Concussions affecting football players

By: Gia Wohlfort

March 15, 2017 9:45 a.m.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. Millions of children play football while growing up. A main
concern for many parents is head safety. Concussions are a prominent injury in the
football world, possibly affecting brain use later in life.

The journal Radiology conducted a survey on kids aged 8-13 years to examine
how one season of youth football can affect white matter in the brain. The results showed
a significant relationship between head impact and random water movements in brain
regions containing white matter.

The average, healthy brain has orderly water movement. Severe head injuries can
cause sporadic water movement in the brain. This random movement can affect the brain
long term in the form of headaches, dizziness and nausea.

The NFL finally recognized the connection between concussions from the field to
brain impairment in the long run. It is beginning to change the rules regarding safety.
Originally teams did not receive any consequences for violating the leagues protocol.

The new rule enforced states first time offenders will be fined hundreds of
thousands of dollars if players with concussions are not immediately removed from the
field. In addition, teams could be forced to sacrifice draft picks affecting the future of the
team.

In 2015, Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown had a head to head

collision in the first few minutes of the game. He was issued a concussion assignment and
failed. He immediately was removed from the field and suspended from play for two
weeks.

Although unfavorable to players, they are now removed from the field to take a
concussion test if a concussion is even a possibility after a hit.

The NFL has said they will annually

review the years injury reports to reflect on
these rules of conduct and notice if game
rules need to be adjusted. New rules have
already been put in place. Helmet to helmet
hits are now illegal. Kickoffs are now
moved up the field in order to promote more
touchbacks in hopes of avoiding high-speed
collisions.

-more-
 39 rules have been made in total, making a 35 percent decrease in concussions
Quarterback Case Keenum stayed in the game after since 2012, according to NFL Commissioner Roger
receiving a concussion. Goodell. Some followers of the sport think all these new
Patrick Semansky/Associated Press rules are ludicrous and are restricting players from just
playing the game.

Mike Wall has been coaching college football for about a decade.

Rules should be put in place to protect the players but it reaches a point where
enough is enough. Its a contact sport. Injuries are going to happen, said Wall.

Wall is not alone with these thoughts as many players feel the same way.

Football is a reaction sport, said former Baltimore Ravens safety, Ed Reed.

It is nearly impossible to tell a player to not hit a certain way when in the heat of
the moment. 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft agrees by saying high intensity hits
are not choreographed.

Players, coaches, viewers and fans

all have different opinions on the
increased concussion rules in the
NFL. After asking students,
faculty and parents questions
regarding the correlation of
concussions and football along
with the NFLs increased
regulation, many of the responses
differed.
Ed Reed/CBS News

One common theme people can agree is how concussions are not desired and
should be avoided in the game of football.

The NFL needs these regulations. Players are ending up brain damaged affecting
their long term growth, said football player and University of Maryland student, Jake
Sousa when asked if the NFL was doing too much or not enough to protect players.

A fan of the game and University of Maryland parent, Rick Wohlfort, agrees that
these rules are needed but for another different reason.

The NFL is receiving tons of lawsuits. They need the rules to protect themselves
as a company, said Wohlfort.
 Many former players have received settlements from the NFL. Thousands of
players have accused the association of hiding severe head traumas. The NFL must
provide up to $5 million per retired player for medical injuries due to head injuries.