Children’s Safety: Football Concussions

The NFL announced a settlement of $765 million between the league and 4,500 former players who sued over concussion-related injuries. The settlement comes as more and more research indicates that concussions are a serious health issue. One study found that Alzheimer’s disease appeared far more often among retired NFL players—19 times the rate for the average male in his 30’s and 40’s! As a result of such information, the NFL instituted stricter rules on tackling and post-concussion play. Players who show signs of a concussion must be removed from (at least) the rest of the game.

High schools have also taken a tougher stand. Referees nationwide must remove players who show any sign of a concussion, not just when an athlete loses consciousness. If trainers even suspect a concussion, the player may not return to the game.

Should parents encourage their kids to play football? Though injury is a risk in any sport, football leads the pack by a wide margin among the primary sports. A boy who played high school football in 2006 in South Dakota was seven times more likely to receive a season-ending injury than a boy playing basketball! It might be wise to encourage boys, as we did with ours, to play safer sports.

If your son chooses to play high school football, make sure there is a doctor or a trainer present to evaluate athletes.  Some schools claim they can’t afford a trainer. But one expert believes “that means you can't afford to have a program. The presence of a certified athletic trainer makes your program safer by every measure, and if you can't afford to make the program safe, then you should be closing it up.”