Why the new rules on concussions now in the NFL?
APNFL commissioner Roger Goodell As any psychologist will tell you, the first step in dealing with a problem is acknowledging that there is one. The NFL is recognizing there’s a problem and is dealing with it. What caused this revelation? A few things: (1) Congressional hearings that placed both NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association director DeMaurice Smith on the defensive — even being compared to the tobacco industry — due to perceived apathy toward the issue rather than action; (2) An NFL-commissioned study showing a far greater incidence of brain injury and memory loss for former NFL players than the rest of the population; (3) A recent survey of NFL players showing players feeling pressure to “play through” concussions; (4) A number of high-profile players experiencing concussions, including Brian Westbrook (two), DeSean Jackson, Clinton Portis and the starting quarterbacks in last season’s Super Bowl, Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps the most sig
As any psychologist will tell you, the first step in dealing with a problem is acknowledging that there is one. The NFL is recognizing there’s a problem and is dealing with it. What caused this revelation? A few things: (1) Congressional hearings that placed both NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association director DeMaurice Smith on the defensive — even being compared to the tobacco industry — due to perceived apathy toward the issue rather than action; (2) An NFL-commissioned study showing a far greater incidence of brain injury and memory loss for former NFL players than the rest of the population; (3) A recent survey of NFL players showing players feeling pressure to “play through” concussions; (4) A number of high-profile players experiencing concussions, including Brian Westbrook (two), DeSean Jackson, Clinton Portis and the starting quarterbacks in last season’s Super Bowl, Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger. Perhaps the most significant league action in recent
