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Alex Boyd

Mr. Cole

ENC 2135

19 March 2017

Concussions in Football: Preventing Former Players From Having Life Threatening Brain

Damage

Within the past five to ten years, there has been a head injury epidemic in the National

Football League. There have been large numbers of concussions and other brain injuries to

players while on the field. This problem is not only related to current NFL players but is also a

problem with retired players. These former NFL players have been the highlight of the situation

even more than the current ones as more information comes public about them still having brain

injuries years after retiring from the NFL. It is almost a daily topic on Sports Center and has also

been represented in films, such as Concussion, starring Will Smith. It has become well known

that there is a problem with head injuries in the National Football League, as more and more

former players come out explaining how multiple concussions they received in the NFL have led

to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. This disease gradually degrades the subjects brain

and they start to lose some brain functionality. The NFL has started to implement some new rules

but they have not been proven to make football safer. Because of this controversy, people now

question what procedures, if any, could make the NFL safer, by preventing concussions and

therefore long term brain damage to players, years after they have retired?
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Until recently, not much was thought about the dangers of concussions and head injuries

in football. People knew that concussions were common in football but not much was known

about the long term effects of concussions. What has really sparked the debate on head injuries in

football is the amount of former players who have described the long term effects of playing in

the National Football League. Former star linebacker, Junior Seau, brought this problem to the

attention of the public when, according to Thomas A Drysdale, died of a self-inflicted gunshot

to the chest (1). Seau had been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, and it

is thought that CTE had a role in his death as he was very depressed at the time. His unfortunate

death showed the public that former football players do receive repercussions from the constant

blows to the head that occur in football. The NFLs concussion problem has also gained

awareness because of the large amounts of lawsuits against the NFL from former players. These

lawsuits generally claim that the NFL did do anything to prevent long term brain damage and

even tried to hide the correlation between football and CTE. According to Kim Gambert, NFL

teams could be facing $100 million or more in liability costs in continuous head trauma cases

(59). Between the lawsuits and the death of stars such as Seau, it is clear that there is a problem

with head trauma in football and the NFL.

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Junior Seaus Jersey on display in remembrance of his great career after his unfortunate death. Photo:
Reuters

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, is a result of trauma to the brain,

which occurs in football almost every game. Because lots of players receive multiple blows to

the head per game, some even receiving concussions, it should be no surprise that CTE has

become a problem in retired football players. According to Hughes, some of the symptoms of

CTE include memory loss, confusion, depression, and trouble with simple brain functions (030).

Previously, little was known about the science of concussions, but now more statistics and

scientific data has been recorded on CTE and concussions. The Science of Concussions displays

pages of statistics that prove that long term brain damage is a problem that needs to be addressed.

A 2012 study showed that examinations of 34 out of 35 former National Football League

players brains had signs of CTE (Hughes 030). This statistic not only proves that there needs to

be a solution, but is extremely alarming. Hughes also provides a statement saying that the current

sports helmets have little evidence of preventing concussions. Although this is clearly part of the

problem, it also hints at the solution to the problem. If the current helmets do not prevent

concussions, then a possible solution to the concussion epidemic, and ultimately preventing

CTE, would be to improve the current helmets to be able to prevent concussions.

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The brain scans of the 5 NFL players clearly show more signs of head trauma and CTE than the control.
Photo: CNN

One of the moments that really sparked the conversation of whether it is possible to

prevent concussions was when the NFL acknowledged that there is a link between head injuries

in football and CTE. This was groundbreaking because they had previously refused to admit that

there was such a link. In a short journal by the American Physical Therapy Association, Jeff

Miller, the Vice President of Health and Safety in the NFL, said that there certainly is a link

between CTE and football related injuries. Miller also stated theres also a lot of questions that

come with that (American Physical Therapy Association, 48).

Figure 1David Bruton on the ground after a blow to the head in a game. Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty
Images
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At the moment, not much is known about the specifics of the cause of a concussion.

Researchers cannot ethically conduct experiments on concussions, so they have to rely on what

patients tell them to acquire data. As more and more is being learned about concussions and

CTE, there have been two proposals to fixing the concussions problem. One of which is using

technology to create a new, safer helmet. According to Stephen Piazza, more is being discovered

about concussions and their causes. He explains that researchers at the University of Birmingham

created a model to explain how the brain can be injured. They use a jar, representing the skull,

filled with water, cerebrospinal fluid, and an egg, which represents the brain, connected by

strings on each end of the egg. When the jar is simply shaken, the egg and strings remain intact.

But when the jar is turned quickly, the strings break off from the egg (Piazza 2). This represents

how a concussion or any other brain injury occurs without damaging the skull. Quick rotations of

the head, such as a helmet to helmet collision in a football game, are real life examples of the

model explained above. This model shows that by finding a way to stabilize the head from

rotational movements, it would be possible to prevent concussions and brain injuries. Not only is

the model described above great at providing a visual example of how a brain injury occurs, but

Piazza also explains how it is being used to find a solution to preventing concussions. According

to Stephen Piazza, certain research has been conducted that may lead to a solution in the future

for preventing concussions. Piazza says researchers believe that studying the woodpecker will

help in learning how to prevent concussions. The woodpecker pecking at a tree is comparable to

20 face first smashes into a brick wall per second, (Piazza 3). By studying the woodpecker,

researchers believe that a helmet with a similar restraint system to the woodpeckers would

prevent brain injuries, specifically concussions. Piazza explains that the current helmets used in

the NFL, and all other levels of football, are based on comparing the head to an egg. They use a
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large amount of padding, air cushioning, and a hard outer shell to prevent the egg, or head,

from cracking. Although this does prevent fractures to the skull, it does not prevent concussions

because the brain can still move around inside of the skull. In his paper, Piazza also says that

studying the woodpecker has led to a possible new helmet that is based off of the woodpecker

and the structure of their heads. This new concept is called the Multi-Directional Impact

Protection System. The paper also explains that with this new concept, the egg and strings in the

model above remains protected and unbroken. Because this MIPS helmet concept protects the

egg, it shows that implementing this new helmet concept is one procedure that would prevent

concussions and long term brain damage.

This image shows the MIPS helmet concept based off of studying the woodpecker. Photo: Graham
Murdoch

In addition to using technology to create new helmets that will prevent concussions,

adjusting some of the rules in football and the NFL may be able to curb the problem of long term

brain damage in football. This possible solution to the problem is described by Piazza in his

journal, Why Is It So Hard to Stop Sports Concussions. Hines Ward, a former football player for

the Pittsburgh Steelers, has had experience with concussions. He was taken out of a game in

2010 after a helmet to helmet hit gave him a concussion. Piazza explains how he believes that

Ward probably would not have been injured any worse if he was not wearing a helmet. Ward also
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stated that the current helmets are a contributing factor to the concussion and CTE problem in

football, but has a different suggestion than creating safer helmets. Ward says that players use

their helmets as weapons and that playing old school football without helmets or facemasks

would prevent concussions (Piazza 3). In this part of the journal, Piazza focuses on the effect of

human psychology on concussions. Players are more likely to lead with their head and put

themselves in dangerous positions if they think that they are protected by their helmet. This

source shows that even former NFL players realize that the problem not only lies in the helmets,

but the rules of the game. By changing the rules of football to eliminate or minimize the helmet

and facemask, players will not use their heads as weapons, causing less helmet to helmet

collisions. These helmet to helmet collisions are one of the main causes of concussions and

therefore a leading contributor to CTE and other long term brain damage. This journal by Piazza

shows that there are two ways to eliminate concussions and CTE. One of which is creating safer

helmets while the other is adjusting the rules to eliminate helmets because of the false sense of

safety.

This image shows that most concussions result from a helmet to helmet contact and the use of a
helmet as a "weapon." Graph from Bloomberg.com
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As stated previously, within the past ten or so years, an increasing amount of retired

National Football League players have learned that they have a disease called Chronic Traumatic

Encephalopathy, also known as CTE, or other long term brain damage. These brain injuries occur

years after their playing careers have ended but are a result of constant head trauma or injuries,

such as concussions, during their careers. In A Late Hit for Football Players, Greg Miller

describes cases from players describing their experiences with head trauma and the problems it

has brought them. The article specifically talks about former football player and professional

wrestler Chris Nowinskis trouble with head injuries and how he is working to prevent

concussions and ultimately long term brain injuries. Nowinski played football in college and

wrestled in the WWE, and received multiple concussions, forcing him to retire from it. He has

been working to prove that football and other contact sports cause neurodegeneration and

believes that his research and ability to publicize the issue will help to find a way to prevent

concussions and long term brain injuries. This source helps to support the argument that there

likely are procedures that can prevent concussions. Although it does not state any specific ways

to prevent head injuries, the author describes how those who have experienced serious brain

injuries and experts on the subject do believe that there is a solution to the problem. Chris

Nowinski not only experiences the troubles of multiple concussions and brain damage, but is

extremely educated on the subject. This just adds to his credibility when he says that he believes

that this problem can be solved.

Another way to prevent multiple concussions and long term brain damage that is

unrelated to the technology in helmets is educating players, coaches, and even the athletic

trainers. Although this may seem simple and even unproductive, by just learning about the

symptoms of a concussion, coaches and trainers can successfully prevent their players from
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returning to the field. According to Catherine Norwood, players could prevent severe injuries to

the brain by learning when they should just stay down. She goes on to say The get knocked

down and they get up again (1). In other words, educating players on the dangers of brain

injuries, players will learn not to rush to get back into the game. Although simply educating

players may not prevent a single, isolated concussion, it has been proven to reduce the chance of

receiving multiple concussions, which can cause long term brain damage. Educating the coaches

is also very important in conquering the concussion problem. Players often feel pressure from

coaches to return to play sooner than they should. Jeremy P. Gove provides an example of this,

explaining how NFL wide receiver Desean Jackson received two concussions in 2010. After his

first concussion, Jacksons coach continued to bother him about playing in their next game (652).

By educating coaches on the dangers of multiple concussions, they will be less likely to push

their players into playing before they are fully healthy. This can also be attributed to what

Norwood said as players also need to know when to stay out of the game to preserve their safety.

This graphic shows how a lack of education on concussions would lead to most players chosing to play
with a concussion.

ESPN The Magazine Graphic

Although it may be hard to believe, removing the violence from football has been an idea

that many have stated as the best way to remove concussions from the game of football. This
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idea was stated above in Stephen Piazzas journal, but an even more extreme change to the game

is proposed in Endgame by Austin Murphy. David Berri, a sports economist from Southern Utah

University, does not believe that there is a technological solution to preventing head injuries. He

imagines football without tackling or the headcracking. He believes the only way to remove

concussions is to remove tackling. Berri also thinks that fans will still show up to games and still

love the game of football while many others believe that this would ruin the game of football

(Murphy 127). Removing tackling from football is the most obvious way to prevent concussions,

but tackling is what makes football the game that it is. Although this is a clear solution to the

concussion and CTE problem in football, it is probably the most unlikely as it would result in a

loss of ratings and therefore money from organizations in the NFL.

The recent awareness of concussions and long term brain damage in the National

Football League has brought about the question of what procedures can be applied to the game to

prevent concussions? With former players coming out to describe their difficult experiences

dealing with brain damage, especially CTE, research has been done to find a way to prevent

neurodegenerative diseases in former NFL stars. Researching concussions and CTE has shown

that there are some solutions to this problem. One of which is the Multi-Directional Impact

Protection System, or MIPS helmet concept. This was found by studying the woodpecker and

building a helmet that models this. This helmet concept passes the egg test described in

Stephen Piazzas journal, proving that it is a viable solution. Another possible solution is based

off the human psychology of the game, rather than using technology. This idea is to remove

helmets, or using old school helmets, to stop players from using their helmets as weapons. By

stopping players from using their helmets as weapons, this would get rid of helmet to helmet

collisions, one of the main causes of concussions in the NFL. Lastly, by educating players,
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coaches, and staff, it is possible to stop players from returning to play too early, which can lead

to multiple concussions and CTE. If these procedures were implemented to the NFL, it would

not only remove head injuries from the NFL but also save players that people idolize from

suffering from memory loss, trouble thinking, and depression.

Works Cited

Drysdale, Thomas A. Helmet-to-Helmet Contact: Avoiding a Lifetime Penalty by Creating a Duty to

Scan Active NFL Players for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Journal of Legal Medicine,

vol. 34, Oct. 2013, pp. 425452., web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

sid=032308e4-32df-42a7-a286-338f530c51e5%40sessionmgr4008&vid=1&hid=4104. Accessed

25 Mar. 2017.

This source talks about the long term effects of head trauma as a result of playing in the

NFL. It highlights some specific cases as evidence that playing football long term does

cause CTE. This journal was written by Thomas Drysdale and is peer reviewed. I will use

this source to provide evidence of concussions and CTE in the NFL.

Gandert, Daniel, and Esther Kim. The Nfl's Headache: Issues with California Workers' Compensation

for Continuous Head Traumas in Former Professional Football Players. University of Toledo

Law, vol. 45, no. 1, 2013, pp. 5788., web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?

sid=5bd7b0af-e4a1-4d36-a1ad-76d504d4f2d8%40sessionmgr4010&vid=1&hid=4104. Accessed

23 Mar. 2017.
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This source explains how concussions are a major point of focus in the NFL right now and

the laws in California for Workers Compensation when dealing with injuries. The authors

are in the Law Department at the University of Toledo and this journal is peer reviewed.

This source is of value to me because it addresses the NFLs negligence in relation to

concussions and treatment of players.

Gove, Jeremy P. Three and Out: The NFL's Concussion Liability and How Players Can Tackle the

Problem. Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law, vol. 14, no. 3, 2012, pp. 649

691., web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=382e55ee-2661-46b6-b2c0-

2db70197e8af%40sessionmgr102. Accessed 26 Mar. 2017.

This source describes individual moments from football games and how the NFL deals with

concussions to explain how severe of a problem this is. This was written by Jeremy P. Gove

and is a peer reviewed academic journal. This source is valuable because it provides

information on how the NFL has done research to learn more about CTE and has done

work to improve safety of players. It talks about specifics which I will use to help support

my argument.

Hughes, Virginia. The Science of Concussions. Popular Science, vol. 284, no. 2, 2014, p. 030.,

web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=de0bed60-db38-4988-9075-29f3e2fa90dc

%40sessionmgr4009&vid=1&hid=4104. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.

This is a news poster that shows information on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or

CTE, and concussions. This is a peer reviewed source. This source will be valuable to my

argument because it gives facts and statistics about concussions proven from studies.
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Miller, Greg. A Late Hit for Pro Football Players. American Association for the Advancement of

Science, vol. 325, no. 5941, 2009, pp. 670672., www.jstor.org/stable/20544231?

seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents. Accessed 24 Mar. 2017.

This source explains how and why retired football players have had brain damage years

after their careers in the NFL was over. It also addresses specific cases and even goes into

the scientific explanation of why the players have CTE and other brain damage. The

author is Greg Miller and this article is peer reviewed. I will be able to use this source to

support my argument because of the specifics it goes into as well as looking at the big

picture of the concussion problem.

Murphy, Austin. Endgame. Sports Illustrated, Time Inc, 2016,

web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=89ac4ca2-4cf0-4de5-a407-4aa50b7d33ed

%40sessionmgr4006&vid=2&hid=4104. Accessed 20 Mar. 2017.

This is a non-scholarly article that discusses the recent awareness of concussions and head

trauma in the NFL. It highlights recent major events related to concussions or CTE and the

NFL. The author is Austin Murphy from Sports Illustrated. This article discusses the

recent lawsuits from former NFL players and the NFL and the rulings for the cases. This is

very useful to my paper because I will be able to use the rulings in this article to support

my argument.

Norwood, Catherine. Clear Heads Needed on Concussion in Sport. Chronicle of Higher Education,

2012, pp. 2023., web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=0ebb589e-1338-4251-931b-

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9ea818cd999f%40sessionmgr4009&vid=1&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ

%3d%3d#AN=77226698&db=a9h. Accessed 25 Mar. 2017.

This source focuses on concussions in sports and includes stats about the subject and

statements from experts on concussions and brain injuries. The author is Catherine

Norwood and it is peer reviewed. This source is valuable to me because it provides a lot of

information on how a concussion occurs and how those with concussions feel after being

concussed. I will be able to use this source to show that there is a risk of injury to the brain

in any sport, especially contact sports.

Piazza, Stephen. Why Is It So Hard to Stop Sports Concussions? American Scientist, vol. 102, no. 5,

Sept. 2014, pp. 346349., web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=97dfb862-a8a6-4207-

9da1-

38218b1da8e5%40sessionmgr4009&vid=0&hid=4104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ

%3d%3d#AN=97468948&db=a9h. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

This source is a journal that focuses on the causes of concussions and methods and

procedures that could be used to prevent concussions and traumatic brain injuries. It looks

at using technology to make better helmets as well as the psychology of football players to

suggest new rule changes. This source is peer reviewed and is used in my paper to support

my argument.

Professional Pulse: HEALTH CARE HEADLINES. NFL Official Acknowledges Link Between TBI

and CTE. PT in Motion, vol. 8, no. 5, 2016, p. 492.,

web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4fa42c89-234d-45e9-8a80-c68d6e56a35e

%40sessionmgr4006&vid=1&hid=4104. Accessed 19 Mar. 2017.

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This source is an article about the NFL acknowledging a link between head injuries in

football and CTE. The author is not listed but it was published by PT in Motion and is

from the APTA, the American Physical Therapy Association. This source is valuable to me

because it states that the NFL has finally acknowledged the link between football and CTE.

Digital Components Cited

Helmets Slamming Into Helmets Cause the Most Concussions. Bloomberg.com, 28 Jan. 2015,

www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-01-28/the-controversial-safety-ratings-that-sell-

football-helmets. Accessed 26 Mar. 2017.

Living Brain Scans of Five Former NFL Players, Including Fred McNeill. CNN.com, CNN, 5 Feb.

2016, www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/health/fred-mcneill-cte-football-player/. Accessed 26 Mar.

2017.

Murdoch, Graham. The Helmet That Might Save Football. Popular Science, Popular Science, 18

Dec. 2012, www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/helmet-wars-and-new-helmet-could-

protect-us-all. Accessed 26 Mar. 2017.

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NFL Nation Confidential. ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014,

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/10358874/majority-nfl-players-play-super-bowl-concussion-espn-

survey. Accessed 26 Mar. 2017.

Pensinger, Doug. Denver Broncos Player Laying on Ground. International Business Times,

International Business Times, 18 Sept. 2015, www.ibtimes.com/nfl-concussion-lawsuit-

settlement-what-frontline-cte-data-means-appeal-process-2104528. Accessed 26 Mar. 2017.

Rhetorical Rationale

For this research project, I first decided to research the NFL and its correlation to concussions. I

decided to research this because I love watching sports, especially football, and can relate to players

who have been injured while playing. I started to narrow down the research topic more and more until I

decided on the question of what procedures, if any, could the National Football League, or the NFL,

implement to prevent concussions and long term brain damage in retired NFL players? I was able to

narrow it down to this because it is something that I am genuinely interested in. I love the game of

football but hate to see players careers end or even their whole lives ruined because of a concussion or

trauma to the head. Before doing the research, I knew that concussions were common in the NFL and

that a lot of players get CTE after they retire, but I wanted to know if it was possible to prevent injuries
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like these to the brain. As I researched more, I learned that there are ways to prevent concussions that

the NFL had not implemented yet. Because of this finding, I decided to argue that there are ways to

prevent concussions and other brain injuries such as CTE. After writing my paper, I had to find digital

components to place in the paper. I included a couple of components that were graphics. These showed

statistics on concussions, their causes, and what players think of them. One of these graphics supported

the text around it that says one way to prevent concussions is to remove helmets so players dont use

them as weapons. This graphic showed that more than half of the concussions recorded in the NFL are

from helmet to helmet collisions. The second graphic was placed where it is to support the claim that

more education on the matter of concussions will help to limit the number of multiple concussions and

long term brain damage. The other digital components I included are pictures, but all of them still

support the text around them. These components were pictures of a new helmet concept, a player on the

ground holding his head, brain scans from players with CTE, and Junior Seaus jersey. Each of these

pictures either support the argument that I am making in that paragraph or show examples of what is

described in the text around it. These digital components give a visual representation to reinforce what

was said in the paper.