NCAA agrees to improve brain injury diagnosis and policies

 Posted on August 04, 2014 in Firm News

People all across Illinois participate in or love to cheer on college sports teams. College athletes are admired and encouraged by fans all across the country. However, some argue that the players have been missing support from one very critical source: the NCAA.

For years, there has been a debate about whether the NCAA is doing enough to protect young athletes from suffering serious and traumatic brain injuries. Between 2004 and 2009, more than 29,000 college football and soccer players suffered concussions and many people argue that the NCAA is at least partially to blame for the long-term consequences of these injuries.

Thankfully, the NCAA recently agreed to improve their efforts to protect young athletes from the devastating effects of a brain injury.

According to reports, the NCAA has agreed to set aside $70 million in funds to improve the diagnosing of these injuries. This means that athletes who play or have played in contact sports during college will have better access to resources that can accurately detect brain trauma. 

The agency also agreed to standardize the process of determining how and if players are allowed to return to play after a blow to the head. Previously, each school was left to develop their own practices of monitoring a player before allowing him or her to return to practice or games. This opened the door for inadequate measures and lacking oversight that ultimately put players at risk. By enforcing one single policy, each team will be held responsible for making sure the proper steps are taken before a young person is cleared to play.

These solutions cannot effectively prevent student athletes from getting injured. However, hopefully they will result in improved treatment that will limit the damage and help young people recover better from their injuries. 

Brain injuries can be devastating and leave victims with serious emotional, mental and physical damage. In order to maximize recovery, victims often require intensive rehabilitation and treatment. When someone has suffered this type of injury, he or she may be wise to speak with an attorney and take action to pursue compensation in order to cover some of the extensive medical bills.

Source: Fox Business, "NCAA settles head-injury suit; agrees to $70M testing fund, implement common concussion rules," July 29, 2014