On July 9th, 2014, a federal judge approved the National Football League's deal that would compensate thousands of former NFL players who have concussion-related claims. The settlement includes a payout formula for individual retirees that considers their age and illness. For example, a young retiree with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease (a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord), would receive $5 million, a 50-year-old with Alzheimer's disease (a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior) would get $1.6 million, and an 80-year-old with early dementia would get $25,000. Some players who brought about the change are former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon who filed concussion-related claims.
To start, I would like to explain what a concussion really is because I think some people believe that the symptoms are similar to those of a migraine. A concussion occurs when the brain moves quickly enough to interrupt its function, which is why most people do not know that they are having a concussion. The National Football League Players Association, in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology and American College of Emergency Physicians, have a pamphlet that states that the signs and symptoms of a concussion include:
- disorientation or confusion
- memory loss
- behavior or personality change
- trouble concentrating
- feeling sleepy or groggy
- sensitive to light or sound
- dizziness or nausea
- headache
The NFL team a player is with has an obligation to immediate evaluate if their is a suspected concussion, the player should never play through it because they could actually harm themselves even more. The NFL team should only allow you to return to games and/or practice if you are symptom free at rest and during physical exertion and cleared by your team physician and the team's independent neurological consultant.
Now that people can understand what a concussion is, how would you change the game of football to make it safer?
Currently players wear a helmet, shoulder pads, gloves, shoes, and thigh and knee pads. If they feel they need more due to injuries or other reasons, they may wear neck rolls, elbow pads, mouth guards, hip pads, tailbone pads, rib pads, and other equipment to make themselves more comfortable. Is there anything else that could be added that would stop a helmet from butting into another helmet and having person's brain be rattled around? I believe even a safer helmet would not change anything because head on head contact could still occur. Also, even when players where protective pads underneath their jersey, the head can still be shaken up upon contact (shoulder and head contact). Understandably, those who did not have these options twenty and more years ago have serious head and body trauma that can never really be compensated. Dementia can not be cured, neither can Lou Gehrig's disease. This is why the issue has been discussed a lot in the media.
Also, recent studies have found that NFL players suffer from neurodegenerative diseases at a rate three times greater than the population and a suicide rate six times the national average. Some high profile suicides include former NFL linebacker Junior Seau who shot himself in the chest and left a suicide note asking that his brain be studied for science and Kansas City Chief's Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend and himself in the team practice facility.
So what is the real solution for the NFL are more rules on the field really going to help with concussions, is more rest in between games or more compliance with the actual rules going to help? I don't think it is such a simple solution as changing the game because their is a reason everyone loves football the way it is, so please comment below with what you believe should be done regarding concussions or what you think should change with regard to safety in football. All comm
