The push for national concussion legislation continues throughout the United States. In the spring of 2010, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to 44 U.S. Governors to encourage them to push for concussion legislation to protect young athletes in their states:
“Given our experience at the professional level, we believe a similar approach is appropriate when dealing with concussions in all youth sports. That is why the NFL and its clubs urge you to support legislation that would better protect your state’s young athletes by mandating a more formal and aggressive approach to the treatment of concussions.” – Roger Goodell
There are three main tenets of “ideal” concussion legislation:
1. To mandate educational outreach to coaches, parents and athletes;
2. To mandate immediate removal from play of any athlete who sustains a concussion or who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with the injury AND to only allow those athletes to return to physical activity after receiving written clearance from an appropriate health care provider who is trained in concussion management
3. To require parents to sign an acknowledgment form prior to allowing their child to play contact sport. Parent acknowledges receiving information on concussion and acknowledges concussion risks involved with sport.
The current state of the legislative effort is highlighted on the map below. States blue in color have since passed concussion legislation, yellow states have partial concussion legislation, red states have pending concussion legislation, while grey states do not have concussion legislation. Click on a state to learn about concussion laws in that state.
Click here to find out about the push for national legislation, led by New Jersey Congressman William Pascrell (D-NJ8): Washington D.C. Legislation.
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