ARTICLE: Goodell orders teams to concussion meeting

[Doomsday101]

NEW YORK (May 2, 2007) -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who disclosed last week that the NFL will make baseline neuropsychological tests mandatory for the 2007 season, is requiring all team medical personnel to attend a meeting on concussions next month.

NFL spokesman Joe Browne said that Goodell has ordered all 32 teams to send its doctors and trainers to a June 19 meeting in Chicago for the first league-wide concussion summit.

"At no time should competitive issues override medical issues," Goodell said last week. "Safety comes first."

Under Goodell's new policy, all players will be required to take a baseline neuropsychological test -- determining cognitive abilities, memory and motor skills -- by the start of the 2007 season. That way, when a player has a concussion, he can be tested to determine what neurological changes have taken place.

Some players have had baseline tests recently. Under the new policy, those players will not require another test. But those who haven't had a test will be required to have one. NFL officials said some teams administer those tests on a regular basis, while other teams administer the tests only after a concussion.

Goodell has acknowledged players often fight the medical staff to get back into games after suffering head injuries.

"We're protecting the players against the players," he said.

Concussions among NFL players have drawn attention in recent months. A forensic pathologist who studied the brain tissue of Andre Waters after his suicide last November concluded Waters had brain damage resulting from multiple concussions during 12 years as an NFL safety.

In addition, the Boston Globe and New York Times reported in February that 34-year-old Ted Johnson, who spent 10 years as a linebacker with the New England Patriots, shows early signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Johnson said he began to deteriorate in 2002 with a concussion during an exhibition game against the New York Giants. He said he had another concussion four days later after coach Bill Belichick prodded him to participate in a full-contact practice, even though he was supposed to be avoiding hits.



http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10162742

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I don't know if this guy is full of himself or not, I don't know if he will turn out to be the worst thing to every happen to football down the road or the best thing.

However I like what he has done so far. Guy seems like a no BS type of guy where it seemed Tags was a bit of a wimp.

 

[burmafrd]

The whole concussion thing has finally reached critical mass. The NFL needs to take a few million bucks and have some research put into developing a new type of helmet that better protects the player. And make sure that anytime any player is suspected of having a concusion set procedures are rigidly followed.

 

[joseephuss]

The whole concussion thing has finally reached critical mass. The NFL needs to take a few million bucks and have some research put into developing a new type of helmet that better protects the player. And make sure that anytime any player is suspected of having a concusion set procedures are rigidly followed.

Strict guidelines for dealing with a player with a concussion is something that can be attained rather easily. Coming up with a better helmet to limit concussions is more difficult, but there is probably a little room for improvement. Only so much you can do in that area. The brain is going to slosh around inside our skulls no matter what is on the outside protecting it.

 

[Doomsday101]

March 5th, 2007

Head of NFL Concussion Committee Resigns Leadership Post
Dr. Elliot Pellman had been at the vortex of an ethics storm surrounding the prevalence of head injury; critics claimed the NFL minimized the situation

NEW YORK
The embattled chairman of the National Football League's research committee on concussions resigned that position last week amid questions over his qualifications.

According to the New York Times, Dr. Elliot Pellman had been the subject of criticism because he had no specialized background in neurology and the findings published by his committee had been debated because they ran counter to results of research from scientists not affiliated with the league.

Pellman will retain his position as team doctor to the New York Jets and will remain as a member of the committee, UPI reported.

The New York Daily News reports that Pellman, who declined public comment on the issue, decided to step down because he felt he had become a distraction to the committee, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Concussions among football players have become a prominent ethics issue in recent months following a series of press reports in which former players say they are suffering various mental illnesses related to repeated head injuries.

Among the more visible cases are former New England Patriot linebacker Ted Johnson, who suffers from depression and memory loss, and former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Andre Waters, who endured several concussions, suffered from depression, and eventually committed suicide.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the NFL's concussion committee has been criticized as having minimized the effects and nature of concussions by skewing its data, a charge rejected as "totally false" by Dr. Andrew Tucker, a member of the committee since 1994 and the team physician for the Baltimore Ravens.

Some researchers are warning that the dangers of repeated concussions for football players are greater than previously thought, and that the possibility of future mental impairment extends to college and high school athletes as well.

 

[sago1]

Believe more then a few NFL coaches encourage players with concussions to return before their medical staff's agree. It's easy to say the choice is always up to the player when we all know players will ignore what's best for them cause they love the game/don't want risk losing their jobs. With a baseline scan of each player available, doctors will see the damage each consussion causes. Some players may never have a problem while others may show serious problems. Hopefully at some time in the future the doctors will be able to diagnose when the point has been reached when the brain can no longer absorb any more concusions and players' can decide with their families whether to continue their careers or not.

Football is a violent game and doubt there much can be done to change the game we all love. Hopefully at some point helmets can be devised which limit really limit the damage--but not if we don't know how each player's brain is wired in the beginning of their NFL careers. Man I'd sure hate to be Ted Washington living with this diagnosis and wondering how soon he won't recognize his family/friends.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

You have to give this guy credit for moving to ground no commissioner has step on before.....