Concussions: Are players enemies of their own – Part Four
The National Football League (NFL) has recently introduced placing of a certified athletic trainer at Press Box during each game. The officials come with a mandate of assisting teams’ medical staff in monitoring, assessment and treatment of players for concussions.
The league office apparently is satisfied that the trainer will help detect head injuries and ensure players assessment and treatment for them on the sidelines by teams’ medical staff and trainers.
It was the controversial handling of Cleveland Browns’ quarterback, Colt McCoy, who was allowed to play the game despite that he had suffered concussion and was not inspected for it, that prompted the placement of the trainers by the league’s office.
The mishandling of the player’s injury, in fact sending him back without a due inspection, brought all the focus and criticism on the NFL, questioning its seriousness towards preventing head injuries.
It also created the urgent need of positioning of independent and dually qualified medical experts on the sidelines of each game to assess and treat players for concussions.
A number of relevant circles from the football community including some of those from the NFLPA believe that the appointment of certified trainers shall alone not be enough.
It may well be effective in pinpointing the team’s medical staff to inspect a player for concussion if they suspect the possibility of the injury and alert them for his treatment, their system might not be as effective to detect the flaws in assessment of
the injury, especially if the player attempts to hide it or confused it with symptoms of any other disease.
Availability of a qualified medical expert can effectively assess a player for a head injury and thereby recommend his team’s medical staff the options of his treatment.
The demand for positioning of a medical expert on the sidelines from the players and officials is in pending since long and there is no indication if the league’s office will act to fulfil it in the near future. Happening of any untoward incident as of Colts
McCoy might make the office to realise the necessity of it.
So far, the office has only assured the football community especially to the players’ families that it would continue to work towards promotion of players’ safety and provision of a secure playing environment on the field.
One of the officials from the office at an occasion hinted at the possibility of a discussion around the options of banning head hits altogether.
Nothing much has been said further in the direction since then, and it is not clear if the NFL will bring such a discussion on its agenda during any of its off-season’s meetings.
There is another possibility that a court ruling on the matter of lawsuits from the former players might lead to any concrete step towards prevention of head injuries and their effective handling if they happen and are reported.
Further, the possible court ruling might also result in placement of some sort of structure that ensures a regular source of income to the players during the phase of their recovery from concussions and they avoid making the extreme choice of hiding their
head injuries.
It is again the NFL that should assume leading role and take the responsibility of preventing occurring of head injuries.
The NFLPA is another organisation that can and should contribute towards promotion of safe and secure on-field playing environment for the players.
The office can also make the teams to be rather flexible in signing the players after they suffer the injuries, which might affect the level of their performance to some extent.
Further, the players union can also establish a fund that contributes towards financial compensations of players during the phase of their recovery and rehabilitation.
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