Back in 1994, when concussions weren’t a topic in the NFL yet, Junior Seau shared his views on the aggressive side of football during a halftime interview on “Monday Night Football.” When asked about the increasing violence in the game, Seau gave a thoughtful response, saying,
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“I think it’s always been a violent sport. It’s been a dangerous sport, but at the same time, it’s not an intent to go out and kill somebody.”
Seau recognized that the general public tended to magnify the violence stemming from injuries; however, he personally viewed the risks as an aspect of the sport. During that era, playing despite pain, and pushing limits was expected.
Only a few, Seau included, were concerned about the lasting consequences of concussions or the physical strain imposed by the game.
18 years later, the gravity of those repeated head injuries that occurred years ago became clear when the sudden and tragic death of Seau in 2012 shocked the NFL community.
In March 2012, Gary Plummer, who used to play alongside Seau in the San Diego Chargers from 1990-1993, reminisced about their time on the field to CBS Sports.
Plummer mentioned that throughout his 15-year career with the Invaders, Chargers, and 49ers, he experienced more than 1000 concussions–hinting at how common head injuries are in the sport. He recounted how experiencing dizziness or seeing stars after a hit was just part of the game saying,
“If you didn’t have five of these each game, you were inactive the next game…Junior played for 20 years. That’s five concussions a game, easily. How many in his career then? That’s over 1,500 concussions.”
Plummer also mentioned how head injuries appeared to affect Seau’s mental health, especially throughout his divorce from his ex-wife, Gina Deboe, as he battled with depression.
The NFL has been criticized severely regarding how they deal with head injuries and concussions since many players have been found to have Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CET)–a brain condition that happens due to repeated head injuries.
To address this issue the NFL has put in place a concussion protocol to improve player safety and minimize long-term brain damage.
NFL Concussion Protocol addressing the growing CTE crisis
In 2011, the NFL made a move to tackle the danger that exists behind the excitement of football–Concussions.
If a player, in a game, shows any symptoms that suggest a concussion–such as stumbling or, confusion or, memory lapses–they are promptly taken out of the field without hesitation for their safety’s sake.
Medical experts on the sidelines evaluate symptoms such as problems with balance and forgetfulness in determining if a player might have a concussion. If a head injury is detected, for instance, in the recent case of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s hit against Damar Hamlin, the player is not allowed to continue playing in the game.
The league went a step further by introducing Guardian Caps, which is a protective headgear to enhance player safety. Currently, the NFL also penalizes helmet-to-helmet collisions–which signals a shift towards prioritizing the well-being of players over the game itself.
Nowadays, a comeback on the field is closely supervised with a process in place for the player’s recovery journey. It consists of five phases – from rest to full contact training after successfully clearing various assessments–all administered by medical professionals.
Compared to what things looked like decades ago, there has been a change in the way the NFL considers player well-being lately.
