Litigation

College Football Has To Be Nuts In The Way They Handle Concussions

By Michael Kaplen

Last Saturday,  I was watching the Stanford Notre Dame game on television and viewed the play where Stanford's quarterback Tavita Pritchard was struck so hard that it looked like his head was knocked off!  He clearly fell to the ground, struck his head hard and was unconscious of a period of time.  When he finally left the field with considerable assistance he was definitely woozy.

To my shock, later in the SAME game, the geniuses at Stamford allowed this kid to return to play. How in the world they can do this with all the mounting medical evidence of the dangers of concussions, the dangers if a player recovering from one concussion sustains a second concussion, the fact that it is impossible to determine the full effects of a concussion in the minutes and hours following the event is beyond comprehension.

I have said before that firm policies must be instituted to prevent players who have sustained a concussion or a suspected concussion from returning to play in the same game and that they should be required to undergo comprehensive physical as well as neuropsychological evaluations before being cleared.

Today's New York Times has an interesting story, Concussions Put College Players in Murky World which discusses this incident and other similar incidents where players where inappropriately allowed to return to play. The story also discusses the reaction of Pritchard's mother who is putting her faith in the decisions of the team.  BIG MISTAKE, if I can be so bold to say, you better take matters in your own hands and get some second opinions and get them fast.  Don't sacrifice your son's life for a shot at major league football.  It's simply not worth the risk.  The affects and the damages from a concussion can last a life time.  It can affect every aspect of your son's life.  It can change his personality, affect his behavior, cause insurmountable memory difficulties. I can go on and on.  Please get some good advice NOW!

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on November 29, 2007 (boomark / email).