A concussion is a serious injury to the brain caused by a jolt to the head. Concussions continue to plague NFL players in today’s day and age. Most often concussions are disregarding as a minor injury. A concussion is a lot more serious. These injuries do a lot more than just sideline a player for a couple weeks. They can have lasting effects that can make life difficult for ex-players years after they retire. In order to protect the health of their players, the NFL must do more to reduce concussions. Concussions and other head injuries happen very frequently in the NFL. In only the first 11 weeks of the 2009 season there were 41 reported concussions (“NFL Head Injuries”). And those were only the reported ones. 18.8% of players interviewed
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That is not the case however. Some may try to say that the number of concussions that are suffered from each year is decreasing. Although that is true, one concussion is too many. Even suffering from one bad concussion can result in a person having to deal with mental illnesses such as alzheimer’s and dementia later in their lives. The NFL as a business does not want to be known as a company that causes their employees to suffer from mental illnesses. Others may argue that the NFL has a policy that if a player is showing possible signs of a concussion, a third party medical crew can stop the game and force the player to undergo a concussion test. This will stop players from possibly playing on with a concussion and risking making it worse. Although this is true it is only a step in the right direction. Most players know about this rule and since they don’t want to come out of the game they tell the team to hurry up and run another play so that they are not removed from the game. Also the medical crew checks players that are showing possible signs of a concussion. They should be allowed to check anyone who has just been hit hard because symptoms of a concussion are not always immediately apparent. Although points can be made to say the NFL has done enough to protect their players from concussions, there is much more evidence stating that the NFL can do a lot
That is not the case however. Some may try to say that the number of concussions that are suffered from each year is decreasing. Although that is true, one concussion is too many. Even suffering from one bad concussion can result in a person having to deal with mental illnesses such as alzheimer’s and dementia later in their lives. The NFL as a business does not want to be known as a company that causes their employees to suffer from mental illnesses. Others may argue that the NFL has a policy that if a player is showing possible signs of a concussion, a third party medical crew can stop the game and force the player to undergo a concussion test. This will stop players from possibly playing on with a concussion and risking making it worse. Although this is true it is only a step in the right direction. Most players know about this rule and since they don’t want to come out of the game they tell the team to hurry up and run another play so that they are not removed from the game. Also the medical crew checks players that are showing possible signs of a concussion. They should be allowed to check anyone who has just been hit hard because symptoms of a concussion are not always immediately apparent. Although points can be made to say the NFL has done enough to protect their players from concussions, there is much more evidence stating that the NFL can do a lot