Changes For High School Football Players With Head Injuries
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Posted: 7:27 AM Oct 10, 2008
Changes For High School Football Players With Head Injuries
After the deaths of three North Carolina high school football players the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is taking action.
Reporter: Dave Jordan
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After the deaths of three North Carolina high school football players, including Jaquan Waller from J.H. Rose in Greenville, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is taking action.

Waller and one of the other players died from head injuries. New safeguards will keep players with head injuries off the field.

A medical panel for the association said that athletes suspected of suffering a concussion must be cleared by a physician before they can play or practice.

The committee's recommendation requiring written permission from a physician before a player can resume practice is effective immediately.

The panel also said schools need to file emergency action plans with the association detailing how they respond to player injuries.

Schools also need to certify the credentials of their athletic trainers or first-responders and have a first-responder trained.


Latest Comments

Posted by: deadfish Location: nc on Oct 16, 2008 at 08:48 PM

Soccer Player: Since you claim to know everything start enumerating. Secondly had many head blows/tackles Mr. Jaquan Walker had? WHY there weren't any EMT's at the game? What is the policy regarding that? I'll be waiting for your answers... Thank you
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Posted by: Soccer Player Location: Greenville on Oct 15, 2008 at 06:17 PM

Wow, all of you sound as if you don't know the whole story. Jaquan Waller got a mild concussion, either a grade one or a grade two. For those who don't know, the symptoms of a Grade 1 concussion are dizziness or "rung bell," which happens to me usually once a soccer game, either by heading the ball or being hit by it. A Grade 2 has the same symptoms as a grade one, but also includes a knot on the head. You can't tell me that you go to the doctor every time you hit your head hard. By the way, at the game, there were no EMTs around. They had to wait for them to show up.
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Posted by: deadfish Location: nc on Oct 14, 2008 at 03:57 PM

geez: With ALL due respect you are naive... There are a lot of EMT's around. Anybody can perform CPR. Assessing a player after a concussion is totally a different situation. That's what got us to this predicament/debate which is to provide these EMT's the training needed to protect the players. Another technique is the cooling saline administration method done to the Buffalo Bills player when he sustained a back injury during a game. Thanks to the technique that player is able to walk and resume a normal life.
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