Concussion Prevention Quotes

Athletes, coaches and parents today are increasingly aware of the danger of concussion, and this awareness influences decisions about buying new and reconditioned football helmets.

At some point, we're going to have to get to the point where, before you play football, I'm going to test you at some stage in your life to determine if you're susceptible to concussions. We need a test that shows us that your brain is situated a certain way that puts you at risk. If you are susceptible, don't play football.

Young boys must be taught to play football without leading with or lowering their heads. Young players must be drilled over and over and over with Heads Up Football skills until that skill set becomes muscle memory and second nature.

I am a member of the Heads Up Football Advisory Committee, have participated in a Heads Up Football clinic, and strongly endorse the program. It's a better, safer way to play the game.

I'm learning how to prevent my brain from getting worse than it is after suffering a career worth of concussions playing football.

You're not going to eliminate concussions. Anytime you hit your head, you have a chance of getting a concussion, in any sport, too. I think we have to learn more about it. Part of it is rules, part of it is equipment, part of it is medical studies, knowing more about the brain.

It's not an exercise on how to avoid getting hit. I think there are certain safety measures that take care of the mental part of it, with players not looking to hit somebody in the head. They've done that. But let's not take the entertainment value out of football.

I am concussed," I announced, entirely sure of my self-diagnosis.

Concussions is one of these pack journalism issues, frankly. There's no increase in concussions. The number is relatively small. The problem is, it is a journalist issue.

I'm a firm believer that there's no way that a six-year-old should have a helmet on and learn a tackling drill.

My son was a goalkeeper in soccer, and he luckily never had much head trauma. He never had any concussions or anything. I really wanted him to play football, but now I'm thankful he didn't.

I, for one, refuse to box without headgear as an amateur. With the rising awareness of concussions and head injury, it is becoming more evident that we need to protect our brains as much as possible. There hasn't been enough research to conclude that it is safer to box without the use of headgear.

The most important part of a player's body is above his shoulders.

I'd go to clinics and hear coaches say, 'You block with your helmet. You tackle with your helmet.' I'd say, 'No way! You block with your shoulder. It's a lot stronger blow, and you don't risk nearly as much. Why be stupid?'

Any time you get on the field, there's a possible chance of that happening. I think you're trying to make a play, and there is an inherent risk where you could get blindsided.

As long as we're wearing helmets and shoulder pads - there's collisions between these big, physical, fast guys - head injuries are going to be a part of it.

Head and neck injuries are what parents thinking about letting their children play tackle football should be thinking about, talking about, and demanding answers about, from any coach presenting himself as a worthy custodian for their child's introduction to tackle football.

Trust in the great American ingenuity. We can derive more intelligent, more brain-friendly ways we can play football.

Scarily, football helmets, which do a fine job of protecting against scalp laceration and skull fracture, do little to prevent concussions and may even exacerbate them, since even as the brain is rattling around inside the skull, the head is rattling around inside the helmet.

Even wrestling, now, I wear the helmet all the time. I'm not going to make that mistake again ever in my life.

Look at football, where you still have injuries no matter how much they improve the helmets and other equipment.

The only way you're gonna eliminate helmet-to-helmet contact is to take the helmets off. Go back to leather helmets. I mean, I think a defensive player would be much less inclined to lead with his head if he had no protection.

I definitely agree about the future of youth football being flag. There's just more and more evidence that the youth brain is particularly susceptible to the injury - thin necks, big heads. They're not as coordinated; they're not as skillful. For many reasons, I think the wave of the future is flag football for youth.

The integration of a headgear in professional boxing would do so much to make it safer for young men. They could go into the sport, make a lot of money and then come out and be good grandfathers.