised this issue into the national consciousness. The increased awareness has already forced the NFL to upgrade their concussion management protocol. In January of 2007, he led the investigation that found the suicide of 44-year-old former NFL star Andre Waters was linked to his depression caused by multiple concussions by asking the Waters family to have Andre's brain examined by noted neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu. He then helped a number of former NFL players, including Ted Johnson and Gene Atkins, come forward with their stories of struggles caused by concussions suffered on the playing field and get medical help. Chris now speaks at medical conferences around the world, sharing presentations such as “The NFL’s Concussion Research: Fact, Fantasy, or Fabrication?” and “The Epidemiology of Concussion in Athletes - Lessons for a New Approach” at 2007 Third International Meeting on Minor Traumatic Brain Injury in Sports, 2007 National Concussion Summit in Marina Bay, CA, and American College of Sports Medicine’s 54th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

Chris’ work in the field of concussion research and advocacy has made him a sought-after voice for awareness. He has written several articles for media such as SportsIllustrated.com and the New England Hockey Journal, and is a co-author on medical journal articles in review. He is frequently quoted in publications like the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, ESPN the Magazine, and the Boston Globe.  Chris’ journey was featured in the May 2007 episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and his partnership with Dr. Bennet Omalu was featured in August by ESPN’s Outside the Lines. He is also a frequent guest on CNN, ESPN, CSTV, and National Public Radio.

Currently, Chris also serves as the political correspondent for the WWE's award-winning Smackdown Your Vote! Campaign, an effort to encourage Americans ages 18-30 to register and vote. He also hosts a podcast series, The Nowinski Perspective, in which he speaks with elected officials and representatives of youth voting organizations about the issues affecting young adults. The Youth Vote Coalition recently listed him on "30 Under 30," an award honoring 30 people under the age of 30 who are having a major impact on politics. Chris is also a long-time supporter of USO Metro-Washington.

Chris was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at defensive tackle for the Harvard University football team, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in sociology in 2000. A member of the 1997 Ivy League Championship team, he was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy after his junior season, and 2nd Team All-Ivy as a senior. He played four sports in high school, and captained the football and basketball teams his senior year.

A consultant with Trinity Partners in Waltham, MA, Chris specializes in commercial strategy and licensing and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

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