NFL says concussions down 13 percent in last year

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The NFL declared Thursday that concussions in practices and games were down 13 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Via the Associated Press, Jeff Miller, the league’s senior vice president of health and safety policy, called the numbers “positive trends.”

Miller said that in the information compiled from team doctors, there was a 23 percent decrease in concussions caused by helmet to helmet contact last season.

That will only embolden the league to continue levying heavy fines, particularly to repeat offenders. Those numbers, on their face, would seem to indicate progress.

The news comes at a time when the league’s concussion settlement with players is up in the air, though both sides remain optimistic it will be approved.

20 responses to “NFL says concussions down 13 percent in last year

  1. 13%, if it’s accurate, sounds like a disappointingly low and negative result. I think they need to find better deterrents for this serious problem. Increasing fines is one way of doing that in the short-term if you don’t have any more creative ideas. But the NFL might not want to go out of it’s way to reduce the concussions greatly due to the potential for lost revenues, so I can understand the conservative effort and matching results.

  2. I would like to knwo the rise in number of injuries. Especially those that might be career ending. OR that would have ended careers except for surgeries.

  3. I don’t believe anything Goodell says on the subject. He and the NFL have been hiding/suppressing data for years, and players have been suffering. Goodell knows that the future of the NFL absolutely depends on people believing that the sport does not cause brain injury & CTE.

  4. Correction: Reported concussions are down. Most likely unreported concussions are skyrocketing. I see it every week. Percy Harvin had a concussion against the Saints on the first deive but came back and played and got his again then left with a concussion. The first one was unreported

  5. Relax with the “ACL’s injuries are up” comments.

    If they are that’s not the NFL’s fault.

    If the league is cracking down on dirty head shots, it doesn’t leave dirty knee shots as the only alternative.

    None of these coward DB’s know how to hit or tackle anymore.

    Whatever happened to driving your shoulder into the mid section of your target, wraping and bringing down?

  6. Not surprising when you factor in the the refs throwing a flag anytime a defender even looked at an offensive player.

  7. Should say “reported concussions”. With the focus on concussions these days and players knowing that their job can be taken away by someone cheaper if they miss any time due to injury, I’m sure a lot of players dodged the trainers and didn’t tell anyone about concussions they sustained. It’s a tough situation for the players to be in

  8. Let’s see… Catastrophic knee injury… You walk funny from age 40 on. Chronic CTE/Early onset dementia? Well maybe you alienate your entire family, or just wait for everyone to go out for the day, and hang yourself in a walk in closet. I can see why you’d be worried about knees.

    Who gives a sniff about knee injuries.? Protect yourself, respect your opponent, and you can stop knee injuries.

    Head injuries need constant, vigilant effort and attention.

  9. The reason knee injuries are up IS the nfl’s fault. Their refs have made so many bad calls the defenses no long have a safe area above the waist.

    New rules will be made to protect the knees and that will force a defensive strike.

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