NFL Concussions: Will Smith And Directed By Peter Landesman

Concussions in the NFL
Today, concussions have become perhaps the most complicated issue facing the NFL. The NFL is trying to find ways to help prevent players from receiving a concussion. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that alters the way your brain functions. Since football involves a heavy amount of contact, players can easily be put in a position where they could receive a concussion. The NFL is trying to prevent concussions because multiple concussions can really damage a player’s brain, which in the long run can give players some serious emotional and physical issues. Too many hits to the head can cause brain disease, as we have seen in some former NFL players, like Dave Duerson. I believe that the NFL needs to find better

This film tells the true story of a forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu who discovers neurological deterioration that is similar to Alzheimer's disease in former NFL player Mike Webster. Omalu publishes his findings and names the disorder chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is the result of taking too many hits to the head. As other athletes face the same diagnosis, Dr. Omalu embarks on a mission to raise public awareness about the dangers of football-related head trauma. This film shows how serious concussions in the NFL really are and that people need to be more aware of the long-term side effects that come with football-related head injuries. Scientist have proven that damage to the brain caused by concussions can last for decades after the original head trauma. Some people can recover from a concussion in about two weeks, however others can experience post-concussion syndrome (PCS), which has longer lasting symptoms that can affect someone both physically and emotionally. Multiple head traumas can lead to even more severe issues. For example, Junior Seau who was a standout player in the NFL from 1990-2009, committed suicide two years after he retired from playing and studies by the National Institutes of Health concluded that Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is the same disorder that Dr. Omalu discovered in the movie

These symptoms can last for days or week and even after the symptoms have gone, the brain still won't be completely normal. Players with multiple concussions can have drastically worsened symptoms and exponentially increased recovery time. In the NFL it is very common for players to receive multiple concussions throughout their career. Even though many people think that the NFL needs to do more to prevent concussions, some people believe the NFL has done all that it can. The NFL has been doing things to try and solve the concussion problem, for example, The Head Health Challenges is a three-stage collaboration between the NFL, General Electric and sportswear brand Under Armor that works to “ advance the development of technologies that can detect early-stage mild traumatic brain injuries and improve brain protection.” The initiative pledged $20 million to fund technology and research over five years, taking in three stages which seek to: understand and diagnose mild traumatic injury; invent materials and technology that will protect the head from traumatic injury; develop advanced materials with energy absorbing and energy dissipating