The Problem with Football: How to Make It Safer

Far too many of us, it turns out. To improve player safety, all youth coaches should be trained in a concussion-management program approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and be certified before strapping a whistle around their neck. Make coaches carry a concussion card that shows they're aware of the risks and aren't idiotic enough to unleash two 8-year-old heads on each other. "If you're going to coach football, you should be trained — like a lifeguard sitting over a swimming pool learning CPR," says Turley, the former NFL offensive lineman and concussion-prevention advocate. "Because that's what they are — they're lifeguards.

Youth coaches must also rethink tackling technique. One method that has received positive reviews is the "Dip 'n' Rip," taught by a former UCLA defensive back named Bobby Hosea. Hosea instructs kids to wind back their arms and explode up with their hips while going in for a hit. Such a movement causes the head to rock away from oncoming traffic. One convert to Hosea's method is Mike Kulow, a veteran youth coach who says his Murrieta, Calif., Pop Warner league, which has 450 players, witnessed only one whiplash injury this past season. "Man, do I wonder, if I had this education about the consequences in the past, could I have curbed injury?" asks Kulow. "Absolutely." (See TIME's football covers.)

4. Change the culture. Listen to the logic of A.J. Hatfield, a stud fullback from Port Angeles, Wash. During a practice in October, his head was knocked against the ground. Hatfield felt dizzy and developed a splitting headache. Did he tell his coaches about his condition? "Nah," Hatfield says. "I didn't want to seem like I was being a baby." He played the next day — and struggled to stay awake afterward. He received a concussion diagnosis. Oh yeah, Hatfield is in the eighth grade. Luckily, he swears he learned his lesson.

Bravery. Bravado. Machismo. These qualities create superior football players. But they can be poisonous. "You've got to change the culture, change the mentality," says Turley. "This whole archaic notion that football is everything, all these stupid things coaches go around saying, comparing football to the military ... It's not."

The euphemistic lexicon that pervades locker-room culture — calling punishing hits "dings" or being knocked unconscious "getting your bell rung" — has contributed to a perception that the problem isn't serious. "We need to use more medical terms here, as opposed to slang," says Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae, president of the NFL Players Association. "The language makes light of the situation." (See pictures of the Arizona Cardinals.)

The actions of the media can also influence the football culture. Over the past few years, the television networks have toned down the glorification of violent collisions, which is a positive development. Yet during the Jan. 24 telecast of the NFC championship game, Fox repeatedly replayed images of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre being brutalized. The most powerful media outlet in sports, ESPN, should set the standard for concussion awareness. "I think that's fair," says Chris Berman, ESPN's lead football studio host. "We've done it and will be a little more cognizant of the fact that a 10-second comment, for a 13-year-old or high school player watching, might be helpful." Let's see if he keeps his word.

The Last Hit
The momentum for change is strong. Last spring, for example, the state of Washington passed the Lystedt Law, named for Zackery Lystedt, who as a 13-year-old played with a concussion during a 2006 game. Lystedt collapsed after the game. His brain hemorrhaged, he went into a monthlong coma, and he remains paralyzed on one side of his body. The law requires that all youth athletes suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury during a practice or game must sit out and may not return to play unless cleared by a licensed medical provider trained in concussion management. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Florida are among the states considering similar legislation. "I believe we're reaching a tipping point," says Richard Adler, a Seattle lawyer who was instrumental in designing the Lystedt Law. (See more about football.)

Meanwhile, more players are becoming enlightened. Once again, consider those tortured looks from Hadley, the Colgate senior who was shocked by the images of damaged brains of dead football players. Hadley loves football and doesn't regret a single hit or his four concussions. He holds a warrior bond with his fellow players. "It's bothering me that I'm telling you all this," Hadley says after outlining his concussion history and explaining how he decided to play through headaches until he couldn't remember the plays. "It's like I'm betraying a fraternity," he says.

Hadley's veneer is strong but no longer impenetrable. Though not quite big enough for the NFL, Hadley has thought about pursuing a pro-football career in Europe's minor leagues. However, after reading about football's potential cognitive consequences and seeing all that tau, he's reconsidering that career move. He'll either pursue the dream of playing pro football or give his long-term health first priority. At least he's thinking about it. Perhaps the football fixing has begun.

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