The NCAA, Concussions, and the Lack of Concern for Athletes

For most of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) showed little concern for football brain injuries and concussions. It began with the creation of the NCAA (1905–6) and its new Football Rules Committee failing to effectively address the issue following the death of a Union College football player from a cerebral hemorrhage suffered in a pile-up during a 1905 game with New York University. Five months later, new football rules were introduced ostensibly to create a safer game. No specific rules were created to reduce brain concussions or recurring brain injuries, such as requiring doctors to be at practices and games or commanding medical staff to not allow athletes to reenter games or practices. The nonconcern for concussions and brain injuries continued for a century despite mounting scientific and medical evidence through the entire twentieth century that action by collegiate authorities should be taken. There is evidence that NCAA and institution officials were concerned that efforts to make the game safer might detract from the game's collision component, which drew fans and made football the most important sport in colleges. The century-long tradition of prioritizing profits and popularity over the health and safety of college football players continued even as lawsuits multiplied

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