Concussions in Sports

Tyler Donofrio

Professor Twomey

Due: 12/7/2012

Concussions in Football

American football is an inherently violent and brutal game.  All sports have risks, but the high speed collisions of football make injury almost inevitable.  One would be hard pressed to find a veteran football player who could claim he never had an injury in his career.  Recently, research has begun to show the lasting effects that injuries have on professional football players.  Mainly, the long term effects concussions had on players.  Until now the severity of concussions was not fully understood.  New research is showing that concussions may have serious lasting effects on football players.  Thousands of former players have banded together in order to form a lawsuit against the National Football League.  As a result the NFL is instituting new protocol to help lessen the risk of injury.  

        Injury is an unfortunate inevitability in sports.  American Football carries an extremely high risk, “the injury rate for NFL players was nearly eight times higher than that of any other pro sports league.”^[1] In a league filled with injuries, concussions have become a polarizing topic.  As research and technology has improved Doctors are becoming increasingly more aware of the regularity of concussions in the NFL.  In 2010 there were, “There were 159 total concussions over the course of the regular season, which works out to just over 9 a week and a 50/50 chance of an athlete getting one in any given game.  3 out of every twenty players on the field had a concussion or head injury and one in ten from the entire team, playing or not, had one.”^[2]  Former Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet voluntarily ended his career after he sustained his sixth documented concussion.  He claims that he still suffers from post-concussion effects, including sensitivity to lights and lethargic feelings.^[3]  Currently, Jahvid Best is still sitting out from a concussion he suffered on October 16, 2010.  It has been almost a year since he sustained a concussion (not his first) and he is still unable to return to the field.  On November 3, 2012 Best was placed on season ending Injured Reserved due to post-concussion symptoms, ending his 2012 season without ever touching the field.  The staggering numbers shown earlier do not even include unreported concussions.  Many players do not even know they have a concussion or choose not to report mild concussions.  The NFL is extremely competitive and the average career of an NFL player is only about three and a half years.  There is a very small window of opportunity for a player to make a team.  NFL training camp allows there to be 80 players on the roster.  By the first game of the regular season this roster must be cut down to 53 players, 45 of which are usually active.^[4]  That is 27 players who will be cut and without a job.  “Once you sit down, you let somebody else come in and get their shot, and I am not about to do that.”^[5]  This statement was made by Willie Parker in reference to hiding injuries in order to stay on the field.  Willie Parker was a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers who did not have job security.  Therefore, he would make sure he did not show his injuries.  An injured player will easily be cut by NFL teams because there are so many possible replacements.  In addition, recognition is difficult for the NFL.  “Nearly one-fifth of 160 NFL players surveyed by The Associated Press from Nov. 2-15 replied that they have hidden or played down the effects of a concussion.”^[6]  Players do not want to miss time, and will lie about their health in order to do so.  Evidently, concussions are a problem in the National Football League and litigation against the NFL pertaining to this matter has increased.