Brain Damaged

What is it about the sport of football that fosters this loyalty to the team over everything else, including the health of individual players? A mindset that permeates down to the high school level and perhaps lower.

From the NY Times:

If the attitudes of several Tustin High School players in Southern California are any indication, the culture the N.F.L. helped build will not be reformed overnight.

Sitting outside their locker room Thursday, linebacker-fullback Wade Minshew and defensive end Kuresa Moaliitele both said they would not tell anyone if they sustained a concussion during Friday's big state playoff game.

They heard about the N.F.L.'s new rule. They have watched stars like Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Brian Westbrook struggle with concussions in recent weeks, and have been taught by their athletic trainers that playing through a concussion, when you are a teenager, can be highly dangerous and even deadly.

"It's our mentality toward football — you put the team first," Minshew said. Moaliitele added: "I'd keep playing. It's the dedication I have to the team."

 
And let me give a shout out to Rep. Bill Pascrell and his bill to get the Secretary of HHS to establish concussion management guidelines. Tell your elected officials to support HR 1347