Former player Junior Seau of the New England Patriots, committed suicide in 2012 with a gunshot to the chest because of his nervous breakdowns and short term memory loss. His family agreed to have his brain studied to determine whether there could possibly be a link between the hits to the head he absorbed as a football player and his suicide. After Seau’s death, many saw similarities between his suicide and that of former Chicago Bears’ safety Dave Duerson, who likewise died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest in 2011. In a suicide note, Duerson asked his family to donate his brain to the Boston University School of Medicine. His family had also insisted his brain be looked at as well.
Concussions have been happening throughout the years in different sports but especially in football. The number of concussion went up last year 30% in the National Football League (NFL 2) and it is steadily growing. The guardian caps have a padding around the outside of the helmet that can help prevent and reduce concussion. Helmets have come a long way in the National Football League.
Since, the 1920s helmets were widely used in the sport of football. These helmets were made of leather and had some padding on the inside and a strap at the bottom, but the padding was insufficient and provided little protection (NFL). In the 20th century more protection inside of the helmet with padding and a facemask on the outer front part of the helmet have been added to protect the athlete’s brain.
Concussions in the NFL have steadily increased because of the increasing impact of head to head contact. When the player gets a concussion there are many different levels. One Level is very serious where are test done on your brain by the doctor. Level five is bad migraines (Brain Injury 2). Concussions jar a person brain and can cause erratic behavior in the head. “A study of 2,500 retired NFL players found that those who had at least three concussions during their careers had tripled the risk of clinical depression as those who had no concussions. Those who recalled one or two concussions were 1 1/2 times more likely to be diagnosed with depression.”(Kirchheimer)
The issue of concussions not only affects the person with the concussion but it also affects coaches and scouts for that player because they would have to fill in another person for that job. The players in college would not want to play in the NFL because of the serious of concussions. They would have to deal with the players considering playing in the NFL because they do not want that brain damage because they would know it would hurt them in the long run ahead. These players are affected because they see how players in the League before them have committed suicide –Seau and Duerson– and needed to retire like former player Ryan Swope had to endure when he had up to eight concussions in his years of playing football because of so many concussions (NFL 1). Concussions are at the forefront because former players are suing the National Football League like Dan Marino, considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in National Football League history, who is suing the NFL because the League did not get the right treatment for him when he suffered the concussions when he played football. The players are now seeing what they must do to prepare their bodies for a hit and not waiting to tell someone about the concussion they received.
NFL Concussions 