The concussion solution

[kcsu]

I live in CO. We ski, snowboard, Climb, road bike, mountain bike, White water raft, Kyak, Zip line... In short we do things that can hurt or kill us. We make a choice to do so. Nobody forces us to play or participate in these activities. We sign waivers. In short nobody is forced to play football. It is a choice. Sign a waiver or dont play. Simple.

 

[texascpa]

My sentiments exactly.

 

[bevosu]

Unfortunately a lot of people in responsible positions have done their best for too long a time covering up the concussion problem.

The waiver idea isn't a bad one, but there was too much denial that there was a problem in the first place.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

I live in CO. We ski, snowboard, Climb, road bike, mountain bike, White water raft, Kyak, Zip line... In short we do things that can hurt or kill us. We make a choice to do so. Nobody forces us to play or participate in these activities. We sign waivers. In short nobody is forced to play football. It is a choice. Sign a waiver or dont play. Simple.

I wear a helmet when I ski. I use release bindings (duh). My point is that technology can make these sports safer. We should hope that there can be technological and rule-based solutions that will make the game safer.

 

[Guinness]

Unfortunately a lot of people in responsible positions have done their best for too long a time covering up the concussion problem.

The waiver idea isn't a bad one, but there was too much denial that there was a problem in the first place.

Exactly. I agree with the waiver moving forward but it does nothing to all the players who came before whose team owners and league executives lied to. The NFL prior to the last 20 years was really not that different than the tobacco companies in their deviousness.

 

[orangecuse]

Even the so called "iron clad" hold-harmless type contracts/agreements (waivers if you will) are deemed unenforceable if any degree of negligence exists. A waiver could certainly create a deterrent/obstacle depending on the particular circumstances, facts, future legislation/statutes, etc., however, it won't necessarily preclude or bar an action(s) from potential recovery, if negligence exists, the waiver would in essence be void.

 

[NKR1978]

I live in CO. We ski, snowboard, Climb, road bike, mountain bike, White water raft, Kyak, Zip line... In short we do things that can hurt or kill us. We make a choice to do so. Nobody forces us to play or participate in these activities. We sign waivers. In short nobody is forced to play football. It is a choice. Sign a waiver or dont play. Simple.

Except the NFL and its rheumatologist medical expert swore up and down that there were no long term problems with concussions. They lied and spun and refused to even admit that playing football after being concussed multiple times was a health issue.

 

[Hoov50]

Some people (with facts to back it up) argue that the advances in safety equipment is what is causing more concussions. Comparing a sport like football to rugby for example shows that far less concussions occur in rugby a sport with no, or very little, protective equipment. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks actually teach rugby tackling as their method of tackling. They do complete to the ground tackles with no pads on at all during practices. This teaches the players to take their head out of the contact. Rugby players have perfected the art of hitting hard and making tackles, while at the same time protecting themselves and the Seahawks have taken advantage of this. I can't think off the top of my head of many Seahawks players suffering concussions in the past few years.

A few years back Lou Holtz suggested that football completely eliminate helmets. People mocked him, and his idea is to the extreme, but may have some merit to it.

 

[Crusty]

Just get rid of face masks.

 

[DeGrozz]

I live in CO. We ski, snowboard, Climb, road bike, mountain bike, White water raft, Kyak, Zip line... In short we do things that can hurt or kill us. We make a choice to do so. Nobody forces us to play or participate in these activities. We sign waivers. In short nobody is forced to play football. It is a choice. Sign a waiver or dont play. Simple.

That is brilliant. That way, the owners of these NFL teams don't have to take any responsibility for putting their employees in hazardous situations and can enjoy watching their billions of dollars grow at exponential rates without any worry.

I think the mining industry, manufacturing industry, logging industry, etc should all do the same thing. Can't provide a safe working environment for your employees? Screw it, make 'em sign a waiver. It's the employee's choice. They can either make a wage and expose themselves to life altering hazardous conditions or not work. It's that easy.

Who cares, right? It's just human lives that are being ruined.

 

[Toga]

Just get rid of face masks.

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Many teams use those form helmet cushions in practice. There is absolutely NO reason these aren't required in games.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

New smart mouth pieces are being tried out to help with concussions. I think LSU is one of the schools trying them out. A couple of my students did their current events on it today.

 

[Crusty]

Many teams use those form helmet cushions in practice. There is absolutely NO reason these aren't required in games.

I saw a special on tv where experts tested them and said they were basically worthless.

 

[CanadianSU]

O yeH!!

 

[kcsu]

That is brilliant. That way, the owners of these NFL teams don't have to take any responsibility for putting their employees in hazardous situations and can enjoy watching their billions of dollars grow at exponential rates without any worry.

I think the mining industry, manufacturing industry, logging industry, etc should all do the same thing. Can't provide a safe working environment for your employees? Screw it, make 'em sign a waiver. It's the employee's choice. They can either make a wage and expose themselves to life altering hazardous conditions or not work. It's that easy.

Who cares, right? It's just human lives that are being ruined.

BS of course everyone wants a safe work place but there are certain jobs that regardless of what you do they are dangerous. Football is one of those jobs. Nobody ask anyone to join the military go to war become a police officer navy seal deep sea dive work on a crab boat become an astronaut be a test pilot work on an off shore oil rig ok enough i call bs on your position get a life

 

[DeGrozz]

BS of course everyone wants a safe work place but there are certain jobs that regardless of what you do they are dangerous. Football is one of those jobs. Nobody ask anyone to join the military go to war become a police officer navy seal deep sea dive work on a crab boat become an astronaut be a test pilot work on an off shore oil rig ok enough i call bs on your position get a life

So the guy that tells me to get a life thinks that playing football is just like being a cop or a soldier? :crazy:

When you're a cop your job is to protect the public and your job risks are harden criminals with weapons. When you're a soldier, your job is to uphold the constitution and your job risks are enemy combatants.

That's not comparable to being a football player where you are trying to entertain the masses every weekend and your job risks are being hit too hard and too dangerously by other employees of your company, at the coaching instruction of other employees of your company.

Even the other occupations you mentioned have risks that are due to environmental factors, not factors created by the the workers' own employers. I don't get why those differences wouldn't be obvious to someone before they even tried to make the comparison.

 

[OrangePA]

It would look weird I guess, but you're right.

Modify the helmets to make it impossible for them to be used as a weapon.

 

[Toga]

Surprising that some sort of composite material and/or nanotechnology can't provide an answer.

 

[OrangePA]

I live in CO. We ski, snowboard, Climb, road bike, mountain bike, White water raft, Kyak, Zip line... In short we do things that can hurt or kill us. We make a choice to do so. Nobody forces us to play or participate in these activities. We sign waivers. In short nobody is forced to play football. It is a choice. Sign a waiver or dont play. Simple.

The problem is that the players are too big and too fast.

The collisions are simply too intense.

The helmets are a big problem - they have gone from being protection to being weaponry.

How do we make the game safer - you have to slow the game down.

How to do that?

First, truly enforce the ban on steroids and human growth hormone - place a weight limit on players. Second, allow offensive linemen to hold. Third, allow the bump and run. And, fourth, make it a rule that all fields must be natural grass.

The owners won't do any of it because they want to save money, don't really want to eliminate PEDs and want a wide open, passing game to attract TV viewers.

Ultimately, regrettably, they see the injuries as simply part of the business - they don't truly care.

And, for the most part, neither do we.

 

[SWC75]

I think tackling technique is a big issue. Danny Parkins once said on his show that "Dick Butkus made a living with helmet-to-helmet tackles". Danny wasn't born yet when Dick played. I went on You-Tube to watch some Dick Butkus highlights and found no helmet-to-helmet tackles. I looked at three different highlight films that must have been from three different years because I saw no repeat plays . I saw one play where he led with his head and hit a guy in the shoulder. But he was a classic old-school tackler, who came in with his head up and his arms out and made contact with his shoulder, (that's why the pads are there). If he didn't knock the guy down with the impact, he's wrap him up and pull him down. Butkus' fearsome reputation came from the rough stuff he's do after gaining control of the guy, sometimes throwing him down to the ground. That and the persona he adopted in interviews. But you could have used his films in a course about how to tackle. And it didn't include helmet to helmet hits, where if you don't knck the guy off his feet, he could run right by you.

 

[SWC75]

The problem is that the players are too big and too fast.

The collisions are simply too intense.

The helmets are a big problem - they have gone from being protection to being weaponry.

How do we make the game safer - you have to slow the game down.

How to do that?

First, truly enforce the ban on steroids and human growth hormone - place a weight limit on players. Second, allow offensive linemen to hold. Third, allow the bump and run. And, fourth, make it a rule that all fields must be natural grass.

The owners won't do any of it because they want to save money, don't really want to eliminate PEDs and want a wide open, passing game to attract TV viewers.

Ultimately, regrettably, they see the injuries as simply part of the business - they don't truly care.

And, for the most part, neither do we.

You could also return to one platoon, limited substitution football. You'd need lighter, quicker players, more like free-style wrestlers than sumo wrestlers. And players who play on both sides of the ball would know that what they do do others could be done to them. They'd also have to conserve their energy, playing both ways. Proper technique would be the way to do that.

 

[dasher]

BS of course everyone wants a safe work place but there are certain jobs that regardless of what you do they are dangerous. Football is one of those jobs. Nobody ask anyone to join the military go to war become a police officer navy seal deep sea dive work on a crab boat become an astronaut be a test pilot work on an off shore oil rig ok enough i call bs on your position get a life

No. He is correct and you are wrong. Let's start with the fact that all young people think they are immortal. They will sign anything while not munderstanding that at 40 years old, their lives will be worthless. Second, your premise that everyone wants a safe workplace is not true. Proven over the years that many employers don't care. Like car manufacturers that make a judgment on whether to call fro a recall vs how much it will cost to pay off for some deaths. Third, the person disagreed with you. He didn't call you names. The get a life statement was childish.

 

[CIL]

Gump!

 

[Cheriehoop]

BS of course everyone wants a safe work place but there are certain jobs that regardless of what you do they are dangerous. Football is one of those jobs. Nobody ask anyone to join the military go to war become a police officer navy seal deep sea dive work on a crab boat become an astronaut be a test pilot work on an off shore oil rig ok enough i call bs on your position get a life

Military, astronaut, police officer etc they all include benefits/labor laws to cover injuries/disabilities incurred while employed, including workmens' compensation, which the NFL has continued to fight. Their employers admit and take responsibility for the dangerous conditions they work in, unlike the NFL. They don't just release them while saying "too bad", you accepted the risk of putting yourself in danger. Much of this entire discussion has been brought about by NFL players exercising labor law rights that including lifetime medical insurance related to injuries suffered "on the job", workmens compensation etc that the NFL and their insurance companies are fighting. Read about the Denver players legal action (including Floyd Little) to collect workmens comp for their long term injuries suffered during their playing days. Insurance companies will drop NFL teams unless safety changes are made or face going out of business. I believe that states run the workmens comp programs so safety changes will also include demands from state governments and the US Dept of Labor.