An Alarming Study
 

http://abcnews.go.com/story?id=17869457#.UMAOWazAdIR

I just don't know.

I had 3 concussions that I know of.... 2 from football, 1 from a baseball collision.
I certainly have some strange little memory issues, at times.

This game is brutally violent, and I don't know how to get around the head issues..... the NFL is doing their best, but DBs still love to lower their heads and look down, deliver big hits.
And RBs like to lower their head to get low, below the big hits.

I'm still more worried about the guy's knees, ACLs than their long-term memory issues, and other longer-term things.

More worried because of how it affects your team right now, or more worried in terms of long term impact on the players life?

I havent been able to even jog for 5 years because of the arthritis in my knee after two reconstructions and a worn out meniscus. I would much rather live with this than any memory or cognitive impairments, even if they were incredibly minor.

This shouldn't be that alarming. We've known for a long time that concussions have a long lasting effect on the brain in some very serious and detrimental ways.

It boggles my mind that there isn't more out cry from the players to find an solution to this immediately. I bet you these athletes would give up everything they have for higher brain function once it starts to go. There is no price worth their sacrifice, but nobody seems to be at the front of a movement to change things. And so we continue on with helmet to helmet hits and completely disregard the consequences.

Fines clearly aren't working. I have yet to watch a game where defenders didn't lead with their helmet for an entire 4 quarters. Someone needs to find a solution and quickly.

I get fired up when I hear a big hit from my television just as much as the next guy. I'm not going to sit here and pretend the violence isn't fun. But I'm not the one sacrificing my future for this entertainment.

How is this surprising? It's relatively common knowledge in the boxing community and it is hardly surprising that such a contact heavy sport where heads constantly collide with every body part out there would contribute to future brain injuries.

I thought the same thing, but the surprising part is the specifics of the CTE I think. We've known that concussions cause dementia, depression and memory loss, but if I understand the article and CTE, those all just seem to be symptoms of CTE which can have even more of an impact on the brain.

But I agree, head injuries leading to brain damage shouldn't be a shocker.

If they want to solve the concussion problem in the NFL, they need to go back to leather helmets, defensive players aren't going to lead and try to tackle with their heads with a leather helmet on unless they want to be carried off as well.

Helmets are almost like giving a player brass knuckles to prevent broken fingers.

So you're trying to tell me concussions are bad? Crazy talk...

I like to think that performance enhancing drugs and these concussion issues have a direct correlation over the past 10-15 years. Until a proper drug testing program, (i.e. blood testing) comes into place we will still be having these incredibly lean 260 pound men who can run as fast as receivers of the past and can hit with the force of a truck. No matter if every athlete on the field is "jacked up" the human body can only take so much punishment. Stop watering down the product of the game with these ridiculous rule changes and look to the more obvious problems.

Wouldn't having smaller and slower athletes "water down" the NFL's product?

You can be a great technician without freakish athletic talent and still produce as well as being a freak athlete and going nowhere. It works both ways.

Modern football helmets are designed to prevent skull fractures, which were a common problem during the no-helmet/leather-helmet eras.

But a freak with technique is more impressive to watch and going to blow up a non-freak with technique. If the concern is the quality of the product, doing away with steroids is counterproductive, thus the NFL's lack of an effective drug testing program. And as a fan, I can't say I really disagree, it's much more fun to watch monsters like Megatron and JPP.

Players need to be required to wear whatever helmet is the best to prevent concussions. Some players don't want to wear certain ones because of style or personal comfort, but it needs to be the standard. Same thing for mouthpieces, get the safest one and enforce players to have to use them. Deciding the best one will be a hassle in its self, but these things would make a difference.

These guys are frankly willing to turn their brains into mush, so they need some help in protecting themselves.

Exactly. Using your helmet as a weapon is something that's been coached from the time players were kids. Proper tackling fundamentals fell by the wayside along the way.... being coached to seperate the ball from the ball carrier.

Look, all you can do is compile as much information as possible through studies and get the information out there. Make sure that everyone understands the risks involved.

From there, it's simply a choice as to whether you want to play or not. Just like it's a choice to do anything else that's harmful to your body or could cause long term problems.

Either let 'em play or do away with tackle football all together. Watching flag football isn't the answer.

If you don't want a concussion don't play football. Player safety can only go so far before it turns into sarcastaball. A vast majority of these guys are the top 1% of income and get to play a childrens game for a living. Enjoy it. Take the good with the bad.

This is a company to keep an eye on: http://www.x2impact.com/X2_IMPACT/X2IMPACT.html

There is NOTHING that can be done about concussions. Not unless a more durable helmet is invented.

Football is a physical sport. DBs don't always hit opponents heads on purpose. Sometimes it just happens. Sometimes the WR or QB ducks at the last second and its accidental.

Its football. They know what they're signing up for.

The fact that the most efficient helmets and mouth pieces aren't required to be worn really shows how much ******** the whole "player safety" thing is. It really should have been step 1.

1. Make padding mandatory
2. Use the best equipment on the market
3. Teach better technique

That's all you can really do. This is a violent sport. Make them sign a waiver in their contracts when they sign it that says they accept responsibility for any physical conditions that occur to them. Then you won't have to worry about lawsuits.

Players aren't dumb, they know what they signed up for. You can't police the sport, you either play it or get rid of it. The consequences are the consequences.

Mmm I thought about this but I'm not sure if that would be legal.

Not to mention they are compensated accordingly. In fact, they are compensated far beyond what these risks entail. There are a million jobs out there that are far, far more dangerous than playing in the NFL and those people don't receive any of the acclaim, celebrity or money that NFL players do. Like BBD said, upgrade the equipment and warn players of possible long-term side effects.

Sure it is. Reality TV contestants sign a waiver before joining the show that basically says they can die on set for any reason and the show is not responsible.

If you make a waiver, and they sign it, they're bound legally.

That's the part that annoys me the most. So what about police offers? Or firemen? Or miners? Or construction workers, chemical weapons engineers etc?

Why are football players so special? As long as you educate them on potential risks, you should be fine legally.

This whole player safety stance really is all bc lawyers are getting too involved in football and they want to cover all their angles.

I'm for player safety, just do it the right way. And be reasonable. You can't take injury away from the sport. It's impossible.