NFL Needs Stricter Policy Regarding Concussions

The NCAA has one. So does the UIL. So why does the NFL, a league where an untold amount of head bashing occurs, not have a policy on concussions?

It’s baffling to me! The NFL needs to wake up and realize that concussions are a huge concern. Failure to acknowledge this fact and take proper care of players who suffer such a head jolt is putting the players at risk for the rest of their lives and possibly killing them.

In its 2009-2010 Sports Medicine Handbook, the NCAA provides four pages detailing the symptoms of concussion, concussion treatment and return-to play standards (p. 52-56).

The guidelines state that “It is essential that no athlete be allowed to return to participation when any symptoms, including mild headache, persist” (54).
Returning after the concussion is a multi-step process involving the completion of an “exertional challenge,” followed by a gradual return to full contact practice over a period of at least 7 days (56).

Through my past research and interviews for an article about concussions in women’s college sports, I know the trainers follow the guidelines. Read my article at
http://media.www.tcudailyskiff.com/media/storage/paper792/news/2007/11/30/Sports/Concussions.Prominent.Issue.For.Female.Athletes-3125777.shtml.

The UIL policy, known as “Will’s Bill,” states that athletic trainers should be trained to look for signs of concussions and other sports injuries. According to the Marshall News Messenger, it is named for Will Bensen, a quarterback who died in 2002 of a cerebral hemorrhage suffered during a game.

The NFL has turned up its nose and downright ignored the findings long enough. Dr. Ira Casson, co-director of the NFL’s Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee, continued to insist in May that there is not enough data to confirm or deny a relationship between an NFL career, concussions and diminished functioning in life after football.

Well, according to a University of Michigan study referenced in Kevin Sherrington’s Monday column, former NFL players are “19 times more likely to report dementia-related symptoms than the general population.”

How much more evidence does the league need? If you do need more convincing, go to http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200909/nfl-players-brain-dementia-study-memory-concussions?printable=true.
This piece is very good but can be difficult to read at times.

On December 3, 2009, Commissioner Roger Goodell finally suggested that a player with a concussion not return to the same game. This is a step, but a lot more attention is needed. Since pro football is rougher than high school or college football, it should be more than a suggestion, it should be a requirement.