Preview

Concussions In The NFL

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
789 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The N.F.L created the head, neck, and spine committee with the intention of diagnosing, preventing, and treating any N.F.L football player that sustains an injury, including concussions. However, concussions remain a major issue happening in the football world and players continue to remain affected by them. In fact during the 2015 pre and regular season games, 271 players sustained concussions, making it a 31.6 increase from 2014 (Breslow). This set of statistics proves that the concussion crisis continues to increase because each year more players continue to become affected by concussions. Furthermore, it tells people that concussions don’t only happen in regular games, but during pre season games as well. In addition concussions regularly occur in highschool and little league football. As a matter of fact, around 47% of concussions occur in high school students (Sports). Which represents one of the highest percentages among other high school sports. This again proves that concussions do not only happen in the major leagues. The N.F.L also plays a major rule in these outside leagues. The New York Times stated, “the league’s public position could influence other levels of football because many college, high school and youth leagues take their cues…

    • 1944 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the history of football there has been concussions because poor helmets have bad padding. Many people have in it taken a major part in it. How many people have died from head injuries. So people are should upgrade the helmets to protect anymore bad injuries, people have upgraded helmets but we need to do more from causing a lot more concussions. The head and brain are one of the most important parts of the body which they need to be protected and that is a very good way to protect it from injuries…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Head Injures in the Nfl

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Over 60% of NFL players have suffered from at least one concussion in their professional career. The NFL should consider the impact of head injuries that plague many players past and present. Many football players suffer from concussions, and may experience CTE chronic traumatic encephalopathy, chronic headaches and loss of memory. Over 3,800 players or families of living and deceased players have now sued the NFL due to head injuries (King). Many concussions have been undiagnosed; players may not even shows signs of an actual injury, it could be months or many years before they realize the effects that have taken place due to the undiagnosed concussions. Blows to the head and trauma causing hits can only take seconds to occur during a play but the effects could last a lifetime. Head injuries range from the kickers linebackers and even the quarterbacks. Head injuries and concussions are a common factor today on the game field.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The NFL's Head Case

    • 2310 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The NFL and its teams have a professional medical staff that is assigned to each team. Their responsibility is to treat and evaluate players after an injury. While they claim that they only release players if they are completely free of symptoms and that also the players consent to feeling normal, the NFL should take on more responsibility with current and former players and acknowledge fact that they have knowingly allowed players to compete in games when they should have been kept on the sideline. There have been over 4100 former players who have been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which also includes illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. There have been several suicide related deaths that have left many unanswered questions. Some have even left suicide notes that requested that their brain to be researched. Additionally, medical research has been able to show connection through several studies that head injuries, especially repeated, can cause traumatic brain damage. The main point of this research paper is to argue that repeated head injuries suffered by current and former NFL players are directly related to the neurological problems and the deaths of Junior Seau, Jovan Belcher and others, while also presenting the reactive measures that are taking place to prevent future occurrences in regards to rules and equipment.…

    • 2310 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Football Helmet Safety

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Through the 2000s and the present there have been helmets made specifically to reduce the chances of getting a concussion. Concussion research was practically unknown and frowned upon until recently. Over the past couple of years the NFL has cracked down on head injuries and have put in place new rules/ regulations to prevent them.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Last year, the NFL revealed that it expects nearly a third of retired players to develop permanent brain impairments.” While other games may be dangerous in some aspects football is known for specifically the concussions it causes.We need to take this seriously because many kids are eager to get back and play again even after having gotten a concussion, so they can help their team. However they don’t realize that the injuries sustained when playing football can later lead to long term issues. Also ⅓ of the retired NFL players having to develop permanent brain impairments is a lot of people.Just think of all the football players in the NFL you knew, almost 33% of them needed to get impairments simply so tehri brain can actually work fine and they can live. Imagine having to live a life where you everyday you wake up to possibly find your head throbbing or suddenly getting disoriented. All because of football. Is it really worth it?In the video "Concussion Hazards in Youth Football" (Dr. Drew interview with Dr. Sanjay Gupta,HLN/CNN) two men discuss the effects concussions have on the brain and explain, “Their brains are developing…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    concussions in NFL

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, has been under a lot of scrutiny for the past couple years for his attempts to change the rules to decrease and pretty much get rid of violent hits to the head and neck to protect the players. These rules are under scrutiny because there are many people that are saying these rules are making the game of football a “soft game” and ruining it in a sense. Football has been a game that since its beginnings has always praised and celebrated toughness and violent hits. Now these rules are making it frowned upon. These rule changes drastically started popping up before the 2010 season. There are a couple big events that have pulled concussions to the forefront of concern in football. One of the biggest ones is the Concussion lawsuit that was brought against the NFL by4,500 members of former players families and even former players themselves. The lawsuit was just settled last Thursday that will cost the NFL $765 million. Much of that money is going to players and families to compensate for all the medical treatments. Also some of it will be going to baseline testing for retired players, and $10 million will fund research and education for concussions. Another big event that has been occurring over roughly the past 10 years has been many ex NFL players such as Dave Duerson, a former Chicago Bear, who shot himself in the chest after struggling from “chronic headaches, blurred vision and memory loss.” Before he died, he left messages to his family requesting that his brain be donated to a lab where it would be studied. He was only 50 years old. There are many like this including Andre Waters, 44, and Shane Dronett, 38, who both also committed suicide in the past six years. All 3 men were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which you get in part from multiple hits to the head. The NFL players are not the only ones that are being affected by CTE. Doctors found the CTE in 21 year old…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Concusions in the Nfl

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    About 5.3 million people in the United States suffer traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year, (Center for Disease Control). The probability of succeeding TBI for people with previous brain injuries is quite high; a study shows a person with two TBI’s is eight times more likely to have another, than a person who never had head trauma. TBI has been most commonly associated with professional athletes participating in American Football, Ice hockey, Boxing, and other contact sports. In the past fifty years, there have been between 200 or so players entering the National Football League each year. In the current years, player safety in NFL has been a major controversial subject, with the main concern being concussions. Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury that has been purported to be one of the influences for player suicides, and other symptoms after retirement, including memory loss and depression. In 2012, some four thousand former and active NFL players “joined civil lawsuit against the League, seeking damages over the League’s failure to warn and protect players from concussions,” (The New York Times). While there have been efforts made to try to decrease the number of head injuries, a study done by University of North Carolina showed that 31% of concussed athletes rushed immediately back onto the field after injury (University of North Carolina). This is showing that far too many times, players are being rushed back to the field too quickly. In this essay I will explain the causes of traumatic brain injury in the NFL, in result what actions are being taken by the NFL and the players associate, and if there lays a potential recovery options for those effected by the condition.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The NFL and other organizations that have instances of concussions are simply not going to go away. While many will outweigh the rewards financially, for playing pro football with the costs of a shorter life, others will consider if concussions should be an acceptable part of the game. In order to continue allowing sports with higher than average amounts of concussions applied ethics needs to be implemented.…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Concussions in football are not surprising anymore and we don’t think about the effects it will have on us later in our life. Concussions are a brain injury that alters the way our brain functions and if enough damage occurs it can produce long term effects. Concussions are changing the game of football more and more every year. Players are experiencing long term effects from concussions from the NFL and now the NFL is taking some heat from how they handled the injuries at the time. The game is trying to help players, and it’s important to understand what they are and the dangers of them, Effects of them such as CTE, and how rules are being put in place to protect players.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Head Trauma In The NFL

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages

    These hits to the head can lead to headache, loss of memory, confusion, and even debilitating, chronic brain diseases such as dementia. The severity of head trauma in the NFL has been ignored for too long. The National Football League needs to be more concerned with player safety, and to institute rule changes that will diminish head injuries.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sports are an integral part of American culture. Throughout the year, friends and families will spend enormous amounts of time and money to gather together to eat, drink and cheer on their favorite teams. American football has been named the most watched sport in the nation and continues to grow in popularity. There is something about the thrill of watching your favorite team score touchdowns and win championship games that makes watching football a nationwide form of entertainment. Beyond all of the wins and losses however are the many injuries that often occur in every game. Broken arms, legs and shoulders are only minimal injuries compared to the, often over-looked, head injuries that happen more often than not. Even though there are protective measures taken to prevent concussions and other head injuries, many football players are still being hit so hard in every game that they may experience one or more concussions in a single game day.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Concussions In Football

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page

    A big role keeping athletes safe from head injury is the development of helmets, styles, padding, even refurbishing.. Each injured player in The NFL has to take the same test and drill that college player have to go through to get back playing football. The risk of concussion is higher in professional sport. There will be increased a risk of repeated concussive. There are symptoms that you can…

    • 237 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Which can inhibit every day life. Concussions are a serious matter and need to be handled appropriately. Now should we stop playing sports that is a question that is above me to answer; because of the amount of money the NFL, NBA, MLB & other sports bring in each year due to ads and tickets sales. There has even been reports of the NFL covering up traces of people trying to bring up the topic of concussion. Since it is such a huge topic and controversial topic it needs to be fully investigated to insure the safety of millions around the world. Specifically, football players with the amount of contact they go through each…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays