Concussions and common-sense rules

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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The National Football League is getting more serious about concussions, the most common head injury in sports. On Friday, the NFL, after recent reports about long-term brain damage from concussions, announced new return-to-play guidelines and concussion assessment tools.

Good. Yet such efforts are even more important at the high school level, where the vast majority of student-athletes are never going to play professionally and have to weigh the risk of a concussion's effects versus the loss of playing time in a short-lived career.

So we're glad to see that SF 153 unanimously passed an Iowa Senate committee on Monday. The bill requires:

l School districts and state athletic associations to provide information to coaches, students and parents about the signs, symptoms and risks of a concussion injury.

l Parents to read the information and sign off before a student can participate in a sport.

l Coaches to remove a student from a game or practice if there are signs of a brain injury.

l A licensed health provider to evaluate and OK the return of any student to a game or practice after being removed for a possible brain injury.

Those requirements seem like common sense, and many coaches and schools may already be following such policies. But we think statewide rules also make sense.

Unlike most other injuries, concussions are not as easily spotted or diagnosed. Young athletes, in their eagerness to return to action or not disappoint their coaches, may deny they're feeling any ill effects after a head-knocking incident.

Matt Blair will vouch for that. The former Iowa State University and Minnesota Vikings standout suffered two concussions in his career, and told Iowa legislators Monday that he is “blessed and thankful” he has no long-term effects, not the case with some teammates.

“ ... Today, we have to have better rules.”

While the NFL's concussion problems have drawn national attention, a new study cited in the American Journal of Sports Medicine includes sobering news about today's high school athletes: They are four times more likely to suffer a concussion than a decade ago. Some of the increase may be linked to more awareness, recognition and reporting. Another probable factor is stronger, faster players.

While it's not possible to eliminate all risk of brain injury in sports, the Iowa bill sets at least a minimum standard of safe practices. Its essential theme is simply, “When in doubt, sit it out.” Who can argue against that?

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