Football and concussions

Regarding “Concussions in sports merit urgent attention” (Page A15, Thursday), the authors are right about there being more attention paid to head problems today than in the past. However I believe the idea that not enough is being done to prevent them in football is nonsense. From the NFL to high school associations, millions of dollars are being spent to find ways to make football safer, to make equipment more protective and concussions more noticeable and treatment more rapid.

Maybe the authors should examine today’s players who aren’t wearing all the safety equipment that is available to make the game safer.

In the 1950s, when I played football from the sixth grade through college, the players were smaller than today’s players. During most of those years and teams, the players played both offense and defense. There were no face masks, except experimental types of all kinds. But very few teams had them, and even fewer teams wore them. That being said, some football rules and fields have been changed to prevent knee injuries.

Science and medical techniques have made joint injuries less catastrophic. More research needs to be done to better determine when a “hit” is bad and then how to prevent later medical problems.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, can only be determined after death. More research needs to be done to discover the cause and severity while the person is alive.