The sport of football has evolved a great deal over the past decade. The biggest reason for this? Concussions. Brain injury is beginning to threaten the future of football at all levels. Concussions are nothing new in football and they don’t occur now more than they did 30 years ago, so why has this just become a big deal recently? With the scientific advancements this world has made we are now able to discover things we weren’t previously able to discover, and one of those things happens to be concussions. Concussions didn’t used to be a huge deal because there wasn’t enough information known about them. Doctors are now able to more easily identify and concussion and know the severity of it. Concussions can happen in just about any sport, …show more content…
The NFL was put in a tough position in 2005 and 2006 when two former Pittsburgh Steelers players, Terry Long (45) and Andre Waters (44) both committed suicide. After their brains were examined it was determined that they suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE for short, which is a debilitating condition that can cause depression, aggression and loss of memory and motor skills. Since 2010, 9 former NFL players have committed suicide. One of these players was former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson, who at the age of 50 shot himself in the chest rather than the head, so his brain can be researched for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Boston University researchers find CTE in Duerson's brain, the same disease found in other deceased NFL players. 91 former NFL players donated their brains for research after death and 87 tested positive for CTE. When former NFL linebacker of 17 seasons, Ray Lewis, was asked about if he was concerned about concussions said “Me, personally, no,” Lewis said in response to a question from Rose on whether or not he was concerned about concussions. “I think what I am concerned about is they’re taking the game, and they’re diluting the game, because they want to protect their claims. But if you leave the game alone, like always, the game will take care of