Monday's health and safety news from the world of football:
- USA Today reported that free agent linebacker Michael Sam, who is the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, has applied for the first NFL veteran * combine.
- The Buffalo News featuredBuffalo Bills athletic trainer Bud Carpenter, whose crew was named the NFL athletic training staff of the year.
- The Detroit Free Press looked back at the brief but brilliant career of Detroit Lions running back Billy Sims, who retired in 1995 after was sidelined because of a severe knee injury in 1984.
- The San Jose Mercury-News featured former San Francisco 49ers safety Dwight Hicks, who is acting in a Bay Area play about life in football.
- Health News Florida reported that concussion awareness is spreading among South Florida student athletes.
- The Chicago Tribune profiled Tyrre Burks, who created Player's Health, a company that offers a platform to document athletic injuries across teams and organizations.
- WBUP-TV in Marquette, Michigan, reported on a concussion conference at Northern Michigan University.
- The Springfield State Journal-Register in Illinois, reported that the state senate has introduced a bill to require a medical team at high schools to deal with concussions.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor
