NFL takes steps to protect concussed players
Whistle-blower system designed to prevent pressure to play with injury
 Gene Sweeney / Getty Images File | Reports have suggested that brain damage may have been a factor in the death of former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters. |
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ROSEMONT, Ill. - Troy Vincent recalls going back to the huddle and forgetting to look at the sideline for the play, even though it was his job to relay the signal.
He mentions the days after one concussion when he couldn’t remember phone numbers and kept thinking his car was running. When he sees clips of himself knocked unconscious, he cringes.
“I’m not sure if we — athletes — know what a concussion is,” said Vincent, a veteran defensive back and the president of the NFL Players Association.
The NFL is taking steps to educate players on the subject and make sure they report concussions, implementing a whistle-blower system when training camps start next month. The league hopes that will ease pressure on players to take the field with a concussion.
“It’s an important element of what we’re trying to accomplish here,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday after a conference with medical personnel from every team in the league. “I have said repeatedly and will continue to say that medical decisions must override any competitive decisions.
“And if anyone feels they are being forced onto the field when they are not ready to play, we want to know about that and look into it.”
Although details need to be worked out with the players union, the new system allows anyone to anonymously report when doctors are pressured to clear players or when players are pressured to play. It’s one of several changes the league is making in its effort to manage concussions.
The deaths of four players in recent years have raised awareness of the issue, and the meeting was held to discuss the latest information on treating the condition.
Besides implementing the whistle-blower system, the league will require all players to undergo baseline neuropsychological testing starting this season. Rules requiring players to properly buckle their chin strap will be enforced. And a brochure will be distributed to players to help educate them and their families about concussions.
The league has been examining the issue for 14 years, and medical meetings are not unusual. What set Tuesday’s conference apart was its scope and list of speakers, some of whom have been critical of the NFL.
The heightened awareness comes amid studies indicating that players who suffered multiple concussions might be susceptible to neurological disorders later in life. And it comes amid reports suggesting brain damage may have been a factor in the deaths of former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters and former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mike Webster, Terry Long and Justin Strzelczyk in recent years.
Waters committed suicide in November. Long killed himself in 2005. Webster suffered brain damage and was homeless before he died of heart failure in 2002. Strzelczyk crashed his pickup truck while being chased by police in 2004.
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