Concussions And Side Effects Of Concussions In The NFL

Thesis- I want you to better understand concussions, why they’re a problem in the NFL and what measures are being taken to prevent them.

Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall them. The National Football League has been associated with concussions and brain traumas throughout the years, but lately it has been exposed by media and NFL veterans. The league recently “reached a $765 million preliminary settlement with thousands of former players who were suing the league over its treatment of concussions…” (Waldron). Many former players are experiencing the effects of taking hard hits over and over again; they were not properly treated, which makes the injury worse and long term. The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the players, but the league as a whole.

These lawsuits represented over 2,000 former players claiming that the NFL didn 't teach them the dangers of a concussion. On August 29, 2013, over a year after the lawsuits were filed, there was an agreement between the NFL and the players; the NFL agreed to pay $765 million to pay for medical examinations, compensation for the concussed athletes, and research towards concussions. Just as the NFL thought the lawsuits were over, on January 14, 2014, the agreement was declined by a federal judge because the judge believed that $765 million was not enough money (“NFL Concussion”). These lawsuits over the issue of concussions prove that the athletes have experienced a multitude of medical issues that resulted from multiple concussions. These former athletes are working hard to ensure that young athletes do not have to suffer like they do.

Statistics show NFL players are paid $1.9 million a year on average. An injury as severe and time-consuming as a concussion can undoubtedly counteract this kind of pay. Professional athletes do not want to jeopardize sitting out a game and missing their opportunity, “‘[t]he return to play decision is based on symptoms, and the problem is the players all want to get back yesterday and the question is whether they are being truthful and honest’ during their evaluations, Stieg said” (Futterman). There is nothing doctors or trainers can do if the athlete lies about being symptom free. They can suspect the severity of the concussion by just observing the athlete’s behavioral response toward certain things, like light or noise.

A concussion is an injury suffered in the brain of an individual that can affect and alter a person’s ability to perform not only mentally, but physically as well. The New York Daily News reported on one of the finest cases of how serious the NFL is taking the issue on concussions, the current lawsuit that reached a “$765 million settlement reached between the two sides, 18,000 concussion suffer and the NFL” which states causes for important untold information the NFL refused to report to players about the prospective dangers concussions had for their long-term health, though this was later shot down by a federal judge claiming that it was insufficient sum. An NFL player may succumb from thousands of hits to the head playing football all

The NFL as you probably already know, stands for the National Football League. It is the elite league for the best players and best athletes in the world. These players are in tip top shape and are extremely strong. Now the big question is this. What is one of, if not the biggest problem in the NFL? Concussions. Nate Jackson, a former NFL player and writer says this, “Why is it that men who were the strongest and fittest people alive when they were young degenerate so quickly? That’s the million-dollar question.” With all of the protective equipment and top-of-the-line helmets, you would think that the players are safe from these types of injuries. But, there is a remaining problem of concussions that is still very

The acronym CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy which is a continuous disease that inflicts the brain of athletes who suffered ongoing concussions and traumatic brain injuries. This disease was known to affect boxers, however, recent reports published that CTE exists in retired football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma. CTE triggers degeneration of brain tissue and can begin in months, years, or even decades. The symptoms of this disease is usually memory loss, impaired judgement, depression, confusion and impulse control problems.

NFL players have finally gone against the NFL corporation. This specific argument went to court saying that head trauma was never in the professional athlete's settlement. Hurley explains “That the settlement did not cover potential victims of a degenerative brain disease that scientists have linked to repeated blows to the head” (Hurley) Professional players are still not agreeing with the NFL and the rules about the concussions. There have been many professional football players who have brought up the argument of concussions with the NFL and they have not won. Despite that, the court argument with Siegel went in the professional athlete's way. Later on, Siegel announced that "Forty-five hundred players sued the league over concussion-related injuries" ("Concussion Dispute") These athletes that have brought this argument back up having thought this was unfair to them. Through the findings and the explanations about the NFL settlement with their athlete's there should be a change to their settlement to be in more favor of the athlete's life since it is at risk. With these risks at state there are many experts trying to fix these

It is important to analyze the NFL and concussions among its players as an interrelated issue rather than looking at individual instances. When a player sustains a concussion they then undergo physical repercussions from this traumatic brain injury. The case that really started all this concussion discussion was back in 2002 when Hall of Fame Center Mike Webster was found dead. Webster’s death spurred debate on the issue that still continues today. Meanwhile, the NFL’s role as a business has also played a significant role in limiting its ability to address the concussion problem and other brain injuries that result from playing professional football. Prior to his death, Webster had suffered from such severe pain that the only

Big or Small: Concussion. Concussions are a head injure acquired from movement of the brain. Some causes of a concussion are “a bad fall, hit to the head, or stopping abruptly” (Elizabeth Smoots, 2015). This injure is most common in American football. In American football, many players receive hard blows to the head or is shoved down to the ground.

The dependent variable I will be looking at is the number of reported concussions each in the 6 year time periods and comparing them to each other. By doing so, I will be able to see if concussions increased or decreased, if the players were out of games and practices for longer periods of time due to precautionary reasons and if the rule changes of the NFL such as moving the kickoffs forward 5 yards to reduce the number of returns, a play where the majority of concussions occurred has made a positive or negative impact on the game. The last thing I will be looking at is to see how these concussions affect the players and whether or not it would be smarter to make the NFL non contact to not only help keep these athletes safe during there playing

Head injuries in football can lead to finished careers because of injuries such as; brain damage, concussions, and other major head traumas.Some retired players want to sue the NFL because they claim that coaches were aware of concussions that turned into dementia.Certain types of brain damage can cause mood swings, and some times permanent mental damage. Almost all football players end up with some type of brain damage.

The National Football League has announced its plans to invest further in its concussion testing. On Wednesday, the NFL’s Commissioner Roger Goodell published an open letter on the “Play Smart. Play Safe.” website. He details various ways the NFL will move forward in regards with head injuries, care, and prevention. He also stated that the league will pledge $100 million towards reaching those goals.

“1 in 5 concussions are caused by a head to surface impact.” (NA, November 2015).

It is said that over 3,000 former players are suing the NFL because they were not given all the details about their head injuries. A spokesman for the NFL named Greg Aiello commented, “…that concussions are serious business and need to be treated as such. And that’s why we’ve taken a leadership position to bring awareness, education and best practices to addressing concussions.” With the NFL being around for so long it makes it difficult for people to make a decision on what needs to be done because some believe it is part of the