As the National Football League (NFL) season unfolds, one underlying issue plaguing the league remains largely unfixed. The NFL’s concussion problem still looms showing some concerning possible effects for retired players. In the past, the league has experimented with different solutions to combat rising concussion rates, but many have proven to be ineffective as numbers continue to rise. 

With rising cases of post-concussion effects in former players, large concerns are beginning to arise throughout the league and beyond. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease, was found in the brains of 345 former NFL players. Doctors can only diagnose the disease after someone is dead, making it hard for them to study how it is affecting NFL players today. CTE causes brain cells to die off and creates many symptoms in former players, including impaired judgment and in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts. 

Though increasing concussion rates lead to higher numbers of CTE diagnoses, CTE is primarily caused by repeated hard hits to the head even if concussions aren’t suffered as a result of the hit. 

Dr. Daniel Danshavar, an assistant professor from the Harvard Medical School said in an interview with Scripps News in 2023 that it’s not just games that cause concerns. 

“Over two-thirds of head impacts for a football player occur in practice, typically,” Danshavar said. “And so, if we eliminate half of the head impacts that occur in practices, we could decrease the risk of CTE for an average, say, offensive linemen, by about 50% over eight years.”

In the 2024 season, the NFL implemented a new kickoff style to decrease injuries from high-speed collisions. With teams starting in new formations with designated kicking zones, plays become safer and the overall rate of kickoff concussions drops.

In terms of helmet construction, biomechanics engineers test NFL helmets in the same way car engineers examine car crash tests. Using data from hard hits in games, scientists constructed a helmet that is safest for high-level play. Each season, the NFL also bans certain types of helmets they deem unsafe, as an assurance that safety is a top priority. 

The most notable form of protection against concussions is the guardian cap, a soft-shelled pad worn over a player’s helmet. Players were required to wear the caps during training camp practices throughout the offseason and can opt to wear caps in a game for the first time in the 2024 season. The guardian cap was first introduced in 2015 but ended up being ineffective and often broke off players’ helmets. Since then, scientists working with the NFL have improved the cap. NFL Executive President Jeff Miller said that guardian caps have contributed to a nearly 50% reduction in concussions during training camp. 

In 2017, former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found hanging from the end of his bed sheet in his prison cell at 3 a.m. Hernandez had recently been found not guilty in a double homicide case he was involved in, and his suicidal thoughts remained. A scan of his brain during his autopsy showed brain atrophy, damage to the frontal lobe and large portions of black spots.

Ann McKee, the head of Boston University’s CTE center, examined Hernandez’s brain and found worrisome results.

“We’ve never seen this in our 468 brains,” McKee said, “except in individuals some 20 years older.”

Tua Tagovailoa, the current quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, has suffered three concussions in two years, but more concerning is his reactions on the field to the concussions. He has gone unconscious for multiple seconds, needing to be carted off of the field and garnering large concern from fans and the league. Tagovailoa has said repeatedly that he refuses to retire at this point in his career yet many medical experts urge him to do so. Despite demands from experts and fans, Tagovailoa also refuses to wear the guardian cap in-game, citing his reason as “personal choices.” 

Concussion expert Dr Julian Bailes advised Tagovailoa to retire given his injuries. 

“If you have three or more concussions in a finite period, then that’s consideration for pause,” Bailes said. 

After successfully implementing the guardian cap, the league should take further steps to mandate it throughout the league to reduce further concussions and head injuries. The only drawback of this solution would be the aesthetics of the helmet, but if the league prioritizes the safety of the players, smaller issues like this shouldn’t matter. Data shows that there is a direct correlation between a reduction in concussions and players using guardian caps. If the NFL wants to maintain the notion of protecting its players, it needs to examine the concussion issue closely and strengthen the rules surrounding it. Far too many players are experiencing the consequences of concussions after their careers are over and that will only continue to increase if leniency in the rules remains.