Comments on: Goodell imposes new return-to-play rules for concussions

By: jan van flac

jan van flac — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:58:37 +0000

@klytus
the problem with liquid is weight. a heavier helmet could cause neck injuries and do even more damage in a helmet to helmet hit.
how about…replaceable EPS foam liners, like they have in motorcycle helmets. they can be inspected after every half (or every big hit) and if compressed replaced with a new one

By: al8085

al8085 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:07:47 +0000

There’s many players out there who couldn’t pass the #3 test that never had a concussion!

By: golongboyee

golongboyee — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:04:55 +0000

Nathan,
That is exactly the point dumba$$. Do you think the NFL would come out with something like this if there weren’t a lot of players being affected?
Are you really this stupid?????

By: PhillyRulez88

PhillyRulez88 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:49:24 +0000

“(2) confusion as evidenced by disorientation to person, time or place, inability to respond appropriately to questions, or inability to remember assignments or plays;”
Damn, if they had these rules in boxing, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield would have never fought a round in their life…

By: chunky soupy sales

chunky soupy sales — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:22:36 +0000

I wish Florio wasn’t allowed to post with concussions.
I kid.
I kid because I love.

By: el_dude00

el_dude00 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:55:25 +0000

…and we’re gonna make two more games real ones to increase the chance of injury. Thanks!
-The ‘mish

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:12:36 +0000

@Klytus …
Some of Alabama’s players have been wearing a redesigned helmet that is supposed to help cushion their heads during impact and minimize the risk of concussion. I’m sure they’re not the only college players with these helmets. I can’t imagine why something like that would be available to college players and not to pro players. Keep asking Florio if he has any info on that, but he’s been mum so far.
Haven’t they also done a lot of work with helmet designs in NASCAR?
Go Steelers!!!

By: bigrig

bigrig — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:58:31 +0000

Treating the symptoms and not the disease. The problem is with the helmets and the league doesn’t want to admit it. Get rid of the hard plastic outer shell and replace it with something along the lines of a hard rubberized tricycle tire type material.
Until they do something with the equipment, this issue isn’t going away any time soon.

By: Great Smoky

Great Smoky — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:48:34 +0000

Why not madate mouthpieces, modern helmets, and the Pro Cap?
Perhaps insist that players wear large-enough helmets (attn: Big Ben). How about mandating knee pads so that some of these knee hits to the head are cushioned a bit? Why not make neck rolls/pads mandatory?
Why not make a “tackle zone” analagous to baseball’s strike zone? Permit tackling between the shoulders and knees only. That would preserve most of the big hits football is known for, and might improve tackling form as well, while greatly protecting heads and knees.
Seems there were plenty of options available before this latest push.

By: Klytus

Klytus — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:40:57 +0000

I applaud the Commissioner for making the policy league wide and clearly defined. Now, if the powers that be will begin a redesign of the helmet. That would also be helpful. It’s obvious the present design doesn’t work.
Redesign? There has to be a medium inside that will absorb the impact of the hits. Not just transfer the blow to the players head. The medium should be dense and liquid so that the energy can be absorbed and deflected away from the head. A thick pancake type of pouch filled with silicone or other medium for instance. Several of the pouches placed inside of the helmet for complete coverage. When a hit is made the energy will deflect sideways through the silicone or other medium.
Skeptical? Partially fill a sealable bag with some water. After you seal the bag push down gently on the center of the bag. Where does the water go? Air as the medium would be too light. Not dense enough to trap or absorb the energy.
GO STEELERS!

By: heinz

heinz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:10:36 +0000

Wouldn’t it have saved everyone a lot of time and effort if we just padded the inside of the helmets with taxpayer bailout money instead?

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:39:30 +0000

@chap … Good comment. Are you leaning over to the dark side? (Just kidding … you know I tease with affection
@Buffalo Hogan … Love that commercial!
@Albatross … They can easily solve that problem by re-inserting the bye between the conference championships and the Super Bowl.
@kdawg … Ah, but who’s to say that when a DB or linebacker puts that helmet-to-helmet hit on the wideout that he won’t be the one to wind up with a concussion? The sit-out rule would apply to them as well. That might give defenders pause.

By: kdawg

kdawg — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:12:54 +0000

Wow what an advantage for the Defense so you put a head to head helmet on a WR and knock him out of the game. How about new rule if you put a head to head and knock someone out then you get ejected as well!

By: Great Smoky

Great Smoky — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:10:42 +0000

Mr. Florio, let’s see you endorse the nanny state and the interference of government in private enterprise by endorsing tort reform. I shant hold my breath.

By: The Notorious V.I.C.

The Notorious V.I.C. — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:53:19 +0000

====”until he is fully asymptomatic, both at rest and after exertion, has a normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the independent neurological consultant.”=====
Do you think a big dummy like Brian Urlacher or a little dummy like Chris Johnson has ANY IDEA what any of these big words means?
Also, the whole “the government has more important things to do” argument doesn’t hold water here. The NFL stopped being “just a game” many many years ago. It’s an industry with billions of dollars at stake.

By: Jal

Jal — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:30:39 +0000

“(2) confusion as evidenced by disorientation to person, time or place, inability to respond appropriately to questions, or inability to remember assignments or plays”
So I guess Jamarcus Russell won’t be allowed to play for a while.

By: Popeye

Popeye — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:27:36 +0000

maybe the government can wipe my a$$ for me too…..

By: comment_submission_error

comment_submission_error — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:23:10 +0000

It would be nice if the league was proactive instead of reactive regarding the collective health of of their product. They need to cut the crap and just admit that it’s a violent sport that will take a toll on those that play it, do what it can to protect them while they’re playing, and take care of them on the back end when nobody gives a rat’s ass about them any more.

By: cballlv11

cballlv11 — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:17:55 +0000

So what your telling me, is that if you knock a guy out for even a split second, he has to be pulled from the game? … And it will only cost 15 yards and $500-$7500 for the helmet to helmet hit? I think the Commish just painted a VERY large, VERY bright BULLS-EYE on every star player in the league… He actually just raised the incentive for guys to try to knock QB’s & Recievers out! I know if I was a corner who had to cover Randy Moss all day, I’d take a cheap shot at him on the 1st damn play, take my 15 yards, and cover a #2 reciever for the next couple hours and have a great game!!!

By: NoHomeTeam

NoHomeTeam — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:14:21 +0000

# JPeezy says: “Does everybody else find it odd this rule comes out the week after Roethlisberger and Warner mysteriously were scratched late in the week despite practicing fully all week? I am 100% convinced Goondell made the Cards and Steelers sit their QB’s this week in an effort to further his agenda of taking absolte power over all decisions in the NFL. That man is the biggest dictator on the plane!”
Doesn’t the noise from those Black Helicopters hovering over your house make it difficult to watch football games?

By: Albatross

Albatross — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:07:44 +0000

This will be interesting if a QB or other key player gets popped in a conference championship game or the Super Bowl and it becomes a controversy over whether he’s fit to play.

By: 2brauneyz

2brauneyz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:53:01 +0000

“Accordingly, players are to be encouraged to be candid with team medical staffs and fully disclose any signs or symptoms that may be associated with a concussion.”
I call BS. As Ross Tucker explains over at SI today, players who do not play are at risk of losing their starting jobs, so the lying will continue.
The only way out of this is to institute a mandatory one, two (or whatever) game sitting out.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:51:42 +0000

“This is just a CYA effort by the league……has nothing to do with, nor will it help the problem.”
Have you missed the past 2 weeks where like 10 players have sat out with concussions?

By: Buffalo Hogan

Buffalo Hogan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:50:48 +0000

And cue the greatest football/concussion commercial ever... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPRscxQZs8E Florio - If you havent seen this I reccomend embedding it in the post; as an update of course.

By: JPeezy

JPeezy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:42:42 +0000

Does everybody else find it odd this rule comes out the week after Roethlisberger and Warner mysteriously were scratched late in the week despite practicing fully all week?
I am 100% convinced Goondell made the Cards and Steelers sit their QB’s this week in an effort to further his agenda of taking absolte power over all decisions in the NFL. That man is the biggest dictator on the plane!

By: golongboyee

golongboyee — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:30:32 +0000

This is just a CYA effort by the league……has nothing to do with, nor will it help the problem.

By: Florio's Biatch

Florio's Biatch — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:19:50 +0000

Promulgated?
Seriously?

By: chapnasty

chapnasty — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:18:54 +0000

“So the next time Congress holds a hearing regarding a matter pertaining to private industry that seemingly is unrelated to the “more important things” our federal servants should be doing”
Smartest thing I have evr read on this site. However, I still think that it should be mandatory to sit out the next game. Something tells me though that this will just lead to more players lying about symptoms so they can get back on the field.

By: nfcbeast

nfcbeast — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:17:53 +0000

This is great, I just hope that players are honest about having symptoms.
The instant i read this i began thinking about how some player might use these rules to their advantage and “fake” it.
Disgruntled players with piss poor character may see this as a way to still get paid and do nothing.
Cough, cough…I see T.O. getting “concust” soon if Fitzpatrick doesn’t pleasure him proper.