CHARLOTTE, NC — Concussions are crippling football.
An NFL-funded study found that high school players are most at risk, twice as likely to suffer a traumatic brain injury as a college player. Charlotte area high schools are taking action, making sure proper protocol is in place to keep players safe.
Football is a violent game. Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin took a huge hit on Sunday, suffering a concussion. The same thing is happening every week at high schools across the country.
“We’ve had a couple of guys have to sit out a couple of games because they had pretty violent hits out on the field,” says James Gowen.
James and Andrea Gowen have a son playing football at Olympic High School: a senior running back. Concussions are a real fear.
“As a mom, I’m on the side like, keep them out. Is he safe? Is he okay?” says Andrea Gowen. “And they’re very serious about it.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools contracts with Carolina Health Care to put a licensed athletic trainer at every high school. Those trainers are the front line for diagnosing and treating this epidemic.
“Check orientation, consciousness. They’re going to check for neck pain,” says Grady Hardeman, Carolinas Healthcare sports medicine coordinator. “They’re going to look for all the signs and symptoms that are normally present with concussion and a head injury.”
That initial diagnosis is turned over to an independent doctor who has to sign off before a player can return to action.
Football is a game of traditions, and it certainly is a tough sport. Some things never change, others do. Real grass has been replaced by artificial turf. And the days of getting your bell rung and getting right back in there, those are gone.
“It was almost kind of a sign or a badge of courage and honor to get back out there on the field,” says James Gowen. “But now we know more.”
We know the effects can be long-term and far-reaching. State law requires that certain steps be followed with a suspected head injury.
“Any chance that there may be a concussion, they’re automatically done. They sit,” says Olympic High School athletic director Ken Konstanty. “We take their helmets and shoulder pads off to the side.”
“The earlier we can remove the athlete from play, and the quicker we can initiate treatment and management, the quicker they get better,” adds Hardeman.
Andrea Gowen says if all the current data on head injuries had been available when her son started playing football, things might have been different.
“I appreciate what’s been put in place for safety,” says Gowen. “But it makes you think twice.”
The Centers for Disease Control says sports-related concussions are at an epidemic level. The CDC estimates that there are more than three million in the United States every year.
