Cherry Injury Law RSS Feed
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you have heard about the thousands of lawsuits that are currently pending against the National Football League. In the lawsuits, former players acuse the league of covering up the dangers posed by multiple concussions, and they say they now suffer brain injuries as a result.
The issue of brain injuries in athletics — especially football — has been thrust into the spotlight since then, and many organizations are now taking steps to better protect their players. For example, the NCAA has made many changes to rules in recent years aimed at protecting football players from brain injuries.
The NCAA’s new Chief Medical Officer said there was a 50 percent reduction in concussions following a change to the kickoff rules. Another rule that requires players who lose their helmets during the game to sit out the next play has also been successful, the CMO said.
The NCAA also requires schools to maintain a concussion management plan that meets minimum requirements imposed by the organization, which organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. It’s considered a violation if schools don’t have a concession plan in place that’s up to code.
However, the NCAA isn’t exactly enforcing each school’s concussion management plan. Some question whether simply requiring each school to have a plan is enough, or if the NCAA should also make sure that the plans are being enforced. The new CMO said the NCAA is currently considering expanding the enforcement of concussion plans like it does amateurism.
It is possible that the NCAA’s future actions could be influenced by the outcome of the NFL lawsuits, many of which have been consolidated in a Philadelphia federal court.
Source: utsandiego.com, “NCAA works to prevent brain injuries,” Stefanie Loh, April 28, 2013