Head injuries or concussions during football games are becoming a nation wide epidemic throughout many high schools. This is an injury that once was not taken very seriously by many football athletes over the past years. A concussion is a common type of traumatic brain injury, frequently suffered in sports that involve a lot of contact such as football. Concussions also come with memory loss and serious long term affects that have been revealed through medical studies.

The National Football League also known as the NFL is trying to reduce the number of concussions suffered by the players in many ways. One of the solutions the league is taking is to start fining their players that are causing the concussion. Concussions occur by the head to head collisions between two players or players leading with their head through the tackle. Any unnecessary hits made by any player will have to deal with the consequences the league is distributing. Many of the players that have received the fines by the league are complaining about the fines because some of these hits are not unavoidable.

Atlanta Falcons cornerback, Dunta Robinson said to the media, “The league needs to give us a break. We’re grown men going full speed at each other. Accidents are going to happen.”

High school students need to take this injury extremely serious. Spring Valley High School has not received new helmets or pads for seven years since the school opened. Head football coach Marcus Teal of Spring Valley High School football team said “We haven’t received helmets for several years but they go through inspections every year.” This could be a disadvantage to the last year user of the helmet. The helmets have to go through an inspection to be used every year, but we shouldn’t risk our players with just an inspection. Helmets can get worn out after every hit or tackle that is made with them.

Spring Valley high school student Casey Taravella suffered a concussion during a scrimmage in the 2010 season. He said, “Ever since my concussion, I get dizzy and get headaches often.” If possible, Spring Valley should receive new helmets every year for the safety of all the players.