Congress considers setting standards to reduce football concussions

Sep 24 2010

NPR: "A college player who recently committed suicide had a degenerative brain disease normally linked to much older players. It's prompting a new round of questions about safety in the dangerous game that Americans love. ... [Chronic traumatic encephalopathy] is the football concussion 'disease of the moment.' In the past couple of years, Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy has revealed that many deceased NFL players had CTE. The symptoms include depression, erratic behavior and, ultimately, dementia" (Goldman, 9/23).

"Congress is considering a bill that would establish standards for student-athletes who get concussions," CNN reports. "A Government Accountability Office found that between the 2005 and 2008 school years, an estimated 400,000 concussions occurred in high school sports. ... The bill called the Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act would enforce evaluations for students who have suffered concussions before they return to play." The measure has been backed by the NFL, and requires all U.S. schools to develop policies and methods for concussion education and training of school, parents, students and coaches" (Park, 9/23).