Concussions In Football 1

Running Head: CONCUSSIONS IN FOOTBALL

Concussions in Football
Tyler Batson
University of Texas at El Paso
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American Football is a full-body contact sport in which two teams, with eleven players each,
take turns trying to score in their respected end zones while the other team defends. The offense
attempts to advance the ball down the field by running or passing it, while the defense attempts
to stop that advancement by causing turnovers such as interceptions, fumbles, or turnover on
downs. American Football, which originated from rugby, has evolved over the years. Back in the
late 1800s, when the first American football game was played, there were many differences
from how the game was played back then to present day. The uniforms, for example, have
changed greatly from the uniforms worn in the past. In the late 1800s and early 1900s leather
helmets were used to protect the players head but they did not have a facemask to protect the
faces. In present day helmets are hard plastic with a metal rim and also have hard facemask to
fully protect the player for any head and face injuries. These advancements in helmets were
brought about by the dangers that football began to evolve into.
One of the many dangers that have evolved in football is the fear of concussions. The media has
made concussions a major issue in America today arguing about the toll it has on professional
and collegiate players. Some people argue that players, especially in the high levels of football,
are bigger, stronger and faster and also believe the level of talent has increased, leading to a
higher risk of taking on bigger and harder tackles from an opposing player. Other people argue
that changes in rules and equipment has decreased the issue of concussions. The debate over the
issues of concussions in football and the needs that are required to make the game safer, has been
waging on for years. In order to understand the facts regarding this topic, we must first consider
three important questions:
1. What are the possible ways to get a concussion?
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2. What are the possible solutions to prevent concussions in the collegiate and professional
levels of football?
3. Does a concussion affect a football player and if so in what ways?
The following review of literature will discuss the possible ways to get a concussion, cover
various solutions for preventing concussions in the game of football and explain how
concussions effect football players.
What are the possible ways to get a concussion?
A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that enables the brain to function properly by receiving a
direct blow to the head. Web MD. Explains that Your brain is a soft organ that is surrounded by
spinal fluid and protected by your hard skull Normally the fluid that is surrounding your brain
acts as a cushion and protects your brain from hitting your skull. But if hit hard enough the brain
can violently hit the skull and cause a concussion. There are many different ways a concussion
can form, such as fighting, falling, or motor accidents. Concussion are more common in sports
such as football, soccer or boxing. Concussions in football have been a controversial issue in
todays game.
Concussions in the professional and collegiate levels of football are primarily caused
from big hits to the head or more known as head to head contact. Such hits have been found to be
illegal and are not allowed in the game. Although these hits are illegal, NFL safety for the New
England Patriots Brandon Meriweather seems to still commit them. New England Patriots safety
Brandon Meriweather, who committed the most egregious foul when he launched himself into
Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap as Heap tried to make a catch, was fined $50,000. And
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson, who hit Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean
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Jackson so violently that both were concussed, was fined $50,000. As previously mentioned
concussions are caused by hits to the head and can be detrimental to both players even the one
delivering the blow.
What are the possible solutions to prevent concussions in the collegiate and
professional levels of football?
Possible solutions have been formed to better discipline players on performing illegal helmet to
helmet hits on opposing players. Disciplinary actions such as fining and suspending players from
game play is a possible solution the NFL has been taking. The N.F.L. wants to give players and
teams fair warning that it plans to ratchet up discipline for violations of players safety rules, the
league spokesman Greg Aiello said. Players, coaches and teams will be told Wednesday that
future disciplinary actions will be harsher, setting the stage for possible suspensions. Two days
after the NFL made that announcement three players were suspended from next weeks game for
the following actions they performed in the previous week. NFL coaches such as Mike Tomlin
are agreeing with the NFL for talking such actions to make the game safer. I think it is the
proper initiative that the N.F.L. has, Tomlin said. I think we need to safeguard the men that
play this game to the best of our abilities and make it as safe as we can. Im a proponent of
player safety and whatever rule or rule adjustments we need to make to make it safer. The NFL
has been suspending players without warning. The N.F.L. has suspended players for hits
without warning. In 2008, Jets safety Eric Smith was suspended a game for a helmet-to-helmet
hit on Anquan Boldin. Smith was one of two players suspended that year. In 2009, one player,
Carolina Panthers defensive back Dante Wesley, was suspended. Another Solution to the
prevention of concussions in football would be the use of better and safer equipment. What
people are failing to realize is that helmets are not made to prevent concussions but to prevent
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skull fractures according to football helmet manufactures. As the scrutiny on head hits has
increased in recent years, football helmet manufacturers, no doubt mindful of the potential for
product liability suits, have made it clear that their products are designed mainly to prevent skull
fractures, not concussions. Manufactures have been improving their helmets by installing better
padding that will absorb more of the impact a head to head collision will cause. Solutions to
concussions in football have many different views. Some feel that by fining players it is causing
them to play safer and hold back on the big hits the fans crave, for which will cause the game to
be note as exciting. But the players define those big hits as split second decision making. The
decision most players make it to be physical and not receive the big hit or blow but to deliver
it.I dont want to make a big deal out of it. I was playing aggressive and something happened.
Im trying not to look at it and make it a big deal, like everybody else is doing. Its football.
Youve got a lot of good players, where you think one thing, and another thing can happen in a
split-second. So, youve always got to make a split-second decision, and my split-second
decision was to be aggressive and not wait for it. Brandon Meriweather is explaining how his
big hits were made by reacting in a physical way and that with the talent players have in to more
experienced level of football you cannot allow yourself to be the nail and must always be the
hammer. The NFL has used the fining of players as a punishment for big hits to the head as a
solution for eliminating concussions in football. Robinson also has been fined $50,000 for his
hit on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson wound up suffering a
concussion and will not be able to play this week against the Tennessee Titans. Robinson is
carrying a $5 million base salary this season, which equates to $294,117 per week. As the NFL
fines the players without warning players are denying that their hits were aimed for the head and
that they were attempting to pull off before impact. As more players are fined they find another
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person to blame for their actions, these people are the media who they believe are the ones
creating their own opinions and making the big hits who they players think are legal and not that
big of a deal more of a issue. This is causing them to be fined in the first place according to
Harrison. Harrison said he was not aiming for Massaquoi's head and tried to pull off of him. He
believes he's being targeted because of media opinion against him."If I get fined it's because
anybody out there who has a camera in their face or a pen in their hand is writing their opinion
and it's all the same. I just happened to be one of the bigger names who hit somebody last
weekend. One last solution to concussion prevention would be to further teach and reiterate the
fundamentals in football such as form tackling. Developing proper mechanics dramatically
reduces chances of injury in football according to medical experts who work with NFL and
college football players. Using proper coaching techniques to create muscle memory will help
athletes get themselves in the correct position at points of impact to both receive and deliver
force correctly, Kersey said.
When a car is finely tuned at a high functional level, it performs that way, Kersey said. The
body is the same way. And the sooner a body learns something whether it is football or any
academic or athletic exertion the better. Teaching the fundamentals over again in the NFL and
college levels of football will allow players to remember the correct ways of tackling and blow
delivery.
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Image 1. Shows how the brain moves after getting impacted by a blow to the head. The
brain violently hits the skull which causes what we all know as concussions.
Does a concussion affect a football player and if so in what ways?
Concussions are brain injuries that alter the functioning of the brain. If the brain is not
functioning properly then the person himself must not be function properly as well.
Thinking/
Remembering
Physical Emotional/
Mood
Sleep
Difficulty
thinking clearly
Headache

Fuzzy or blurry
vision
Irritability Sleeping
more than
usual
Feeling slowed Nausea or Sadness Sleep less
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down vomiting
(early on)

Dizziness
than usual
Difficulty
concentrating
Sensitivity to
noise or light

Balance
problems
More emotional Trouble
falling
asleep
Difficulty
remembering
new
information
Feeling tired,
having no energy
Nervousness or
anxiety

Image 2. Shows the symptoms that a concussion could bring such as thinking and remembering
things would be more difficult, you would have a harder time concentrating and remembering
new information. Physical symptoms such as headaches and fuzzy or blurry vision may occur.
Nausea, vomiting and dizziness are also symptoms of a concussion, also sensitivity to light or
feeling tired and exhausted of energy. Concussion will not only change you in physical ways but
also emotional. A concussion can have you emotionally unstable as you may begin to feel
irritable, sad, nervous or anxious. Most people who suffer from concussions will also have
different sleeping habits, for example, one may sleep more than usual while another may either
have trouble sleeping or just lose sleep in general. Those who have already suffered from a
previous concussion may be at a higher risk for suffering another according toThose who
have had a concussion in the past are also at risk of having another one and may find that it
takes longer to recover if they have another concussion. Other symptoms of a concussion can
be more serious and require extra medical attention according to... In rare cases, a dangerous
blood clot may form on the brain in a person with a concussion and crowd the brain against the
skull. Contact your health care professional or emergency department right away if you have any
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of the following danger signs after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body such as headaches
that gets worse and does not go away, weakness, numbness or decreased coordination, repeated
vomiting or nausea, and slurred speech. Players in the NFL are some of the most who suffer
from the big hits that cause concussion. Some of those hits have left many players to end their
careers early because of the brain damage the hit caused. Having to force retire early in your
career do to a concussion is not what many plan to do. Often players describe their concussions
as painful others may not even remember having acquired one in the first place. According to
Thomas Jones, a retired NFL player who suffered from multiple concussions describes his
concussions as beneficial to his play at times. He explains how he has been hit and seen stars as
in cartoons, black spots and also doubled vision. He also describes how he has been talked to but
is not comprehending the information given to him. Jones then goes on to say that while dealing
with those symptoms; those were some of his best games of his career. Jones believes that
concussions are a serious problem but as an NFL player you are trained to keep playing and
pushing on. That extra down that you play while having a concussion can be the most dangerous
play of your life because the seriousness of the brain injury only gets worse.
Primary Resource
The research conducted by me was an interview with a former football player by the name of
Devin Cockrell and an athletic trainer by the name of Monique Pena on March 28
th
, 2014. There
were three questions asked, what were the possible ways to get a concussion? What are the
possible solutions to prevent concussions? Does a concussion effect a football player and if so in
what ways? The results to the questions show a similarity in the answers. Cockrell, the football
player, stated that the possible ways to get a concussion are through head to head contact or
blunt slams against the ground. Pena, the athletic trainer, stated the same thing saying players
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can get a concussion by getting tackled in the head or getting slammed against the ground Also
the two proposed quite similar solutions on the prevention of concussions in football. Cockrell
stated that protecting yourself from certain hits will help prevent the likeliness of a concussion.
Pena stated By protecting yourself maybe players will allow themselves to decrease the impact
of the hit and if they are hit hard better helmets should be used to absorb some of the impact.
The third and final question both Cockrell and Pena responded differently. Cockrell stated I
think a concussion will cause of a physiological effect on the player because the hit will be
embedded into their mind so they will more than likely play more cautious. Pena stated
concussions can have a player feeling dizzy, sick, emotional and just plain out the ordinary.

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Conclusion
Concussions are traumatic brain injuries that alter the functioning of the brain. Football players
are at an extreme risk for suffering from a concussion because of the amount of illegal hits going
on in todays game of American football. Solutions to these problems are to continue fining and
suspending players who perform illegal hits to the helmet and also to better the given equipment.
Re teaching fundamentals will have a great affect on the overall game and will allow players to
have muscle memory on the correct ways to tackle. If the players and coaches dedicate the same
amount of time spent on practicing onto better understanding the issue of concussions and the
causes many will begin to see changes to a safer and more under controlled game.

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Referfences
1. Injury prevention & control: Traumatic brain injury. (2010). Retrieved March 8th, 2010,
fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/concussion/signs_symptoms.html
The source explains how after suffering form a concussion, the recovery time will vary
between different people. Many people recover quickly and fully, but for some the
symptoms can last for days, weeks or even longer. The source gives examples of what
type of symptoms one may experiance after suffering a concussion, such as irredibility,
trouble remembering things, or slow motor skills movenment.

2. Battista, J. (2010, October 19th, 2010). N.F.L. fines players for hits to the head. New York
Times
The source explains how the NFL is fining players for illegal hits to the head. Not only
are the players being, but they are also being suspended for the next game or two
depeding on the seriousness of the initial hit to the head. Mike Tomlin who is the head
coach for the Pittsburg Steelers beleives that the NFL needs to safeguard the men in order
to have the game played more safely. The reason I picked this source is because it helps
answer my question of the possible solutions to eliminating concussions in football.

3. Belson, K. (2014, January 31st, 2014). Study suggests that some football helmets are
more protective. New York Times
The source explains how football helmet manufactures are defending themselves by
sayingthat the helmets they make are to prevent skull fractures and not concussions.
Although it has been proven that some helmets reduce the impact of a hit and prevents
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concussions at a higher rate. Following certain studies, football helmet manufactures are
improving the shell and type of padding on the helmet to lower the impact of a hit and
reduce the concussion rate.
4. BrainLine (Producer), & BrainLine (Director). (2013, August 23, 2013). What a
concussion really feels like for an NFL player.[Video/DVD] Youtube.
The video source is being explained by a former NFL running back and how it felt felt to
him when he suffered from a concussion. The author is explaing that after being hit one
may start to see stars, black dots, or even seeing double. The author explains how the
comprehension or words and sentences did not click and how things would be said to him
but he would not be listening which shows how a concussion alters the brains albility to
function. This source was choosen because it answers the question of how a concussion
effects players.
6. Caplan, A. (2010). NFL levies huge fines for hits to head. Retrieved October 20th, 2010,
2010, fromhttp://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/helmet-fines-James-Harrison-Dunta-Robinson-
Brandon-Meriweather-101910
The source explains how the NFL is levying huge fines to players who commit helmet to
helmet hits. Players who are find are not happy about it as they explain and argue back with
media saying their hits were legal and should not have to pay a fine.