The NFL has made strides in curbing its ever dangerous concussion problem, but the league still has work to do.
That’s not necessarily by fault of its own, but the league revealed Friday that 281 concussions were diagnosed during the 2017 season. Not only is that an increase from 2016, it’s the highest registered total in the six years the NFL tracked concussion totals.
If you were the NFL and wanted to put a positive spin on the numbers, you’d likely argue those totals are proof awareness is at an all-time high, and the measures put in place to monitor concussions are working.
But it’s obviously a number the NFL would rather see decreasing.
“Certainly we’re disappointed that the concussion numbers are up,” NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills said on a conference call, per Pro Football Talk. “It’ something that challenges us to roll up our sleeves and work hard to see that number come down. We take this as a challenge because we’re not going to be satisfied until we drive that number much lower.”
The concussion issue isn’t just limited to games, either. Between the preseason and regular season, 56 of the documented concussions came during practices, which also represents the highest six-year total. And that’s despite ongoing efforts to make practices safer with strict regulations on practice time and limits on padded practices.
