NEW YORK TIMES: Four years after the N.C.A.A. introduced a concussion policy that placed responsibilities on member universities, many have still not implemented all aspects of the program, a new study by researchers at Harvard found.
In a survey of 1,066 N.C.A.A. institutions, 907 of which responded, more than 90 percent of the universities said they had introduced a concussion management plan. But the universities must do a better job of educating coaches and athletes on the risks of concussions and of increasing the size of their sports medicine staffs, the study found.
The study also said that the N.C.A.A. needed to do more to monitor universities to ensure that they were complying with its policy, which suggests that athletes suspected of having a concussion be removed from play, medically evaluated and cleared by a physician before returning. Athletes should also be taught about concussions annually and acknowledge that they must report concussion symptoms to medical personnel… (more)
EDITOR: The best way to protect our children and grandchildren is to encourage them to participate in other, safer sports. Football is likely to go the way of boxing: An activity for those who have little other opportunity in life. It will no longer be the sport of the middle and upper classes.
