Sports Safety IQ

Sports Concussions: Don't Ignore the Dings

Concussions to athletes have been getting a lot of press lately. The news itself has been grim, particularly the stories coming out of the NFL about players like Ted Johnson, whose countless hits to the head have caused permanent impairment and chronic depression; or like Andre Waters, and most recently, Justin Strzelczyk (see USA Today story), whose deaths have been linked to permanent brain damage caused by repeated concussions during their playing careers.

I hope this publicity will increase awareness of the dangers of concussions among all players and coaches -- amateur and pro alike. Dings and bell-ringers are no longer something to be brushed off.

What parents, coaches and players need to know about concussions:

• A concussion is usually defined as a bruising of the brain after a traumatic injury to the head. Basically, the brain is shaken from the impact and is bruised from hitting the inside of the skull.

Coach as Predator

What if these were your children?

• 13 & 14-year old boys on an elite travel team went to Amsterdam for a tournament. The coaches were accused of inappropriately touching the boys and taking them to have sex with prostitutes in the red light district. Not long after allegations surfaced from this incident and charges were filed against the coaches, the head coach was found dead of an apparent suicide.
• A 15-year old girl went to an out-of-state tournament with her soccer team. Her 42-year old coach was convicted of getting her intoxicated and sexually assaulting her in his hotel room. He served 3 and 1/2 years in prison and is now a registered sex offender.