How To Avoid Concussions In The NFL

The NFL has been the subject of some scrutiny from the media and retired players in the past few years. They recently paid $765 million to former players and their families in a concussion lawsuit settlement. (NFL.com) "We now have a fund that is there for players and their families if they are having any issues. We also are going to baseline those players. If they develop neurocognitive issues, there will be a fund there for them." Said Commissioner Roger Goodell. (NFL.com) On top of making the fund for retired players the NFL has also implemented several new rules to help current players reduce the risk of injury. While these new rules are a start, these are only the beginning steps to further preventing serious injuries caused to players.
When implementing new rule the Owners of the NFL teams have the largest say. That being said they don’t have the only say, the commissioner, player committee, and competition committee also have a say in the rule changes. The completion committee takes feedback from a survey of the 32 NFL teams and gathers input on potential rule changes. The committees and owners have meeting after the combine every offseason to discuss rule changes and additions, this is also where they review the data found from the competition committee’s survey. Throughout the season the committee occasionally meets to review the rules and look at current issues in the game. From this data they further discuss rule changes and additions. On top of the rules founded from the survey the team owners can also propose a new rule. In the end their needs to be 24 of the 32 teams in favor of the rule change or addition, along with the players committee in order for it to pass. (Chicago Tribune)
Just this year the NFL passed 5 new rules, 4 of which had to do with player safety. (Profootballtalk) In with these rules is potentially the most helpful rule in the NFL to date. This rule not only makes an injury spotter required to be at every game, but give them the ability to stop the game if he believes a player may have suffered a brain injury. (Csnbayarea) The 3 other new rules include: preventing players from performing peel back blocks, giving the receivers defenseless player protection, and making it illegal for a running back to chop defensive player who is already engaged with another player. (ProfootballTalk) With these new rules the league is trying harder to enforce them this year than ever before, this include fining players for violating rules. Since fines have been put in place illegal hits on the quarterback have went down 50 percent and hits on defenseless players have went down 38 percent. (Operations.NFL)
One rule that was not added this year but has had a large impact on the game is the kickoffs being pushed up five yards, from the 30 to the 35. With this rule put into place the biggest area for injury has been greatly reduced. This rule caused more touchbacks and caused fewer returns. Commissioner Goodell has stated that concussions were down 40 percent in the first two years the rule was put in action. (ESPN) Other rules have also been added in recent years that have pushed the game to a safer level. Many medical experts agree that the most important rule in recent years is the limit of full contact practices during the regular season, 14. (csnbayarea)
On top of all the rule changes the NFL has made they have also created a new position for a chief health and medical advisor. The NFL hired Betsy Nabel to fill the position. She is the president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, as well as a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Her job is to help the NFL research ideas on how to make the game safer for the athletes. Nabel has already suggested increasing the funding for medical research, enhancing communication so the public can understand the concerns of the NFL and what they are doing to about these issues, and furthering research on how behavioral health is affected by physical health. (MMQB) Nabel has also been looking into the sideline physicians and their ability to recognize symptoms of various injuries.
Another area the NFL is working on is the treatment to players after they had sustained an injury. Around half of the players surveyed in a 2011 study said team doctors prioritized the team of their health. (Washington Post) In the same survey nearly 40 percent of players had sought medical advice outside of the team’s doctors for their injuries. Part of helping the players who get injured is actually getting them off the field, which is harder than it seems. Since the NFL is so competitive many players find it necessary to play through their injuries. In the study mentioned above 9 out of 10 players said they had played through an injury at some point in their career, and almost 60 percent said they had frequently done it during their career. (Washington Post) NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash said “That culture has existed and it needs to change,” he went on to say “We’re trying to move toward a player safety culture. It’s going to take time, but I think we’re making progress, seeing them being more honest about their injuries.”
The NFL has also put in place strict concussion protocol.
In the concussion protocol there are eight sections on game day management of concussions, outlines for tests a player must pass in order to play, potential concussion signs/ symptoms, and the NFL sideline concussion assessment. (Management of concussions) With the more strict concussion protocol this could be significantly reduced. The concussion protocol will also prevent players from coming back before their concussion has completely gone away. Before the league began taking concussions seriously this was a common problem, leading to more serious head injuries. Along with making hits to the head and neck area these rules and guidelines have the potential to prevent repeated head injuries and make the game safer for the
players.
Health of players after they retire has often been overlooked, but with the payout of $765 million to retired players and their families has shed some light on the subject. The most severe consequence from an NFL career is the head trauma that can lead to brain disorders. Medical experts generally agree that a growing body of evidence suggests repetitive head injuries like those seen in football can lead to neurological disorders, including dementia, depression and tremors. Researchers at Boston University identified chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in 87 of 91 autopsied brains of deceased NFL players. Not much is known about CTE, but it is believed to start before symptoms are shown and can lead to memory loss, confusion, and violent aggression. (csnbayarea) Some retired players also experience severe knee and leg pain on a daily basis which can cause problems with walking. A survey by the Washington Post found that players who had spent more than ten years in the league were twice as likely to have suffered five or more concussions, and more than twice as likely to have had five or more orthopedic surgeries. (Washington Post)
Some negative affects come about with all of these rule changes.
While there aren’t as many as there are positive these also need to be looked at. The major negative affect is that the referee’s may now have too much power. They were given the ability to make a player leave the field if they appear to have a concussion. This could end up being a problem, the referees are trained to look for the signs of a concussion but they still are not medical experts. The officials could send players who have no sign of a concussion to the sideline to get check out while continuing the game. It’s hard to enforce repercussions on the officials because it’s a judgment call. One owner said “We do not expect this to be a rule that gets used a lot.” (Chicago Tribune) While they may not expect it to get utilized a lot they have no control of the officials
decisions.
The major concern facing the NFL is the risk of its athletes obtaining repeated head injuries during games. The NFL has taken many steps to preventing these injuries from occurring. Whether it is making new rules, funding concussion research or creating new job for a chief health and medical advisor the NFL is no doubt making an effort to protect its athletes. The NFL has also set up funds for retired players and their families to help to deal with the long term affects playing the NFL causes to a person’s body. While these changes are a step in the right direction, the NFL still has much more to do before the game will truly be as safe as it can be for the athletes playing it.