NFL Rulemakers Going "Head-To-Head"

This weekend marked perhaps what has been the most dangerous and injury-filled weekend of football so far this season. In a time when people may finally be admitting the danger of what has become a staple of American Sundays, the evidence is becoming overwhelming. This season in particular has resulted in a slew of football injuries, both visible and invisible, some even deadly. I'd like to share with you some examples of why we are in need of some big changes.

Let's first have a look at the NFL this weekend. Philadelphia Eagles standout DeSean Jackson suffered memory loss after a violent head-to-head collision with Falcons corner Dunta Robinson, who also suffered a head injury. He was left with severe concussion and it's highly unlikely he'll be back this coming week. I'd say by the looks of concussed Bruin Marc Savard, Jackson may have a long road of rehabilitation ahead of him. Jackson had scored two touchdowns prior to the hit and remembers all of the game. Head coach Andy Reid said it was "not like amnesia."

In college football, Rutgers junior defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after a violent collision with Army's Malcolm Brown. The hit came after Rutgers tied the game at 17 with a touchdown. There was just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. LeGrand is in an intensive care unit at Hackensack University Medical Center and already went through surgery to stablilize his spine.

Believe it not, that isn't even the worst of what's happened this season. Many of you may know the story of 21 year-old Owen Thomas, a name that is now famous on Capitol Hill. Thomas was a University of Pennsylvania football captain and led a life of football. He has no history of concussions either. So where does he fit in with DeSean Jackson and Eric LeGrand? No, he wasn't in a violent collision that led to severe injury, but his days of football may very well have led to his suicide. His autopsy revealed that Thomas was in the early stages of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurobehavioral disorder. CTE is often found in boxers as well, who of course receive repeated blows to the head over their careers.  Also called dementia pugilistica, CTE leads to impaired memory, erratic behavior, poor decision making, and depression. Although Owen's case is not enough to prove causation, doctors are speculating that thousands of small hits, not one big one, lead to the damage associated with such a debilitating condition. Several other cases of suicide among ex-NFL players have been connected with CTE. Thomas was second-team All-Ivy in 2009.

Penn captain Owen Thomas

So now Ray Anderson, NFL vice president of football operations, says that players need to start being suspended for these helmet-to-helmet hits. Even ex-Patriot Rodney Harrison admitted, "You didn't get my attention when you fined me 5 grand, 10 grand, 15 grand ... You got my attention when I got suspended and I had to get away from my teammates and I disappointed my teammates." Patriot Brandon Meriweather laughed at Harrison's statement, even after he laid a dangerous hit on Ravens tight end Todd Heap on Sunday. Steelers linebacker James Harrison said that he's out to hurt opposing players, that's his job. This came after he sidelined two Cleveland players.

So where does it end? I'm as big of a football fan as the next guy. In my opinion, it's replacing baseball as an American past time. But no longer can we ignore the evidence that's been piling up. It will have to start with harsher punishments: suspensions, heftier fines. But hopefully it will end in a safer game. Let UB know what you think!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/14/thomas.football.brain/index.html
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/10/andy-reid-desean-jackson-cant-remember-hit-that-left-him-with-concussion/1
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5569329
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/17/eric-legrand-rutgers-defensive-tackle-paralyzed-from-neck-down/
http://www.businessinsider.com/will-nfl-get-serious-about-head-injuries-now-2010-10
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2010/10/players_may_fac.html
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2010/10/18/sports-fbn-steelers-harrison-apos-s-hits_8021832.html