[Husker] A few things

[Scott Stewart]

This is only a somewhat sarcastic comment.

The way to reduce helmet to helmet contact is to take away the helmets.

Actually, in rugby tackling techniques are different and the head is not
used as a weapon. Making helmets safer has increased the use of the head in
hits. My father played college football when (as he said) "you could fold
your helmet and put it in your pocket. He was playing when they began using
facemasks and few players used them because other players used facemasks as
a handle to throw you around by.

However, there were more deaths in football from head injuries then, and my
father had a lineman killed next to him during a game.

Therefore, I am saying this to say, I am not sure there is a simple answer
to this issue.

As a neuropsychologist, I am very aware of the research on mild TBI and
sports. Interestingly, a sport most would consider much less violent that
football results in as many mild TBI's as football (soccer). It is because
of heading the ball.

The most significant popular piece I have seen in the past year was on ESPN
about the Penn player that committed suicide. He had never had a head injury
or concussion, but on autopsy was found to have significant brain damage
from concussive type injuries. He was believed to have committed suicide, in
part, because of the pressures on him and his worsening grades at the Ivey
League school. One could make an argument the poor grades were related to
diminished cognitive efficiency from diffuse brain damage.

Scott

On Sun, Oct 31, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Borer Steve CAA <
steve.borer at connectseward.org> wrote:

> It's not just NFL research -- a great deal of it is being conducted at the
> HS level.
>
> Steve
>
> Steve Borer,  CMAA
> Asst. Prin/AD
> Seward HS
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>
> On Oct 31, 2010, at 12:05 PM, Nick Chevance wrote:
>
>  Helmet to helmet contact on the line of scrimmage isn't the issue. That's
>>> not where you see the violent collisions that result in concussions. It's
>>> the desire for the "decleater" type of block or tackle in the open field.
>>>
>>
>>  Greg Zimmerman, UNL '75
>>> Overland Park, Kansas
>>>
>>
>> But that's exactly where a lot of the NFL research is going (see Steve
>> Borer's comment after this).  Their concern for some time now has been
>> the small incremental blows to the head that result in brain injury.
>> That's lead to considerable changes to helmet technology.  Interior
>> linemen in the NFL have a far greater risk of long term injury.  On
>> the other hand, the NFL has most recently been dealing with the
>> intentional helmet-to-helmet through fines and other discipline.  But
>> they aren't considering doing away with all head-to-head contacts;
>> that's not possible and provide the public with the sport that is
>> worth billions.
>>
>> And Greg brings up another issue: helmet-to-ground contact probably is
>> responsible for many injuries, but you can't suspend/fine/discipline
>> the ground.  You can provide surfaces, like FieldTurf that probably
>> cushions the players as much as possible without making them run
>> around on something like a MoonBounce surface.
>>
>> I don't want to see another person injured in any fashion, but I just
>> can't see the sport surviving an outright ban on all helmet-to-helmet
>> contact.  As sad as it may be, injury is likely to happen, some very
>> bad.  The question then becomes, are the players willing to make that
>> decision, or capable to decide what they do may have dire
>> consequences?  I might, had I had the slightest shred of talent and
>> skill that would have kept me on the field beyond high school.  But
>> frankly I didn't have enough of either to even be on the field then.
>> But I do love the sport, and I'd hate to see it end.
>>
>> There's no easy answer here.
>>
>> Nick
>>
>>
>> --
>> “It isn't necessary to have relatives in Kansas City in order to be
>> unhappy.”
>>          Groucho Marx
>>
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