Concussions in Football

Emily Clingan

Mr. White

English 2000

27 January 2017

Concussions in Football

        In any sport there is always the risk of injury; in tennis there is a risk of elbow or knee injury and in swimming there is a risk of shoulder injury. However, the most well known trauma, and now the most controversial, would be concussions in football. According to ibtimes.com, one in 30 football players from the age of 5 to 14 will sustain at least one concussion per season. Young athletes tend to experience this type of injury more often than college or pro athletes. Researchers and neurologists have recently brought about concern over the long term effects of multiple concussions and blows to the head that football players receive. Most of the research has been sparked by pro football players and the publicity they have brought to the issue by suing the NFL for not protecting them from this injury. Due to this new research, there have been concussion protocol changes for before the injury, directly after it has happened, and in the days following. These factors have made concussions one of the most controversial topics in sports today.

        What is a concussion? “A concussion is an injury to the brain that results in temporary loss of normal brain function” (Patient Information). The temporary loss of brain function, however, does not mean that the person loses consciousness, as someone who has suffered a concussion rarely loses consciousness. This means that the person might struggle with slow reflexes, altered speech and memory, and less balance and coordination. Some immediate symptoms of a concussion are blurred vision, vomiting, fatigue, or headache (11 Facts About Concussions). If an athlete demonstrates any of these symptoms after an intense hit to the head or helmet, an athletic trainer or coach will take the player out of the game for observation. According to the American Association of Neurosurgeons (AANS), a second concussion soon after the first can be much more serious and can sometimes lead to death. The AANS states that there are about 1.5 deaths per year due to sports concussions where a prior concussion usually had occurred before the final one. Some of the most common hits that cause concussions are intentional head-to-head contact and striking a defenseless player, which have both been made illegal in high school, college, and pro football (Polnerow). Due to receiving many of these hard impacts, that are now illegal in football, previous athletes have come forward with a class action lawsuit against the league for not protecting them and warning them about the dangers of concussions.

        In August of 2013, a settlement was reached between the National Football League (NFL) and thousands of plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit that accused the organization of “concealing the dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field while glorifying and profiting from the kind of bone-jarring hits that make for a spectacular highlight reel” (Associated Press). Some of the most famous plaintiffs in this case also were the most affected later in life by the multiple concussions they endured during their years of playing pro football. Junior Seau retired from the NFL as one the best linebackers for his time. According to sportingnews.com, it is likely that Junior Seau received around 1,500 concussions in his career in the NFL and towards the end of his life, Seau suffered from mood swings, depression, insomnia, and forgetfulness. He committed suicide in May of 2013, two years after retiring from the NFL. After his death, his family donated his brain to the National Institute of Health in Washington to be researched. The institute found signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE. This brain disease is often associated with repeated head trauma and is common in boxers, as well as football players. Around 50 football players have been diagnosed with CTE. While it may seem rare, it is a very serious disease with no cure. CTE can only be diagnosed with evidence of degeneration of brain tissue which can only be found after death. Tony Dorsett is thought to have CTE. He is still alive so his brain has not been analyzed, however, he demonstrates the symptoms of CTE. According to Zac Crain who wrote ‘Tony Dorsett is Losing his Mind’ on dmagazine.com, in 2009 Tony Dorsett was struggling to continue on with his normal life. He would have to stop and ask for directions when taking his daughters to their sports practices. He was forgetting people’s faces that he had known for years. In this article Dorsett says, “I get mad at myself for certain things. Not knowing how to get certain places, forgetting where I’m going, driving somewhere then forgetting where I’m going…. So I’ve learned to write notes”. He never makes a move without writing it down. However, his bouts of anger were worse than his forgetfulness. Dorsett and his family had no way to know when or why he would suddenly get angry or start yelling about the littlest things. So far, his ways of combating the symptoms of CTE have been natural, such as fish oils and vitamins for brain health. However, these symptoms will continue to get worse. Another side effect of multiple concussions is Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Ralph Wenzel died at the age of 69 from complications on dementia. In 2007 Mr. Wenzel told Alan Schwarz from The York Times that he estimated his on- field concussion count to be “more than I could count”. He also says that during one game he was knocked unconscious for 5-10 seconds and stumbled into the wrong huddle. After which he stayed out of the game for a few plays and then returned to the field. In 2009, there was a hearing on football head injuries, Mr. Wenzel’s health did not allow him to attend. His wife, Eleanor Perfetto, said that she tried to explain to Mr. Wenzel about the effect of his case, “but by that time, he couldn’t understand” (Schawrz). Due to this football players and others like them, the NFL has updated their on-field and locker room concussion protocol.