I shudder to contemplate the fate of whichever member of the Mean St. Posse (Joey Abs?) who made the mistake of telling WWE’s Chairman of The Board, “but Mr. McMahon, at least it wasn’t the steroids.” And here’s another way of looking at it — another Benoit bombshell takes a bit of attention from Ric Flair walking out on the promotion. From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mike Morris.

The father of Chris Benoit and a doctor who examined brain matter from the former pro wrestler said Wednesday that brain damage caused by multiple concussions might have contributed to the deaths of Benoit, his wife and his son.

Dr. Julian Bailes, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at West Virginia University and a founding member of the Sports Legacy Institute, told ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday that damage to the wrestler’s brain was “striking and maybe shocking.”

Bailes showed images of Benoit’s brain matter, and said the images showed “dead brain cells” and damage that mimicked that found in Alzheimer’s patients.

He said his study had found brain damage that was “very abnormal and something you shouldn’t see in a 40-year-old.”

Asked whether previous concussions could have led to the damage, Bailes said, “We think we have great anatomical damage here from previous trauma,” Bailes said. “Whether it had a psychiatric or behavioral expression, we certainly think that’s most likely.”

Benoit’s father, Michael Benoit, said his son suffered “quite a number” of concussions during his wrestling career.

“Our research has shown that three major concussions may be the threshhold that serious later consequences may occur,” Bailes said.

Dr. Bailes’ name is fast becoming a fixture on the sports pages ; he’s the co-author of an NFLPA study on the effects of head injuries on players.

If three or more serious concussions are a precursor to double murder, it might be a good idea for Eric Lindros’ family to have all sharp objects removed from their home.