The 411 on the NFL and Head Trauma
Current stats about the NFL's growing issue.
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Former Players vs. the NFL - A federal judge rejected the NFL's $765 million concussion settlement this week. So we wanted to break down some of the current data and information about the growing problem of head trauma in professional football. — Kellee Terrell (Photo: Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
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What’s the Hearing Supposed to Decide? - More than 4,000 former NFL players have joined forces to sue the league. They claim the NFL didn’t do enough to protect them from injury and that they hid documents showing they had knowledge of the long-term effects of their head trauma, reported USA Today. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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What Are Concussions? - A concussion is an injury to the brain that is caused by a severe blow to the head or body or by falling very hard on the ground. And while some people recover from a concussion quickly in a matter of hours, for others it might take days, weeks or even months. Getting rest generally helps recovery, but it's important to seek medical evaluation and possible treatment to reduce risk of complications. (Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Common Symptoms of Concussions - Web MD states that the most common symptom of a concussion is passing out, but some other symptoms include: not thinking clearly, feeling slowed down, headaches, balance problems, nausea, dizziness, moodiness, sleep issues and changes in sex drive. Some people don’t show any symptoms at all. (Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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What Do Concussions Do to the Brain? - The fluid in your brain is like a pillow that protects the brain from injury, but when you are hit hard the brain can ram into the skull and be damaged. For those who suffer repeated concussions, research has found a link between brain injuries and numerous debilitating neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. (Photo: GettyImages)
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The State of NFL Players’ Mental Health - Football players are also more likely to die from Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) than the general population, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs account for the majority of these deaths. (Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
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CTE and Football Players - Health experts believe that chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative and progressive disease caused from too many hits, may be to blame for players’ deteriorating health. It is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression and progressive dementia.(Photo: GettyImages)
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Suicide Rates - The 2012 suicide of football great Junior Seau, who also suffered from CTE, highlighted this problem in the NFL. Seau isn’t alone: former NFL veterans Dave Duerson, Terry Long and Andre Waters among others all shot themselves to death and were later found to have the disease, reported ABC News. (Photo: J.D. Cuban/Allsport)
