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We Need to Change the Culture Around Concussion and Head Injury
By:
Deutschmann Personal Injury & Disability Law (Lawyers)
| Published 12/21/2012
Sports Illustrated reported that Former Kansas City Chiefs players and Army leaders said Wednesday that a change in culture about the risks of concussions must start at the top levels in sports and the military.
The comments came during a forum at Fort Leavenworth on traumatic brain injuries, the sixth in a series of such events to bring awareness to concussions and brain injuries. Several dozen Army officers listened to the discussion, including comments by Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Willie Lanier, who said he learned the lessons early.
Lanier, who played from 1967 through 1977, serves on an NFL player safety panel studying ways to make the game safer. Lanier suffered numerous concussions in his rookie season, including one that didn't manifest until a week later. Lanier says he changed his playing technique as a result, but only after he sought answers to his injury at the Mayo Clinic.
"It wasn't hard for me to do. I figured out I had to change the way I play the game or I don't play,'' Lanier said. "It just becomes practical that if you're going to do it, you better do it smart. Because if you don't do it smart you have all types of potential risks that you really shouldn't take.''
The military has been looking at the impact of traumatic brain injuries as soldiers return from combat. The Army and NFL signed a joint letter in August announcing the partnership.
