[Emalodoulouts]

Interesting commentary from TMQ:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...magesPrint=off

Stop the Cop-Outs and Deal with the Concussion Problem: Just 20 days after sustaining a severe concussion, Brian Westbrook of Philadelphia tried to play again Sunday -- and promptly sustained another concussion. This came as no surprise. Concussions are like broken ankles, another becomes much more likely if you don't take enough time off to heal from the first. Tuesday Morning Quarterback repeats his question of last week: Why are NFL players who recently had concussions even allowed to play? The league's position is that individual clubs set their own medical policies, but that is a transparent cop-out. Most teams will sit a player with a concussion so bad he can't remember what he had for lunch. But as soon as the player recovers enough to recall the playbook, he may be cleared to resume competition -- and may be pressured to do so. Yes, there is an assumption of risk to performing in the NFL, and players know the sport is dangerous. But going on the field with an elbow that hurts is very different from competing with an injured brain. Players recovering from concussions shouldn't be allowed back on the field until after extended rest. It should not be the player's decision to make -- that is management evading its responsibility, as well as a form of pressure on athletes who are expected to be macho about knowing no fear. The NFL should prohibit concussed players from returning until they have had a mandatory recovery period, or been cleared by neurologists unaffiliated with the league, or both.
This is especially important because NFL behavior sets the tone for college and high school players -- and there are 500 of them for each one in the NFL. When high school or college players see NFL athletes rushing back onto the field soon after concussions, or pretending to the trainer to be fine in order to be sent back in, that's the behavior they emulate. If the NFL instead sent a message that all concussions should be treated seriously and conservatively, college and high school players would imitate that.
The NFL's attitude about concussions is callous and backward -- as if the league doesn't care about the long-term health of its players, so long as the hitting is sufficiently violent. There's a revolting Roman-coliseum aspect to the NFL attitude -- the masses are entertained by seeing warriors harmed. If the NFL really cares, why won't it impose concussion recovery standards? Standards need to be uniform across the league, or else a team that wanted to safeguard players' long-term health would be at a competitive disadvantage to teams that did not. Don't tell me all medical situations are unique. Nobody should play football 20 days after a severe concussion.
The league should mandate helmets with concussion-reducing designs -- the Riddell Speed (successor to the Revo), the Schutt Ion and the Xenith. None are panaceas, but all are likely to lessen concussion incidence or severity. If the NFL set an example by allowing only helmets engineered against concussions, the NCAA and eventually high schools would follow.
The league should mandate double-sided mouthguards -- which are much more affordable for high schools than advanced helmets. Boxing has long required double-sided mouthguards, exactly because they reduce concussions. Such mouthguards, practical in boxing, make it difficult for football players to call signals to each other. Reader Barry Horowitz of Singapore points out this story about a comfortable, football-adopted double-side mouthguard designed by Patriots team dentist Gerald Maher. This study by Maher and others documents that double-side mouthguards reduce concussion incidence. NFL, NCAA -- what are you waiting for? Don't keep denying that concussions are an issue; require better mouthguards. Would some company please put the Maher mouthguard into production so it can be purchased by anyone, rather than custom-made by a dentist? Patriots players are protected by double-sided mouthguards. All football players should be protected by double-sided mouthguards.
The culture of football needs to change, too, to stop making jokes about "getting your bell rung" and stop glorifying the hit that leaves a player woozy.
Football announcers are uncomfortable with questioning any underlying presumption of the sport, such as the notion that jarring hits should be praised. This means the sports media must change its view of concussions, just as the NFL and NCAA must. Football cannot be risk-free, but contact using the head should never be extolled. Announcers should be honest about the down side of football. Maybe if the harm from concussions was openly discussed, football rules and medical standards could be reformed to reduce the odds of neurological damage. That would help sustain football as a sport for the long term.
Here is recent New York Times coverage of concussion dangers and congressional hearings on the NFL's running attempts to evade responsibility. Here is Malcolm Gladwell's recent New Yorker article on the long-term risks to football players who experience multiple concussions on several occasions.

[wrewsTear]

Interesting commentary from TMQ:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...magesPrint=off

I dont usually care much for TMQ but he is SPOT ON with this. There really needs to be pressure put on the league to establish standards.

As an Eagles fan I was terribly torn this past weekend. I wanted Westbrook back in the lineup very much....but more to the point I wanted Westbrook back in the lineup AND healthy and I feared only 20 days later (and with the track record the league has) this might not be the case.

It was accurate to worry as we saw what happened.

I know fans, the press, owners, all of them will bring pressure to see a player back as soon as possible....sometimes so soon that possible is softened to a "can he remember the playbook"

It is not right and it will lead to more Andre Waters in the future....which is a horrible, horrible thing!

[SHaEFU0i]

Mouth guard usage is one thing that needs to be addressed. You'd be surprised how few players (yours truly included) didn't realize that mouth guards limit concussions by reducing the impact of the mandible into the skull. I'd venture to guess that probably 60-75% of the guys I played with cut their mouth guards down to a size that made them ineffective.