Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (TBI)

Go ahead and type football hit into Google Images and tell me what you see. Most if not all are jarring huge hits with helmets flying off. When you think of football like most people you probably recall your favorite teams, players, games, etc. But what about the ever looming hidden issue that plagues the sport? For years, the NFL and its commissioner Roger Goodell has stood by their statement that there is no direct evidence that links football to traumatic brain injury (TBI) or chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Up until the most recent scientific data the NFL has been able to tiptoe around the subject without any accountability.

Previously noted evidence was deemed circumstantial; however, recent studies by scientists have found a definitive

While a severe concussion will normally be referred to as a traumatic brain injury or TBI, normal concussions are referred to as being mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) due to the fact that a single injury of this type will not typically cause any serious long term health consequences. Several repeated mild traumatic brain injuries, however, may lead to the life-changing and potentially debilitating condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).” Recent evidence suggests that concussions are caused by rotational motion, rather than forward and backward

More than 100 concussions are reported every year in the NFL, and as athletes are getting bigger and faster the consequences of tackles and hits are bound to increase. Popular Mechanics described a study done by Timothy Gay, a physics professor at the University of Nebraska and author of The Physics of Football, “At 5 ft. 11 in. and 199 pounds, Marcus Trufant is an average-size NFL defensive back (DB). Those stats don't stand out in a league where more than 500 players weighed 300-plus pounds at the 2006 training camps. But a DB's mass combined with his speed -- on average, 4.56 seconds for the 40-yard dash -- can produce up to 1600 pounds of tackling force.”

Student-athlete health and safety has become an increasingly growing concern for Universities, and to be sure that they aren’t soldiering through potentially life-long injuries instead of healing properly. Like many other sports there is a push for safety and better