Schakowsky Statement On NFL, NFLPA Agreement on Concussion Protocol Enforcement

CHICAGO - Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) reached an agreement on a policy to enforce concussion protocol:

“I was very pleased to see that the NFL reached an agreement with the NFL Players Association to do more to protect the safety of their players by enforcing the NFL Game Day Concussion Protocol, including disciplining clubs that violate it. The Game Day Concussion Protocol will help to ensure that concussions are properly diagnosed and that players receive the treatment they need before returning to the game. However, we will only know how well this new procedure is being implemented once the football season starts.

“While this is a welcome change, it is certainly not the only thing the NFL should be doing to protect its players. This new policy won’t address sub-concussive hits in any way, which can cause Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Earlier this year at a roundtable hosted by the Energy and Commerce Committee, I raised my concerns over the NFL’s continued effort to hide the truth about the dangers associated with football. I asked the NFL if there is a link between football and CTE, which is caused the repeated sub-concussive blows to the head. For the first time ever, the NFL admitted that there is a link; despite their fierce denials up until that point.

“While I applaud the NFL for reaching an agreement with the NFL Players Association to enforce the Game Day Concussion Protocol, it’s important to remember that this is not the end of the road. There is still much work to be done to truly understand the dangers associated with playing football and to better protect the health of its players.”

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