...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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...The issue of concussions in the NFL has always been a glaring issue involved in contact sports like football. Many people have heard of the issue and all the protection and safety regulations that have been implemented to try and help prevent serious injury. This has always begged the question of whether playing in the NFL is worth it. With the risk of all the injuries and post playing health conditions caused by playing in the NFL not worth the risk of serious injury. As the seasons came and went there became an all too familiar issue arising from collisions on the field: concussions. For a long time “The NFL’s strategy seemed not unlike that of another powerful industry, the tobacco industry, which had responded to its own existential threat...
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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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...In 2015, 271 concussions occurred in the NFL which is the highest number of concussions in NFL history. Concussions can have serious effects on players including death. While the diagnoses of concussions in the NFL has increased so has the awareness and research which may account for the increased incidence of NFL players with concussions. This paper will examine the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, effects and strategies for prevention of concussions. This paper will show that a concussion is one of the worst injuries an athlete can receive. A concussion is when there’s an impact to the head and the brain impacts the skull. People can obtain a concussion from a blow to the body. Most people believe that the brain is attached to...
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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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...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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...Introduction Concussions and CTE are extremely important in today’s society and have a strong connection with the sport of football. The current popularity of concussions today is due to deaths of former athletes who have suffered from CTE and concussions. As we learn more and discover new information on this subject, we can better develop our sciences to help treat people who suffer immensely from concussions and CTE. To narrow my research, I focused on the amount of concussions in the NFL. Also I focused on studies done by Boston University on deceased football players. With that being said, these studies led me to my research question: How many NFL players/former players could be affected by CTE? Literature Review CTE is a disease that...
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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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...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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