Helmets and Concussions

This past high school football season the NCHSAA required all high schools to keep up every time a player lost his helmet on any play.  There are 370 teams in the NCHSAA and  they played a total of 1,961 games.  In all of those games a total of 1,237 times players lost their helmets.  294 teams were involved in those 1,237 lost helmets.

There is a major push to require all players to maintain their helmets at all times.  Any average year there are more than 67,000 concussions that are directly related to helmet contact.  The National Federation of State High School Association is looking at two proposals to insure that players keep their helmets on, on every play.

The first possible option is requiring any player who loses his helmet to sit out one play.  The second is a personal foul penalty and a 15 yard mark off.  The 15 yard penalty could be used as a deterrent for teams to just give a player a helmet but to make sure that the helmet fits properly.  One or both could be adopted by the National Federation and if either happens would  be put into effect next football season.

The NFL has learned in the past few years from some of their retired veterans that brain damage is very possible any time there is contact helmet to helmet,  Lowering of the head at any time could cause injury.  How can you tell whether your helmet is on tight like it should be.  If a football helmet is fitted properly then when a player takes off his helmet he should have a red spot on his forehead.

We all want to see the very best possible game when we watch but the one thing we should all shutter at any time a player is injured regardless of which side that players plays. Safety should be priority #1 for all of us.

Friday night Rocky Mount will travel to South Central and for both the boys and girls this is one of those where do we stand in regards to any playoff possibilities.  Last year Rocky Mount girls lost three of the four games that they lost all season to South Central including the Sectional finals.  The boys beat South Central twice during the regular season by lost in the Regional semi's to the Falcons.

Will be at the Tar River Childrens Chorus Christmas Concert Friday  but will blog after wards  and should have the scores to the games.