By Ken Reed
Former Boston College football player Spenser Rositano gave up football this fall after suffering his sixth concussion. Long-time NFL receiver Brandon Stokley retired a few weeks ago after suffering what’s been reported as his 13th concussion. Both Rositano and Stokley discovered that they were more prone to concussions with each one they suffered. They also found the symptoms were worse and lasted longer with each successive concussion.
The first question is, should one concussion be enough to give up the game?
An Institute of Medicine report, funded by the NFL, cited multiple studies that show that a person suffering one concussion is more likely to have more, and that the recovery time is longer for subsequent concussions.
As Rositano’s father Wayne says, “It’s different with concussions. If you break an ankle or your arm, you can fix that. You can’t repair your head.”
The second question is, should high schools and colleges, whose mission it is to enhance the brain’s cognitive performance, be sponsoring a sport that is so dangerous to the brain?
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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