Concussions Continue to Haunt NFL

Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist David Geier, M.D., asks the question, “Would you let your son play football?” The question was prompted by the fact that amid all the recent uproar in the National Football league (NFL) over child abuse and domestic violence scandals was hidden the admission by the NFL that it expects close to one-third of its retired players will develop long-term neurologic problems. The New York Times published the report which was prepared by the Segal Group for the NFL.

In the report, the league reversed its long-held stance that no link exists between football and the development of long-term brain damage from concussions. Instead it admits, “Our assumptions result in prevalence rates by age group that are materially higher than those expected in the general population. Furthermore, the model forecasts that players will develop these diagnoses at notably younger ages than the general population.”

Though they are supposed to report concussions, players often do not. A survey of NFL players found that 85% said they would continue to play in the Super Bowl even if they had a concussion. A majority of high school players said that they had either lied to a coach about their condition in order to keep playing, or would do so if the occasion came up.

University of Washington researchers examining high school football players and girls’ soccer players found that 69% of the injured athletes had played with concussion symptoms; 40% said the coaches were unaware of their concussions despite the fact all had signed pledges at the beginning of the year that they would report symptoms to their coaches.