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Shatiek Branch
Professor Leah Huizar
UWRT-1102
6 November 2016
The Big Bang of the NFL
Many memories are made in football, but sadly some of the greatest players cannot recall
them. The physical toll that football players pay is almost impossible to comprehend unless one
has actually played the sport for a significant amount of time. However, until recently any
connection between the hits taken by football players and their health down the road has been
largely ignored. A concussion is defined as a brain injury that is caused by a sudden blow to the
head or the body. The blow shakes the brain inside the skull, which temporarily prevents the
brain from working normally. NFL athletes that received a concussion suffered lasting damage to
the brain, which opens the gate to a multitude of other health issues such as dementia,
Alzheimers disease, and clinical depression. There have been too many heartbreaking stories
such as that of Justin Strzelcyk who stated that he heard voices and died in a crash while fleeing
police or that of Andre Waters who shot himself in the head after struggles with depression
(Zarda). The concussion issue in the NFL is more prevalent today, because it affects not only the
players, but the league as a whole.
Even though the devastation of concussions is just rising to the surface, they have always
been around. In 1994, the NFL started a committee called the MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain
Injury). Dr. Elliot Pellman was appointed as chair, and he was quoted saying, We think the issue
of knees, of drugs and steroids and drinking is a far greater problem, according to the number of
incidents (Ezell). This quote shows how concussions did not hold much importance, even

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though it should have been the committee's main focus. This is ironic, because in todays sport
world concussions are a highly talked about topic. They hold such significance that some rules
are even being changed to lower the risk for players. One of the earliest players to bring
awareness to brain traumas was Mike Webster, a former Pittsburgh Steeler. In April of 1999, he
claimed to be disabled with the NFL Retirement Board. He also had dementia which was a result
of the brutal hits he endured during his football career. Webster ran into many problems at the
end of his life, like, ...confusion, depression and dementia, the end of his marriage, his living
out of a pickup and his inability to sleep. His former wife, Pam, tells how he took a knife and
slashed all his football pictures (Mihoces). He died September of 2002 and the narrator of a
Frontline special on his life said, The news that day would start a chain of events that would
threaten to forever change the way America sees the game of football,"(Mihoces). His brain was
examined to find out more about his disabilities and their relation to football. Doctors found the
case of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) and dementia in Mike Webster and multiple
other football players brains.. The NFL has already taken some steps against the problem of
concussions. They require players to undergo neuropsychological testing, having the Mild
Traumatic Brain Injury Committee conduct a study monitoring brain function in retired players,
and implementing a medical plan to cover players diagnosed with dementia.
Athletes, especially football players, learn to play with pain as former Giants linebacker
and Hall of Famer Harry Carson said, Pain and hurt and being uncomfortable was ingrained in
me as a player (Swift). Skeptics would also mention that coaches cant entirely be trusted either
in the must-win culture of football. Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson told the New York
Times how he suffers from depression and mental lapses and that he traces these problems to
2002 when he suffered a concussion. He claims that his coach, Bill Belichick, continued to send

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him into full-contact practices against the advice of the teams trainers (Swift). This is why so
many players decided to take action against the NFL because they could prove that the league
did not take proper care of the injuries. Any doctor who would find evidence that the player had
lasting effects would get belittled by the league.
One way to silence the critics is by continuing to do more research and studies to show
the link between concussions suffered by football players and multiple health issues.
The league finally strengthened their approach to concussions. Medical professionals on the
sideline now are more prone to look for symptoms. There are symptoms that the athlete can feel,
but there are also some that are to be observed by the diagnoser. The main goal after diagnosing a
concussion would be to return back to play feeling one-hundred percent. The best thing to do is
rest for awhile. The brain needs to use the persons energy to help the damaged brain cells; so the
more energy that they spend on activities, the less the brain has to heal (Heads Up Concussions
in Football). Even activities that would not usually be thought of as tough can hurt the healing
process. Things that require a lot of focus, like studying and video games, will take needed
energy from the brain (Heads Up Concussions in Football). For the first few days after the
injury, an athlete needs to be very careful with what they allow themselves to do. Once
symptoms are almost gone, the athlete can slowly work their way back into the sport (Heads Up
Concussions in Football). The initial healing process is the most important to a good recovery.
Just like recovery, there is a lot of emphasis put on concussion prevention. There is no way to
completely eliminate the risk of a brain trauma, but prevention techniques can be used especially
in football. One example is to never lower the head during a big hit, also using proper technique
for blocking can help (Heads Up Concussions in Football). Helmets are the protective gear to

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help with prevention. There is no guarantee that wearing a helmet means a concussion will not
happen.
Football is a very physical game and the chance of preventing any injury is very limited.
"There is no known way to prevent concussions. We love helmets and mouth guards; they protect
your skull and your teeth. But they won't stop a concussion from happening" (Pennington). All
doctors seem to agree that helmets will never completely prevent the brain. A neurologist said,
The combat helmet was designed particularly for mitigation of fragments... You could shoot at
the thing point blank with a 9-millimetre pistol, and you won't penetrate it. That's pretty doggone
good...But, like, I wouldn't play football with the thing. It ain't that good" (McGrath). This quote
shows how rough the football game really is.
Since this sport is so grueling, many rules need to be put into place to ensure players
safety. A few recent rule changes that were an effect of the recent settlement include hitting with
the crown, the snapper can never be hit, and late hits are another point of focus for the officials
(Berkes). Hitting with the crown is when a player leads a tackle with his head and this is now
illegal and the player will be penalized. Another new rule is that on a kick, the snapper is now
considered defenseless and cannot be touched. Late hits will not be tolerated this season; they
have always been illegal, but not strictly applied. Grabbing a defensive players face mask will
also be more enforced (Berkes). These rules are put in place to help keep the game safer for the
players.
The officials are responsible to carry out the new rule changes. This issue brings up
controversy as to whether or not referees should require a player to sit out is suspected of a
concussion. The opinion of those who feel the refs should not sit players out argue that they do
not have proper training and medical knowledge. They also say, It's possible, even likely, that

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officials who remove players suspected of concussion will be second-guessed- heatedly,

repeatedly and in "real time (McClement). They feel that if a ref removed an important player
in the midst of a game for suspicious symptoms, many coaches and fans could argue that they
were not being fair and trying to throw the game. The other opinion is that refs should be
responsible for removing players because students health should be the only concern. There is
also a free online training program that they could complete to be more knowledgeable
(McClement). This would teach them the basic symptoms and treatments. We already rely on
officials to provide this dispassionate assessment of problems when it comes to removing from
sports contests any player who is bleeding (McClement). This is arguing that if officials are
trusted with this power, they should also be responsible for concussions.
Concussions and head injuries in the National Football League are a serious problem that
needs a greater amount of attention focused on it. More research must be done and the NFL must
act swiftly. As stated earlier, it all starts with awareness and education. Neurological tests and
better equipment can help tackle this problem as well. Not taking action not only affects NFL
players, but players in every level of football including youth football. Today, the issue of
concussions spreads beyond the players alone. The league has felt the financial burden. Many
rules and procedures have been manipulated to fit the new research on brain traumas. Research
will continue and prevention techniques will improve, but until then players will feel the effects
for a life time. Do memories mean anything if they cannot be remembered?

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Works Cited
Berkes, Peter. "Breaking down the NFL Rule Changes for 2013." SBNation.com. N.p., 2013.
Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Ezell, Lauren. "Timeline: The NFL's Concussion Crisis." PBS. PBS, n.d. 06 Nov.
2013.Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
McClement , John . "Should Sport Officials Enforce Concussion Rules?."SIRS. N.p., n.d.
15 Nov. 2013.Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
McGrath, Ben. "Does Football Have a Future?" SIRS. The Conde Nast Publications, Inc.,
30 Jan. 2011. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.
Mihoces, Gary. "Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.
Pearce, J.M.S. "Observations on Concussion." European Neurology 59.3-4 (2008): 113-19. 03
Feb 2010. . Web. 22 Oct. 2016.
Swift, E.M. "One Big Headache." Sports Illustrated 12 Feb. 2007: 22. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.
Zarda, Brett. "Butting Heads." Popular Science Sept. 2007: 35. Academic OneFile. Web. 11 Mar.
2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.