NFL concussion litigation: ramifications for football?

[El Dubya]

Interesting that it isn't just cognitive problems but also depression:
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/center-times/year-2013/february/nfl-concussions-study.html

 

[papabear]

League is a hard game played by hard men.

It will be fine.



Union on the other hand.

 

[IanW]

League is a hard game played by hard men.

It will be fine.



Union on the other hand.

Junior Seau was as hard as they get. Played linebacker for the Chargers, and among many other deeds played Superbowl with a broken hand.

He wasnt fine.

The last act of one of the hardest there ever was was to take the tougher shot, and shoot himself in the chest, the shot that promised a slower and more painful death.

He wanted to make sure his brain was available for scientific research into brain injuries from playing football.

No sport that ignores this will be fine.

 

[Tas]

Interesting that it isn't just cognitive problems but also depression:
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/center-times/year-2013/february/nfl-concussions-study.html

Comparing high profile sportsmen to 'the rest of the public' is always going to give you skewed results. I think anyone who goes through the highs of professional sport and hits lows post retirement is always going to be higher prone to depression.

You would want to compare your data vs other high profile sports where head contact isn't as common to see if there is a significant variance.

 

[royals1922]

From my reading, the NFL got into trouble because they refused to recognise the disease early ( saying it didn't happen) and it became an issue when NFLers started not only get Alzheimer and PTSD type symptoms but they started killing themselves in later life.

The AFL have been far more savvy to this issue, reacting early (see for example the Hansen situation). This week the issue was inflamed in the NFL when 2 players reportedly refused to comply with the concussion protocols in the playoffs, one apparently refusing to come off the field and the other coming back onto the field after a concussion.

That said, the idea behind contact sports per se and the occurrence of these concussion injuries are very odd bedfellows.

 

[Liam Boy]

Taking everything to court is a huge part of American culture. Not so much here.

 

[D-N-R]

From my reading, the NFL got into trouble because they refused to recognise the disease early ( saying it didn't happen) and it became an issue when NFLers started not only get Alzheimer and PTSD type symptoms but they started killing themselves in later life.

The AFL have been far more savvy to this issue, reacting early (see for example the Hansen situation). This week the issue was inflamed in the NFL when 2 players reportedly refused to comply with the concussion protocols in the playoffs, one apparently refusing to come off the field and the other coming back onto the field after a concussion.

That said, the idea behind contact sports per se and the occurrence of these concussion injuries are very odd bedfellows.

This is my understanding too. They new there was a problem and tried to cover it up. That's why there are legal problems. The AFL have made changes to the game to reduce head high hits due to it being common knowledge that there can be severe problems in the future. The concussion rule about players having a week off if concussed are part of this management of the problem and that rule has been enforced for several years now. Once the AFL do all they can, then any risks left over are just part of contact sport.

 

[D-N-R]

Not sure about that- I am amazed at how many headers there are during A-League games for starters. I might do a "head count" this weekend, as I have to do some work in that area anyway.

I'm not sure how many headers in a game of football would be of a sufficient force to cause injury. There are a lot of headers in a game, but most deliberate headers from passes would be on balls with little real force. There was some concern many years ago when the balls were leather and would get quite waterlogged, but the balls today are very light and I think this is less of a problem.

Having said that, there was a player stretchered off in an FA Cup game last night after being struck in the head with the ball. He was in a wall defending a free kick and was apparently knocked unconscious. I can't remember seeing this happen in soccer and I have watched a fair bit. There was some controversy a few months ago when Hugo Lloris, the Tottenham goalkeeper was kneed in the head and appeared to be knocked unconscious for a moment or two. He looked really groggy afterwards but took the decision to stay on. (There are people who say the manager overruled the doctor, but I haven't seen proof of this). The difference with soccer and Aussie rules, is that we can remove players for a period of time to assess them and allow them to continue. Whilst they stop play in soccer, there is no rule to allow a player to be concussion tested without the team having one player less - and with the amount of play acting in soccer, I wouldn't think this would be a workable solution.

 

[MaddAdam]

Taking everything to court is a huge part of American culture. Not so much here.

Not so, a number of court cases have been taken against the AFL that have seen major effects on the game and what it considered a "duty of care" and "safe workplace".

 

[ManWithNoName]

League is a hard game played by hard men.

It will be fine.



Union on the other hand.

What an ignorant post.

 

[Top_4_Tiger]

Comparing high profile sportsmen to 'the rest of the public' is always going to give you skewed results. I think anyone who goes through the highs of professional sport and hits lows post retirement is always going to be higher prone to depression.

You would want to compare your data vs other high profile sports where head contact isn't as common to see if there is a significant variance.

I am sure that phd researchers would have thought of that already and compared data accordingly.

Simply: Depression levels in NFL players with vs without concussion.

 

[Top_4_Tiger]

This is my understanding too. They new there was a problem and tried to cover it up. That's why there are legal problems. The AFL have made changes to the game to reduce head high hits due to it being common knowledge that there can be severe problems in the future. The concussion rule about players having a week off if concussed are part of this management of the problem and that rule has been enforced for several years now. Once the AFL do all they can, then any risks left over are just part of contact sport.

Spot on.

Repercussions for the AFL?

Strict precaution measures and informed consent.

There will be no legal repercussions because the AFL has not chosen to ignore information that could prevent harm to players.

 

[Tas]

I am sure that phd researchers would have thought of that already and compared data accordingly.

Simply: Depression levels in NFL players with vs without concussion.

You would think so, but from what I glanced they were comparing depression between the players and the general public. I could be wrong though.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Do the Rugby codes actually get a lot of concussions? I would have thought with the more predictable angles of impact they might not be such a big problem.

It's more the head high contact that causes concussion issues in league. Yes there is little blind siding but there are plenty of head high hits through either shoulder charges or head high tackles.

You haven't watched a game of rl have you.
Maybe you were watching RU where they don't tackle that much.
.

Hmm I wouldn't put it that way myself. Definitely more to the game than league's pass, hit up, tackle. However, tackling is still brutal.