Marcellus Wiley, Jim McMahon, and Jeremy Newberry are just a few of the thousands of former professional football players who recently agreed on a $765 million settlement with the NFL over long-term disabilities engendered by multiple sustained concussions. Hockey players, though not as heavily publicized, have followed in their own litigious footsteps as well. Many coming from previous, less technologically-savvy generations divulge their frustrations from lack of knowledge and sometimes poor judgment throughout their careers via these lawsuits.
A concussion occurs when a high-velocity collision involving a vicious blow to the head leads to confusion and temporary unconsciousness or incapacity. It is not uncommon to come across players who willingly admit they’ve been concussed multiple times during a single game. Short-term effects from concussions, such as memory loss, are not as much of a concern as the possible health issues that come in later years or decades. The lawsuit presented against the NFL involves numerous players diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This progressive degenerative disease directly impairs the brain and leads to severe cases of memory loss.
Jim McMahon and his girlfriend, Laurie Navon, interviewed with ESPN, providing McMahon’s experiences since retirement from football.
“He does forget things,” noted Navon. “He’ll ask you a question, and 20 minutes later, he will ask you the same question. Initially, I thought he was joking, but he wasn’t.”
Other cases of players living with intense migraines each day are also documented. In the most severe cases, players have committed suicide with post-mortem tests linking their deaths to unbearable ailments triggered by repeated blows to the head. At least five players, including star linebacker Junior Seau, have cut their lives short since 2011. After examining Seau’s brain, the National Institutes of Health found that he suffered from CTE. It is imperative to note the swift progression of this disease. Following retirement from a career with longevity and unparalleled success in 2010, he took his own life just two years later on May 2, 2012.
Roger Goodell and Gary Bettman, Commissioners of the NFL and NHL respectively, incessantly emphasize their commitment to making sure player safety is their top priority. Innovative rules, such as the shift of kickoffs from the 40 yard line to the 30 in football and the prohibition and heavy penalization of headshots in hockey reflect progress in the right direction; however, there remains a long road ahead.
Because a team’s medical staff is only alerted when an ostensibly egregious play has taken place – usually leaving the player in a dangerously precarious position – it is almost impossible to determine the precise amount of concussions one has sustained without a more objective measure.
Taking a player’s word in the heat of the moment is not acceptable; and can lead to the player saying whatever will get him back on the field.
A new development with the potential to revolutionize the testing methods has recently surfaced. Tabbed the ICEdot Crash Sensor, this product merges the quandary on concussions with the explosion in the popularity of smartphones. The Crash Sensor is a device that attaches to any helmet and detects motion, changes in force, and impacts. It’s an app compatible, with the iPhone 4s and all versions beyond, Low Energy Bluetooth enabled devices running 4.3 or later, and Samsung’s running 4.4.2 accompanies the device, that allows the aforementioned detections to be quantified.
The ICEdot Crash Sensor – crafted by Biju Thomas and SenseTech – goes above and beyond the norm. This state-of-the-art innovation provides a sense of security we have yet to encounter. In any type of athletic atmosphere, the evidence of head injury provided by the Crash Sensor prevents individuals from succumbing to the pressure from society to stoically play through the pain. Potential dissenters, including stalwart players who take pride in overcoming physical obstacles – including injuries – must realize that this product is not designed to hinder them, but more so to ensure long-term health. The altruistic players who would be more compliant in accepting beneficial inventions similar to this, understand that it not only positively affects them by enhancing their future quality of life but also those surrounding them, especially their families.
This product maximizes the likelihood that each individual player will be competent and still functioning well enough to act as a fitting spouse and father for years, even decades after retirement. Although implementing the Crash Sensor is better than the alternative, ICEdot accentuates that wearing one does not make an individual injury proof, but rather more cognizant of his level of danger.
“It can’t prevent something from happening, but it can ensure he gets the help he needs,” assures the ICEdot endorsement video:
A successful trial run with two of the most violent sports, football and hockey, combined with the adaption to fit those that don’t require helmets, could lead to the extension of the Crash Sensor into less violent sports that still need revisions in their safety measures. Soccer, for instance, is a sport distinguished by excessive and unwarranted flopping, and faking of injuries. With all the artificial tactics done in desperation to get a desired call, the audience can quickly neglect the fact that real injuries do transpire. In the World Cup, Germany’s Christoph Kramer, suffered a concussion and was subsequently thrust back into the action just minutes after.
“I can’t really remember much of the game,” Kramer admitted to the German newspaper Die Welt, after his team came out victorious in the World Cup championship. “I don’t know anything at all about the first half. I thought later that I left the game immediately after the tackle. I have no idea how I got to the changing rooms. I don’t know anything else. In my head the game starts from the second half.”
Going forward, commissioners of the different professional leagues could prudently employ the ICEdot crash sensor, not only as a mechanism to improve player safety, but also as a public relations tool to bolster the image of the league; and serve as a stronger defense in litigious accusations from players that claim they were not properly informed about concussions while playing.