It's no secret that the NFL concussions have reached a breaking point. Long before they had the research to back it up, people suspected that clashing helmets couldn't be good for players' heads and brains.

Now, we know the devastating effects of such collisions — not only are players prone to concussions, but these head injuries can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This degenerative disease occurs after repeated head injuries, which happens to many players, even those who don't make it to the big leagues.The long-term effects have serious consequences, too. The NFL will have to answer to those who suffer CTE, a condition that affects 96% of the brains belonging to former players.

How has the NFL reacted?

The NFL has responded to the concussion crisis with regulations meant to protect players' health. In 2010, for instance, the league put in place additional rules intended to help "defenseless players" from rough tackles. Namely, they barred contact from the shoulders up to ensure gameplay wouldn't promote head injuries. They hoped the slight change would maintain the NFL style of play fans love without sacrificing players' nervous systems.

More recently, the NFL has required players to wear new helmets, as former models performed poorly in lab tests. The 2017-2018 season was a rough one for the league. During that time, 291 players suffered from concussions, a record high for the football organization. As such, the NFL released a series of guidelines to protect players, many of whom didn't appreciate the changes.

Some thought the league had been too vague in their new requirements, such as prohibiting players from lowering their heads when initiating contact. They didn't consult with players about their intended changes, either, which was why so many disliked the new gear.

Still, statistics don't seem to be improving for the league. In 2019 training camps, the number of concussions suffered rose by 44 percent since the previous year. Of course, progress isn't always linear — the NFL will continue to implement changes and restrictions to protect players further.

How do the players feel?

The players have made changes to their style of play, and all but one percent of them have adopted the newer, safer helmets. Nevertheless, injuries still happen, especially in rookies who have yet to improve their technique.

One significant problem is that concussions don't always feel like serious injuries to NFL players. As such, if a guy suffers a concussion in Sunday's match-up, he could very well be back on the field the next week. On the other hand, a knee injury could knock someone out of the game for an entire season. Players fear such outcomes, so they tend to keep aches and pains to themselves.

What's next for concussion prevention?

The NFL has continued to stumble on its way to improved concussion prevention. A new rule has stipulated that players must leave the game if they show signs of sustaining such an injury. Sometimes, however, even this rule can be broken. Fortunately, the teams and the public react negatively to such missteps, pushing the league to do more to protect the players.

The future of the NFL seems to rely on the way they handle the concussion crisis in 2020 and beyond. Fans don't want to watch their favorite figures fall victim to life-changing head injuries. Plus, the sport can't sustain itself if its players continue to get hurt.

The good news is that the league is taking strides to prevent as many concussions from happening. It's no secret that football's a rough sport, but it doesn't have to be life-threatening — the NFL is on its way to finding a happy medium.