Tag Archives: proactive
Did Borland Make the Right Call? You Bet He Did
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland made the right call when he retired from the NFL. Never mind that he was one of the league’s top rookies last year. He knew it was time.
Underpinning his decision was Borland awareness of the great risk he was taking by continuing to play.
We know so much more about concussions than we did five years ago. We know that the tiny hits players can take in youth, high school and college football can add up. More importantly, we know that concussions affect athletes differently.
Borland, 24, told ESPN’s Outside the Lines: “I just honestly want to do what’s best for my health. From what I’ve researched and what I’ve experienced, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
His decision took a lot foresight, especially since he told the media outlet that he was as “sharp as I’ve ever been. For me, it’s wanting to be proactive. I’m concerned that if you wait ’til you have symptoms, it’s too late. … There are a lot of unknowns. I can’t claim that X will happen. I just want to live a long, healthy life, and I don’t want to have any neurological diseases or die younger than I would otherwise.”
Posted in College, Football, General, Professional
Tagged proactive, retirement
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NFL, USA Football Spin Story for Parenting Writers, Bloggers with Forum on Heads Up Football
Last week, the NFL and USA Football hosted more than 40 bloggers and writers who focus on health and parenting issues for an open forum on USA Football and its Heads Up Football initiative.
Clearly, the NFL and USA Football were very proud of their public relations initiative.
The league notified Journalists that participants in the Forum “learned more about the program, its progress in its pilot year, and plans to expand the program in its second year.”
Speakers included USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football Player Safety Coach Michael Brandt, Sandi Brown, the parent of a youth football player participating in Heads Up Football, and Jeff Miller, NFL Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy.
DR. Elizabeth Pieroth, PSY.D., ABPP, Head Injury Consultant, Chicago Bears; Neuropsychologist, NorthShore University HealthSystem then “lead the group in a discussion on youth sports safety, where bloggers shared their feedback on the difficulties of implementing change in their communities; the pressures on youth athletes to excel at sports at increasingly younger ages; qualified medical personnel on sidelines at youth sporting events; and the risk and reward of sports participation.“
The NFL even found someone, Jessica Cohen—a blogger from Found the Marbles—to say the league “understands the popularity of its sport and has accepted this as a social responsibility to take on the difficult topics of total health and safety. The bottom line is that in addition to all of the incredible work that the NFL and USA Football are doing with regards to youth health and safety, parent and player involvement is vital to the reduction of concussions.”
Posted in Football, High School, Professional
Tagged nfl, proactive, public opinion, public relations
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