Welcome to another Notes from the Battlefield entry. It is our plan to share information we are discovering as it pertains to brain injuries and hopefully you find it useful.
In addition to the info sharing we will be offering our perspectives and thoughts on the topics brought up as well.
This series is available in both written and podcast form. Enjoy and let us know your thoughts.
Football is starting up over this next week as I record this. As it winds up there has been quite a bit in the news around it lately about its health effects on players. Some big time players are speaking up about it.
I’d like to dig in and explore this a little bit with you. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode page once you listen in or on Facebook.
Let me start in full disclosure mode. I have spent many a year absolutely loving both college and professional football, despite knowing all along that sport causes head injuries. So I’m approaching this topic from a fans weary perspective.
I’m willing to admit, I’m struggling more and more each day getting excited about the game. You see, I’ve personally seen what a serious of blows to the head can do to a person.
Andrew Luck’s Retirement has stirred up quite a bit on controversy. He has retired from the NFL because he has had ongoing injury concerns including at least one concussion and rehab protocols that, in his own words it taken the joy out of the game.
Many fans and even sports reporters have become angry at this retirement announcement saying things such as he is soft and selfish. If you actually looked at his injury report over the years he has been quite a trooper. Playing through injuries that he should not have including a lacerated kidney.
Chances are most of the fans probably don’t understand what it feels like to get up morning after morning, feeling broken and trying to go to work and live a quality life. Because of this, many of Andrew’s peers felt the need to speak up on his behalf including Aaron Rodgers, The Hall of Famer, Troy Aiken and recent retiree, Rob Gronkowski.
Even though his retirement was not directly related to a head injury, the fact that an All Pro player retiring in the prime of his career is unusual. He has to the dismay of the NFL and die hard fans, demonstrated the brutality of the game.
As stated earlier, Rob Gronkowski, the very recognizable tight end from the Patriots hung up his helmet last March after suffering another significant injury during the Super Bowl. He too spoke to the wear and tear on ones physical and emotional well-being.
Not Ironically the Luck story overshadowed the ongoing “Antonio Brown Helmet Debate”. See Antonio Brown, another All Pro marque name originally wanted to continue wearing the helmet he has worn since he was a youth player.
He stated that his helmet offered him a better field of vision and he felt safer in it.
The NFL on more than one occasion told him “No” because it wasn’t safe like the newer models. He must wear one of the new ones. Have you picked up the irony here?
The day after the Andrew Luck story breaks, a former All Pro running back La’Ron McClain puts out a plea for help on Twitter. In essence he states that he is suffering from head injuries and is asking the NFL to help.
As of this recording I have been unable to find any sort of response from the the NFL.
If you know anything about football, you know the players act as if they have a suit of armor on and not only believe the helmet will protect them, but it is used as a weapon at times.
So the question for me then becomes what should we do?
Move to other sports? Are we supposed to live in bubble wrap? Remember Terry suffered 3 concussions in what was supposed to be non contact ways. One on a bike and 2 while walking.
What to do with the children who want to play sports?
Forty million children in the U.S.participate in organized sport each year.
Protecting them from head injury is a big task as there is potential to get a head injury in many a game.
Youth sports organizations generally do an admirable job in recognizing that this is a potential problem and has made adjustments to help protect their developing child players.
In the past 10 years, the U.S. Soccer Federation has banned heading for players 10 and younger and limits heading for players 11 to 13.
USA Hockey no longer allows body checking until players are 13. When my son played the hitting began so much sooner.
Even tackle football is safer to a degree – Pop Warner, the largest national youth football league, has eliminated kickoffs for the youngest of players and has limited full-contact in practices.
Maybe what should happen is two fold.
First- stop fooling ourselves once and for all and recognize that there is a real potential for concussions and long term head injury effects in sport.
Secondly- continue to learn how to handle and treat those affected as it occurs and in the long run.
The reality is sport is not going anywhere anytime soon, especially with all the money in it. As far as American Football is concerned, maybe in this case the best thing that could happen is to take the helmets away?
Show Notes & Resources:
- Andrew Luck
- Surgeons General Warning Article
- Antonio Brown Helmet Debate
- Rob Gronkowski
- BU Article on Study Cognitive and Emotional Problems
- The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti Article and Trailer
- McClain Story
Please note that Terry and Drew are not medical professionals nor should their perspectives be taken as medical advice.Click Hereto see disclaimer.
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