Adviser’s note: Congratulations to Jared on having this story nationally published on Best Of SNO!

Last fall, three high school football players died because of on-field injuries.

In March, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland retired from the game because he was worried about the “long term effects of head trauma.”

And now, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Adrian Coxson hung up his cleats on the 8th of September, citing that the next hit he takes “could possibly kill me.”

There is no hiding that there is an issue regarding player safety in the sport of football. With the main goal being to hit the opponent as hard as possible, it’s no wonder that the concussion epidemic is a huge issue.

According to the Center of Disease Control, a “bump, blow, or jolt to the head can cause a concussion, a type of traumatic brain injury.” With the number of hits in a typical NFL season, that produces a good number of concussion victims.

Although the number of concussions in an NFL season has decreased since 2013, the number is still very high. A study done by the CNN Library states that in 2014, there were “202 diagnosed concussions during preseason and regular-season practices and games combined.” Divide that by 21 weeks, and there were, on average, about nine concussions suffered each week before the playoffs.  

Concussions aren’t just an issue in the NFL. In the 2013 NCAA college football season, many players scribbled “APU” on pieces of their uniforms. As stated by ESPN, the “All Players United” acronym was used to help reform player safety.

Ramogi Huma told ESPN, “[The players are] taking the reform effort to television, which has never been done. They’ve been using their bodies to make money for the people who run NCAA sports. Now, for the first time, they’re using their bodies to push for basic protections at the very least.”

There are many things that can and need to be done to the sport to protect players of all ages.

“Number one is just proper training on tackling—using proper technique,” Michael Verdi said. Verdi, a science teacher and the linebackers coach for the football team also said, “The younger the age the better that they learn the right way to tackle.”

Next, they can get to work with helmet reform. Based on National Geographic research, the NFL has been working with the US military for help. The US Army already has “tens of thousands of sensors placed in the crown of certain soldiers’ helmets to measure the forces exerted on their heads.”

Helmet reform could drastically help prevent the epidemic. Verdi credits the lack of concussions on the high school team to the team’s helmets, saying they are “the best helmets in the area.”