As I park it on my huge leather couch and watch football for the rest of this wonderful Thanksgiving day, I can't help but think of a story I saw run on CNN the other night. Max Conradt was a 17 year-old quarterback with a bright future when he was rocked by two extremely dangerous helmet-to-helmet hits. Playing on a Friday night after suffering a handful of concussions over the course of two weeks is something that is almost unheard of these days...but it was something that almost killed Conradt. Today, Conradt is 25 years old, living in a home for adults who suffer from brain damage. He has the capacity of a 9 year-old. He'll never remember the glory days before his injury and we'll never know what kind of athlete he would have turned out to be.
Although much of the legislation from the supreme court of football is being handed down at the professional level, helmet-to-helmet hits should really be stopped at the grassroots: high-school and college football. While concussions are a widely publicized injury, most schools don't govern how they are treated...and even worse, most coaches can't even identify when a player has a concussion. As a college athlete, I am beginning to see concussions treated with more and more care...fellow athletes are being forced to sit out weeks, even entire seasons, because of head injuries. This is the change that needs to happen, but it doesn't seem to be happening fast enough.
Don't get me wrong, I was raised by a father who continuously told me to "walk it off" or "rub some dirt on it!", but let's face it...concussions aren't something to be fooled with. When teens are dying after playing with multiple concussions, something has to be done. Let's hope that the consequences for dangerous hits at the professional level trickles down to those at the grassroots.
For more on the touching story of Max Conradt, watch the video below:
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