NFL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE -- JAN. 8, 2014
FOUR STATES ADOPT, ENHANCE YOUTH CONCUSSION LAWS
On January 1, four states implemented newly enacted concussion laws to protect young athletes and improve youth sports safety. The latest states to implement new laws or fortify existing laws are Georgia, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin. Forty-nine states have youth concussion laws -- Mississippi is the only remaining state without one.
Georgia's new law, called the "Return to Play Act," mandates that private and public schools educate parents of youth athletes about the dangers and risks of concussions. The legislation also requires schools to establish specfic policies for addressing head injuries among students.
In Oregon, the new law, which expands an earlier law that applied to high schools, now requires that all youth sports coaches and officials receive education on recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussions. The law mandates that coaches hold out any athlete who suffers a concussion out of sports until medical clearance is given.
Tennessee's law applies to all public and private schools, as well as recreational youth leagues for children under 18, and requires coaches, parents, and athletes to undergo training about concussions and sign documents stating they understand the dangers before kids can participate. The law requires coaches to remove athletes who show signs of concussion symptoms.
Wisconsin enhanced an existing law by requiring that schools distribute concussion-related educational information to students each year.
Read more about the latest concussion laws here.
HEADS UP FOOTBALL ADVOCATES TAKE THEIR MESSAGE INTO OFFSEASON
Football season may be over for youth leagues, but representatives of Heads Up Football are continuing to underscore the importance of the program. Chris Bober, a former NFL player who now serves as a Heads Up Football ambassador, spoke about the values of football with the Omaha World-Herald.
"The values you learn in being on a team and the ups and downs of competition far outweigh the safety concern, if it's taught the proper way," Bober said. "The game is getting safer. I know we're headed in a positive direction."
For the full story, click here.
In Virginia, the Tri-County Youth Football League is planning to adopt Heads Up Football for next season.
Tri-County president Doug Arndt told local paper The Journal why he's planning on Heads Up adoption. "I think parents will feel a lot better about the participation of their young athletes," said Arndt. "Our coaches are aware we need to constantly monitor. They've been very, very receptive to this."
Also in Virginia, Centerville High School coach Chris Haddock spoke to the Fairfax Times recently about his team's undefeated season and his role in making Fairfax County Public Schools the first district in the country to require Heads Up Football training.
"I think the Heads Up program is a positive thing not only for our program but for all of football," Haddock said. "[With] our program utilizing the Heads Up techniques, we were better tacklers. Maybe the most telling symptom is that we had fewer concussions and fewer injuries related to tackling. I think the proof is in the pudding there. To say that using Heads Up tackling made us 15-0 would be a stretch, but I think it was one of the many components that helped us be a better team and a better program."
For the full story, click here.
NEW STUDY UNDERSCORES IMPORTANCE OF COGNITIVE REST IN CONCUSSION RECOVERY
A new study published in the January's Pediatrics says that "letting a young person rest his or her brain after a concussion -- limiting reading, online activities, even homework -- can result in quicker recovery," according to USA Today.
The study, co-authored by William Meehan, director of research for the Brain Injury Center at Boston Children's Hospital and director of the Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, followed 335 adolescents and young adults, ages 8-23, and concluded that "those reporting the greatest levels of cognitive activity (including homework, playing video games, doing crossword puzzles, text messaging and online activities) after a concussion took the longest to fully recover from their symptoms."
For the full story, click here.
-- NFL Communications
