Football can reduce head injuries
Former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson Credit: AP
The recent suicide of former pro football player Dave Duerson lays a sobering hit on those who still say head injuries are a routine part of football.
His death should be a game-changer.
Duerson, 50, was acutely aware of the effects of head trauma, and sent messages to family members saying he wanted his brain tested for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He shot himself in the chest with the intent of leaving his brain intact for study.
It's one chilling episode in a string of suicides by football players who suffered head injuries. Last year, a University of Pennsylvania football captain with no history of depression hanged himself. His mental state was affected by head injury, and his tragic death showed that younger players could be affected too.
Solutions start with the youth game. Kids should be taught to hit safely, and about the dangers of repeated blows to the head. Recklessness should be discouraged, not glorified. Players who initiate helmet-to-helmet contact or deliver hits to the head should face consequences.
Better equipment may offer help. But many, saying a helmet yields a feeling of invincibility, argue that the shells should be done away with because harder helmets tend to lead to harder hits.
Leagues at all levels should act now to protect players before more lives are ruined. It's better than waiting for their autopsy results.
