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Concussions In The NFL

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Concussions In The NFL
Concussions in the NFL has been a very controversial topic the last decade in the sports world. The strongest research to this date is going towards brain injuries in football. The NFL and the NFLPA (National Football players association) have been in constant contact about trying to make an agreement. The constant back and forth attacks have created uproar. Many former players have started to reach back to the NFL about their post playing career issues. Many people also think that the idea of concussions is being overblown to an insane level. The sports world is blaming the NFL for the amount of brain injuries and concussions in the NFL. According to Time.com, “For years, the NFL has stood by the contention that there is no direct evidence …show more content…
The NFL is trying to make football safe and they are spending a lot of money in making the game safer. Improving player safety is the top priority for the league. According to forbes.com, “it is now illegal for offensive or defensive players to lower the crown of their helmet outside the tackle box” (Forbes). Lowering the crown of the helmet causes head to head contact. Leading with the head can cause severe concussions. Some people think that this rule is taking safety to another level. This rule causes players to not lead with their helmet and to make safer tackles. According to USAtoday.com Reyes said, “Reported concussions in the NFL have declined by 35% over a three-year period, according to the league’s 2015 Health and Safety report released Wednesday” (Reyes). This quote states that concussions have dropped significantly because of the recent rule changes and changes in the type of helmets that are being used. Reyes also explained the NFL’s study on helmets. He said, “More than 500 helmets were tested with repeated impacts designed to replicate average hits sustained on an NFL field. Each helmet was fitted to a crash-test dummy head” (Reyes). The NFL is putting in a lot of money and hours to try to make the game safer for the players. The settlement between the NFL and ex-players is an example of how the NFL is handing the concussion situation correctly. According to NFL.com, “The NFL has reached a tentative $765 million settlement over concussion-related brain injuries among its 18,000 retired players, agreeing to compensate victims, pay for medical exams and underwrite research” (NFL, Ex-players Agree to $765M Settlement in Concussions

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