...Concussions in NFL athletes Daniel Cetnarowski DeVry University Concussions in NFL athletes. Football, a sport of hard hits and exciting plays. Every year you see something in football which is amazing. A player breaks a record or catches a ridiculous pass for a touchdown. Your favorite team goes to the super bowl and wins. Your favorite player has a career season and breaks NFL records. These are the reasons why I love the game of football. But with the good, must come the bad. Players receiving injuries while playing. Minor injuries to major injuries, sooner or later every player in the NFL will experience an injury. The sad thing is, there is one injury that has an everlasting effect. Concussions. Once thought to be no big deal, concussions are now at the center of a huge lawsuit against the NFL and forcing retired players to change how they live. So, are concussions changing the lives of NFL players or is there something else happening to the players that are causing these brain disorders? My vote is the concussions are causing these players lives to change forever. The purpose of this proposal is to show that if something is not done to limit concussions the sport may change the way we know it and love it. I would not want to watch football if the NFL went to flag football and not full tackle. The players would not want that either. If that happens the players’ salaries will get decreased. It will be a trickle down affect. The NFL will lose...
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...Concussions A concussion occurs when the head suddenly stops moving and the brain smashes into the inside of the skull (Goldsmith 4). Concussions are especially an issue in the NFL due to the amount of head-to-head. The main issue is due to the amount of velocity a person has with the contact of one person to another. So, by saying this concussions need to be taken more seriously in the NFL due to the amount of players who have suffered from them. What is a concussion? A concussion is a milder form of a traumatic brain injury in which the brain moves inside the skull due to external force (Goldsmith 7). Concussions are common in sports with any contact that can result in any kind of brain or head injury....
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...Concussion Protocol in the NFL The concussion protocol for the NFL is very complicated,but it has still failed for a few teams. The protocol has failed for the Texans, Seahawks, and the panthers. How Concussion Protocol Works First, the player will go into protocol if he shows signs or symptoms of concussion. The player will also go into protocol if someone on the field or sideline initiates the protocol. The player is removed to the sideline or stabilization on field if needed. The team physician will then perform a sideline survey on the player. If the survey is normal and there is benign video on the play the player may return to play. If the player shows signs of loss of consciousness, confusion,or Amnesia at any point the player is sent to the locker room. In the locker room the team physician uses a SCAT (Sport concussion Assessment Tool) and does a complete...
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...have been filed claim “tortious conduct” on the part of the NFL, resulting in neuro-degenerative disease and injury to professional football players. As of January 24, 2013, over 4,500 retired NFL players, more than one-third of players to ever sign an NFL contract, had brought a suit against the NFL concerning the head injuries that they sustained on the field during their playing careers. (Anderson, 1). Given the outstanding popularity of football in the United States, these lawsuits have garnered the attention of national media, prompting debate, discussion, and research about the dangers of football-related head injuries and the future of the NFL. (Fenno, 1). The litigation has the potential to reach the scale of the Big Tobacco litigation of the 1990’s, but the NFL has thrown a substantial roadblock in the players’ suit with a federal employment law preemption defense. (Fisher, 1). The consolidation of all the lawsuits into the Multidistrict Litigation has created the ability for both parties to decide the legal issues presented by the players’ claims and the NFL’s defenses. This paper will examine the merits of those claims and defenses, offer insight into how the players applied rhetorical devices to further their case, address the link established between the NFL and Big Tobacco, and how the court could likely rule regarding the concussion litigation, if it makes it to court. To begin, the history of concussions in football has been an extensive one. As mentioned above...
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...Professor Garcia ENC 1102 March 7, 2011 NFL Lockout On February 6, 2011, one of America’s greatest sporting events took place as the Green Bay Packers executed in winning a Super Bowl. The succeeding day did not follow with celebration, but with speculation towards knowing if there would be a Super Bowl the following year let alone NFL season. The NFL players and owners are struggling to reach a collective bargaining agreement and failing to do so will result in a lockout for the 2011-2012 NFL season. A lockout basically means there will be no football for an entire season. To the general public it seems as if only the players would be affected with a lockout, but in fact a lockout would affect the many jobs of people in the NFL, the fans, and most importantly impair the country financially. The major question is how the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and the NFL will put aside their differences in order for a NFL season to take place throughout 2011 and 2012. The NFLPA and the NFL have very much at stake if they do not come to an agreement. Both sides are apparently not meeting enough and it is effecting the progress of reaching an agreement. According to USA Today, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell states, ‘“If there's a work stoppage of any kind, it hurts everybody’, Goodell said. ‘It hurts the clubs; it hurts players; it'll hurt the game; and, most importantly, it'll hurt our fans”’ (Leahy 04c). Roger Goodell undoubtedly believes an NFL lockout may be a detriment towards many...
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...Concussions in the NFL Concussions have been and will continue to be a major threat and liability risk to the National Football League. Head related injuries can have devastating long-term effects, causing serious brain damage, neurological disorders, and other cognitive health problems (“Concussions in Sports”). Within the past couple of years, suicides by former professional football players have been linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a disorder attributed to multiple concussions (Hanna). As a result, numerous class-action lawsuits have been filed against the NFL alleging “negligence, fraud, and concealment” (Brandt). Although the League has implemented new safety mechanisms and rules regarding head injuries, the main focus of the lawsuits is based on the NFL’s past failure to perform its legal duty of protecting and informing players about the true dangers and life-long impacts associated with concussions. The various lawsuits filed by football players demonstrate a liability risk to the NFL. Under the United States legal system, a liability risk arises when a person or entity can be held financially responsible for the life, income, or health to someone else (Rejda). Brain injuries and severe cognitive repercussions suffered by former NFL players can be categorized more specifically as bodily injuries. This type of liability damage imposes legal responsibility “for losses a person may incur because his or her body or mind has been harmed” (Rejda). In addition...
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...These are all real cases of NFL football players whose brains had CTE. Boston University’s case study revealed the brain tissue of 90 of 94 deceased former NFL players have been positive for CTE. Unfortunately, to identify CTE in the brain, a sample of the brain must be examined and tested. This means the person must be deceased before they can be positively diagnosed with CTE. The NFL at first denied the connection of CTE and other degenerate diseases to concussions. But eventually after all these findings, the NFL was forced to do something. The NFL has since issued concussion guidelines, which include a telephone hotline to report when a player is being forced to play contrary to medical advice. The NFL Game Day Concussion Protocol has been put into place to further protect players. The NFL, college, and high school teams are also limiting the number of contact practices allowed during the season. I think the helmet sensors could be useful. The sensors could help indicate whether the impact was great enough to cause a concussion and if the player should then see a doctor. But the sensor wouldn’t...
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...NFL Player Safety and the Effects of Concussions An increasingly popular topic in the realm of sports fans has begun to unravel. The National Football League recently has begun to introduce new rules and regulations for their athletes to start abiding by to ensure the continued safety of the player’s health. Although most find this change in the game of professional football as a positive step forward, others see this as a diminishment of the sanctity of NFL football. New rules and regulations that have been introduced into NFL are vital to athletes involved in the sport and help them to play with lowered risks of long term injuries that could possibly affect not only them but also the league in the future as well. The reasons for these changes of rules in the NFL come from various points of emphasis. Legal actions taken by former NFL athletes have plagued the league and its reputation as of late, prompting this proactive approach to reduce the risk of long term effects on players. With all of the legal actions being performed on the NFL some felt that these changes that needed to happen would solely be kick started because of the legal aspect of it as represented by this quote, “"I don't think it'll be driven by public opinion, but by lawyers and insurance companies," David Meggyesy, who played linebacker for the St. Louis Cardinals in the nineteen-sixties.” (McGrath, 2011). One of the main concerns by the NFL is the long term affects that concussions have been shown to have...
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...Every year, roughly 1.6 to 3.8 million athletes in the United States alone suffer from a concussion (“13 Things You”). But, almost half of these concussions are not reported and therefore not treated (“13 Things You”). Of all sports contributing to the concussion total, football is by far the main contributor. “High school football accounts for 47% of all reported sports concussions, while 33% of these concussions occur during practice,” (“Head Case - Complete”). The main reason for this could be improper technique and teaching, neglect, and other factors. But for these players, high school is followed by college and possibly the National Football League (NFL), where concussions get much more attention and criticism. Concussions in the NFL...
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...asdfkjnsdf;jansfjkanwepjfnwejfnsajkdfnsadfnsamdnfjwaenfjsandfkanwejfnwkjefnakejfnkjnkjnjnjnkjnjknjknkjnThe NFL is commonly regarded as America’s favorite sports league, watched by millions around the country. The Superbowl is typically the most watched event on American television every year. However, the NFL has recently come across increased intense scrutiny by former players and the media for their lack of action towards preventing concussions. The NFL is often compared to a gladiator arena, where players push through serious injuries and perform spectacular feats in front of a roaring and bloodthirsty crowd. Many people look at professional football players and forget that they are still human. They are not invulnerable to pain, and they are not immune to the side effects that come with playing such a violent game. Former players who played in the 1980’s and 1990’s played with rules that allowed dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits, and in a society that expected them to play through injuries, such as concussions. Players at particular positions are at an additional risk for concussions, with 18.2% of defensive backs suffering concussions sometime in their career (Pellman, Viano). Players that suffered repeat concussions were found to have a much greater risk of “increased neuronal vulnerability”, and that there is an increase in the likelihood of “recurrent concussions with each successive previous injury.” (Guskiewicz). Former players are experiencing increased rates of brain...
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...has been a concussion. Concussions have been taking place for hundreds and thousands of years even when people did not know about them. They have taken over our lives and caused a lot of harm to people. The top sport of dealing with concussions is football. The sport itself accounts for 44% of all concussions. Out of 1,500 kids evaluated for tests on how many hits they take per year to the head. This number came out to be 11,978 in 2013. 40 of those kids took 16,500 hits in the head. This is due to the violence of the sport and people thinking they have more protection than they actually have. Concussions account for 15% of all injuring in athletes. 1 out of every 5...
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...Concussions In The NFL The Problem * A hit or a bolt to the head ultimately causes a concussion, which is classified as a traumatic brain injury. * Concussions can also be caused by an excessive blow to the body that causes a person’s head to move back and forth, which causes the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull. * Concussions within the National Football League have become a serious health risk due to the fact that athletes were playing in games before their concussions had completely healed, which puts athletes vulnerable to increased injury. * Many retired NFL football players have suffered memory and cognitive issues, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and depression. Indicators of Concussions * During the 2012 NFL football season, there were 265 concussions reported. * From the 2010 season to the 2012 season, the amount of concussions per season only decreased from 270 to 265. * In the 2012, players who suffered concussions have been linked to severe memory loss, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and player suicide. * Mike Webster’s death in 2002 was the first to relate concussions in the NFL with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and death. * In 2012, autopsies of Ray Easterling and Junior Seau both showed evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. * This concerning evidence led to relation of concussions and deaths for several more NFL players. * Chris Henry, a former Cincinnati...
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...made by many TV announcers during NFL (National Football League) games. Hard hits are a major part of football, but they also come with their consequences. All kinds of injuries can occur from devastating hits, but the most destructive injury is the concussion. According to a video done by Sports Science, “100,000 concussions occur in all levels of football, and 60% of these are from head-to-head collisions.” According to an article on NFL.com, “154 concussions were reported in 2010, while there were 127 in 2009. Statistics show a 21% increase in head injuries.” In order to reduce the amount of concussions suffered by players, not only should the NFL put in new rules to protect the players and improve equipment, but the NFL players also need to do their part during and after their careers in order to keep their bodies healthy. When the offensive player is catching the football, he is in a defenseless position. He not only has to catch the football, but he also has to watch out for the defender. Many times, the defender tries to prevent the offensive player from catching the football. As a result, he unleashed a hard hit on the other player. Because of these hits, both the offensive and defensive players are put in a position where they are highly susceptible to a head injury. Basically, this situation is caused because of the defensive player; therefore, the NFL should take action to further discipline these players. Currently, the NFL fines and sometimes even suspends players...
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...Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle? Can We Tackle the Concussion Battle Within Football? Introduction The National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive playing styles, but most importantly there has been a revolutionary change of the NFL culture. The game of football is being played at a faster pace and players are becoming larger, and intelligent (Wharton, 2011). While the sport of football can be stressful, competitive, entertaining and enjoyable, it also poses a dangerous threat of injury. One of the more common injuries within playing or watching football are concussions. Over the past few years concussions have become a more serious endangerment to those who play, from new evidence we have seen on the effects on the brain and how it can affect a player’s future. The purpose of this project is to investigate the current status of football and concussions in finding a solution to reducing head...
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...thing I would say is that while football is certainly fun and entertaining to watch, the human body was not designed to handle the frequent hard hits to the body and head as a result of playing the sport. Unfortunately these professional athletes end up suffering from brain damage as a result of our thirst and fascination for hard hits and violence. I would explain that while football helmets seem safe, they truly only provide very minimal protection against concussions that cause the brain to bounce, shake and rotate back and forth hitting against the wall of the human skull as a result of frequent football tackles that appear harmless to those watching the sport. To ensure the message hits home, I would bring up examples of their favourite former NFL players such as Hall of Famer Mike Webster who actually suffered neurological effects of playing the sport. It is important to highlight the most severe consequences first, which is that playing football can cause severe trauma to the brain as a result of multiple concussions that these athletes regularly experience. This trauma starts to destroy the integrity of the brain cells, causing a degenerative brain disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). High levels of CTE in a football player’s brain can result in memory loss, agitation and even increased anger management issues. It can also cause death, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). This neurological trauma affects your ability to regulate your...
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