Wow! What a big hit on the receiver. I don’t think he’s getting up anytime soon.” This statement is 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 because of hits to the head, but they need to go even further. On top of the fine, the NFL should suspend the defensive player at least the amount of games that the injured player has to sit out because of the injury. This way, the defensive players will be more cautious when hitting the offensive players.

Football is and always has been an extremely dangerous sport. According to a video done by Sports Science, “on an impact lasting just fifteen milliseconds, a player’s head on average experiences almost a 100 Gs of force. This is equivalent to a player’s head being smashed by a sledgehammer.” Without a helmet, NFL players would have all kinds of head injuries.

The first official helmet was made with leather and protected the head down to the ear. Next came the plastic helmets, which had a facemask and minimal padding. Much later in the 1990s, the modern helmet debuted. This new, technologically advanced helmet has great features such as inflatable padding, a visor, and a durable material known as polycarbonate, a harder and safer plastic.

The changes to the helmet have greatly made the game safer, but it can still get safer. Based on an article in the Chicago Magazine, “if the facemask attached to the sides of the helmet instead of to the top, much of the force would be released away from the player’s head.” With this new placement of the facemask, there would less impact on the head, causing a reduction in the number of concussions.

According to Dr. Mawji, the NFL should use helmets with Kevlar and should place sensors in every helmet. Kevlar is a material used in bulletproof vests and would provide enough protection in the helmet to protect the head. Also, by placing sensors in each helmet, medical professionals would be able to see how hard each hit really was, which would make it easier to diagnose them with concussions.

A major reason for horrible effects after being diagnosed with a concussion was that there was no sideline protocol for a player with a concussion. In 2011, The NFL sideline protocol changed this. Based on an article on NFL.com, “it includes a focused screening neurological examination to exclude cervical spine and intracranial bleeding, and assessments of orientation, immediate and delayed recall, concentration, as well as a balance evaluation.” In other words, trainers are now required to check every player who has a head injury for any concussion-related symptoms. This is great for the health of NFL players because even though the players want to go back on the field, the medical staff is forced to prevent them from entering the field. This part of the rule is single-handedly the most important part.

If a player has a concussion and rushes back on the field, he is opened up to even a bigger injury. A player that went through this process is Colt McCoy, a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011, Colt McCoy was knocked out of the game on a head-to-head collision. Even with many concussion-like symptoms, McCoy was cleared to return back on the field by the medical staff after only two plays.

Currently, there are medical experts on the sidelines, but they are not experts with concussions. A neurological professional needs to be on the field at all times. With this, there will be expert advice on what to do when a concussion occurs, and players will not be wrongly diagnosed.

The recommendations mentioned above are all for what the NFL should change in order to make the game safer. The recommendations below mention what the current and past NFL players should do during and after their career is over.

According to an article on ESPN.com, James Harrison said, “there’s a big difference between being hurt and being injured. You get hurt, you shake it off and come back the next series or the next game. I try to hurt people.” Harrison has been fined numerous times for hits to the head, but he refuses to change his style of play. Most of the injuries that James Harrison and other defensive players have inflicted on offensive players are primarily head-to-head collisions. They either try to make the player fumble or try to “hurt” the player like James Harrison does.

Both defensive and offensive players need to change their mindset with “knocking out” players. Most injuries, along with concussions, are becoming more prevalent with shortening a player’s career. Of course, hard hits cannot always be prevented, but if the players’ mindset can change, some concussions can be prevented.

Another reason that concussions can be dangerous is that players rush back from concussions even when it is not safe for them to go back. According to an article on proplayersinsiders.com, “rushing players back too early can increase the chances of a second concussion. Multiple concussion syndrome can end NFL careers much earlier, not to mention lead to serious long term implications such as dementia and early onset Alzheimer-like symptoms.”

Currently, players can only come back to play when they are cleared by doctors. Even after doctors clear them, some still feel some concussion-like symptoms, but they still come back without thinking about their health. An example of this is Austin Collie. He was diagnosed with a concussion in November of 2010. After rushing back from the injury, he later got another concussion in December of the same year, knocking him out for the season.

Players need to make sure they are back to 100% health before they get back on the field. Playing an extra game will probably not change a player’s life, but not treating a major concussion can possibly be life-threatening.

According to an article on nfl.com, “1,063 former players were asked if they had ever been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other memory-related disease. About 2 percent of the former players ages 30 to 49 said yes. That’s 19 times the rate for the same age group in the general population. For retirees over 50, the rate of about 6 percent was about five times higher.” This staggering statistic shows that past NFL players are greatly affected with brain injuries suffered throughout their careers.

Current NFL players, along with past NFL players, have been playing football almost all of their lives before they retire; therefore, all players that once played football in the NFL should get tested for any brain damage. Even if brain tests are performed on each player only once a year, the player will have an idea whether he has any brain damage. This way, current and former players can get detected early and possibly be prevented from any major damage to their brains.

Imagine a sport in which concussions are not even an issue. Imagine how safe NFL players would feel if they didn’t have to worry about concussions. Imagine how more kids would be able to play football if their parents knew concussions weren’t a problem.

Not only will concussions be prevented, but the players with concussion will also be healthier. All of this could be possible with the support of the NFL and its players. With a combined effort to make the game safer, yet just as fun at the same time, the NFL needs to establish more rules and change some equipment, while the NFL players need to somewhat change their mindset and take better care of their bodies.