Under the new concussion protocol, a player suspected of having a head injury is interviewed and put through a battery of tests on the bench by a team doctor. Footballs concussion crisis from the nfl to youth leagues. Read the gq story that inspired concussion, will smiths upcoming movie about brain injuries in the nfl. This discovery tied repeated concussions, like those of the experience of punch drunk boxers, to football. Concussion and millions of other books are available for instant access. It covers everything a sports parent and coach needs to know about concussions and more. The horrifying onfield mishandling of a houston quarterbacks head injury highlighted the limitations of the nfls concussion protocol.
According to the selfreported surveys, 60 percent of the players had suffered at least one concussion and 26 percent reported suffering at least three concussions. That the nfl has a head trauma problem isnt news to anyonethe 2015 film concussion, chronicling the life of dr. As stated above, the book concussion by jeanne marie laskas is excellent reading. The first wave of books attempted to define the problem and expose how leagues like the n.
The nfls concussion crisis investigates how, for years, the league worked to refute scientific evidence that the violent collisions at. The following is the nfls statement regarding thursdays story in the new york times that investigated concussion research by the nfl and the leagues alleged ties with those associated with the. During 20022007, concussions were recorded by nfl team physicians and. Nfl sees decrease in concussions from 2015 season to 2016. There is no mention of this in the gq article on which the movie is basedno mention of prema being followed by a suspicious car or suffering a miscarriage afterward from the stress. In this book, the nfl does not come out looking good. Merril hoge has coauthored an anticte book, and many nfl. Last week the nfl admitted the link between concussions and. The topic isnt uplifting, and the biggest audience for sports books people who are. I dont think the category of concussion books is going to end. The nfl implemented the concussion protocol in 2009 and has adjusted it in the last seven years. I was not expecting to be so moved by chriss story and infuriated by all the work the nfl did at denying and hiding the concussion crisis.
New york times bestseller now a major motion picture starring will smith, concussion is the riveting, unlikely story of dr. Against this backdrop the nfls concussion crisis has largely fallen out of the headlines, despite continued uncertainty over whether. Concussions can occur with a blow to the head through helmet to helmet. Working with the nfl players association, the league enforces a concussion protocol for players that has been instrumental in immediately identifying and diagnosing concussions and other head. Whats being done to protect football players from concussions and their effects. Did omalus wife prema really miscarry from fear that the nfl was watching them. The nfl tried to intimidate scientists studying the link. The book is must reading for fans, coaches and players at all levels, and parents. I was interested in the will smith movie concussion but found this book to be.
Joe maroon, the nfls first brain specialist, lays out the threat to the league. Mark lovell, one of the nfls chief concussion researchers, oversaw the leagues neuropsychological baseline testing. Omalus autobiography tells the complete story of how the nigerianborn pathologist discovered brain damage in football players what now. That year, the league held a concussion summit, inviting most of the prominent scientists who had been fighting the nfl on concussions to present their work. On its opening day, i watched the movie, concussion, and thought as i walked out of the theater that it could change the game of football and the. The leagues policy included the nfl sidelines concussion exam, which requires players who have taken hits to the head to perform tests concerning concentration, thinking and balance.
Americas leading expert on how to protect young athletes and keep sports safe. This book sets the gold standard for books on sportsrelated concussions. The study, which was funded by the nfl players association, surveyed 1,090 former players. In a book, an exnfl player details consequences of concussions. With the release of concussion on december 25, heres a look at the real story of dr.
Concussion movie vs true story of bennet omalu, mike webster. Calvin johnson said saturday he hid concussions from team doctors during his nineyear nfl career and that it is a common practice in the league, according to the detroit free press. Merril hoge has coauthored an anticte book, and many nfl pundits are rushing to promote it for some stupid reason what a load of bullshit. Book by concussion doctor is recommended reading for parents of. League of denial blows the lid off the conspiracy to cover up the longterm consequences of concussions in the nfl. League of denial is a 20 book, initially broadcast as a documentary film, about traumatic brain injury in the national football league nfl, particularly concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy cte. Nfl players, eventually led to the book and later the 2015 film, concussion. Recent research proved that 87 out of 91 exnfl players tested positive for brain disease linked. The nfl doesnt want you to hear his story, but jeanne marie laskas makes it. The nfl has implemented an array of player safety policies over the past four years, including no return to play on the same day a concussion is diagnosed, stricter rules covering hits to the head. What i liked this book was such an unexpected surprise for me. In espn the magazine, an excerpt from league of denial reveals the moment the nfl realized it could no longer ignore the concussion science it had spent years trying to dismiss. If only 10 percent of mothers in america begin to conceive.
League of denial the nfl, concussions and the battle for the truth wed. Bennet omalu, who discovered cte for the first time in a football player. Footballs concussion crisis from the nfl to youth leagues christopher nowinski, jesse ventura on. Utecht, then with the indianapolis colts, held his head after he was hit in a game against the houston texans in 2006. Book details concussion damage in the nfl research shows that late nfl football player andre waters had brain damage. Read cnns fast facts about nfl concussions and learn more about traumatic brain injuries in relation to cognitive issues such as depression and cte. Concussion, the movie, may change way football is played. Bennet omalu, the pathologist who made one of the most significant medical discoveries of the twentyfirst century, a discovery that challenges the existence of americas favorite sport and puts omalu in the crosshairs of. The national football leagues nfl policy was first started in 2007, and injured players are examined on field by the medical team. Five days before the movie concussion hits theaters, one of the nfls brightest young stars took a running start.
The nfl, concussions and the battle for truth, written by investigative reporters mark fainaruwada and steve fainaru, the nfl is portrayed as. Since the season started, there have been more than 280 concussions in the nfl. The nfls efforts to undermine omalu continued in 2007 after roger goodell took over from tagliabue as nfl commissioner. League of denial, on concussions in the nfl, by mark. It can occur after an impact to your head or after a whiplashtype injury that causes your head and brain to shake quickly back and forth. The concussion blog original, nfl concussion report, is a weekly compiling of the reported head injuries in the national football league. The nfl, concussions, and the battle for truth ebook written by mark fainaruwada, steve fainaru.
The nfls reaction to the concussion movie starring will. You dont have to be a football fan to appreciate and be moved by league of denial. But lovell was also the chairman and cofounder of impact, a baseline testing company that does big business with the nfl. When a football player suffers a concussion during a game or in practice, whether theyre a pro or a student, its. Taut, gripping, and gorgeously told, concussion is the stirring true story of one unlikely mans courageous decision to stand up to a multibilliondollar colossus bent on silencing him, and to tell the world the truth. But he cant remember singing at his close friends wedding. A third of the way through, football had been mentioned only once. There is also no mention of this in the concussion book that expands upon. Nfls concussion statements undermined by medical research. The mayo clinic has more to offer on concussion advice than the nfl. Bennet omalu at the premiere of the movie concussion. The 2014 season was supposed to be the year the nfl put its concussion crisis behind it. How one doctor changed football forever by jeanne marie laskas, gentlemans quarterly. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read league of denial.
Concussions are added to the list each week from multiple sources to give you the reader a picture of what is happening on the field. Read excerpts from the book in the atlantic and the wall street journal. Their analysis covers all injuries impacting players, including concussions and. Bennet omalu, a forensic pathologist who fights against the national football league trying to suppress. Waters suffered multiple concussions during his nfl career, and committed. The article that broke the story is also well written, see bennet omalu, concussions, and the nfl. Some estimates say a mild brain trauma is sustained every 21 seconds in the u. Former nfl tight end ben utecht still remembers what its like to play in front of a crowd of 70,000. I picked up this book as research for the book im writing on traumatic brain injuries. Nfl statement on new york times concussion research story. Earnhardt, of course, missed half the 2016 season with concussionrelated symptoms, and his history of concussions prompted his surprise retirement last. Twelve years of national football league concussion data ncbi.