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First Recommendations
New England Journal of Medicine recommends that football players leave the sport after suffering three concussions. -
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Concussion studies
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More Recommendations
The Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports recommends that any concussive event with transitory loss of consciousness requires removal from play and monitoring. -
Second Impact Syndrome Identified
Second Impact Syndrome is identified (although not so-named in 1984), whereby a subsequent impact to a concussed brain leads to severe swelling. Forty football players have died of this syndrome. -
Another Study
UVA and other institutions study college football players who had suffered MTBIs (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury), determining that they experienced long-term pathological damage. UVA also concludes that a player who had suffered one concussion was more likely to suffer another one, especially if the first was treated poorly. -
Concussion Grading Guidelines Implemented
Dr. Cantu of the American College of Sports Medicine publishes the Concussion Grading Guidelines (which are updated in 2001). -
NCAA Implements Head Injury Safety Guidelines For All Sports
The NCAA implements across-the-board head injury safety guidelines for all sports, including criteria to protect players even remotely suspected of having sustained concussions. NCAA football also creates strict return-to-play criteria for football players suspected of suffering head injuries. -
(NFL Response) NFL creates MTBI Committee
NFL creates the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) Committee to research and study the effects of MTBI on NFL players. NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue appoints Dr. Elliot Pellman, a paid team trainer with no specialized training relating to concussions, to lead the committee. Current commissioner Roger Goodell was VP and COO at the time. -
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NFL's response
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New Study Conducted
UNC National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research conducts a study of 18,000 collegiate and high school football players showing that a player suffering one concussion was three times more likely to suffer another one in the same season. -
Poll of Former NFL Players
Poll of 1,094 former NFL players shows 60% had sustained a concussion, while 26% had sustained three or more. Fifteen percent had suffered five or more. -
Deceased NFL Players suffered from CTE
Dr. Omalu examined the brain tissue of deceased NFL players and determined that the players suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). His work was published in Neurosurgery. -
(NFL Response)
The MTBI Committee asks Neurosurgery to retract Dr. Omalu’s work. -
Two More New Studies
NCAA study of 2,905 football players showed that those who have suffered a concussion are more susceptible for up to seven to ten days post-injury. The UNC Center for the Study of Retired Athletes also did a study showing a link between multiple concussions and depression among former players with a history of concussions. -
(NFL Response)
MTBI Committee releases first findings on active players, stating that concussions had no long-term negative health consequences. -
(NFL Response)
MTBI Committee publishes a report stating that there was no risk of repeated concussions in players with previous concussions and no seven to ten day window of increased susceptibility. Also, the committee releases a paper in December Neurosurgery on testing 655 players and concluding that NFL players did not show a decline in brain function after suffering concussions, as well as no ill effects for those who experienced three or more. -
UNC Center Follow-up Study
UNC Center for the Study of Retired Athletes follow-up study shows a connection between concussions, brain impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease in retired NFL players. -
(NFL) Response
MTBI Committee concludes that “Return to play [from concussions] does not involve a significant risk of a second injury either in the same game or during the season.” -
Dr. Guskiewicz Does Another Follow-up Study
Dr. Guskiewicz performs follow up study of 2,550 former players and determines that players with three or more concussions were five times more likely to have mild cognitive impairment than players without a history of concussions. -
(NFL Response)
MTBI Committee rejects all findings put forth by Drs. Guskiewicz, Cantu, Omalu, and Bailes at a concussion summit for all team doctors and trainers. The committee denies that CTE had ever been scientifically documented in football players. -
Published Survey-Based Report Finds Correlation
UNC Center for the Study of Retired Athletes publishes survey-based reports detailing a correlation between dementia, depression, and other cognitive impairment in NFL players and how many concussions they suffered. -
(NFL Response)
The NFL publishes a pamphlet to players stating that “Current research with professional athletes has not shown that having more than one or two concussions leads to permanent problems if each injury is managed properly.” Meanwhile, the MTBI committee denies that CTE has ever been documented in football players. Dr. Casson of the MTBI committee also states on television that there was no link between concussions and depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or “anything like [that] whatsoever.” -
(NFL Response)
The NFL distances themselves from the study they commissioned, calling it incomplete and inconclusive. -
Study Finds CTE in Two More Deceased NFL Players
Boston University study by Dr. Ann McKee finds CTE in two more deceased NFL players. She stated that the simplest way to reduce CTE in contact sports was to decrease the amount of concussions. Also, An NFL-commissioned study of 1,000 former players, conducted by experts at the University of Michigan found a heightened occurrence of Alzheimer’s and memory related diseases, including a rate 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30-49. -
(NFL Response)
Dr. Casson of the MTBI committee tells members of Congress at a hearing in Detroit that “[t]here is not enough valid, reliable or objective scientific evidence at present to determine whether or not repeat head impacts in professional football result in long term brain damage.” -
Link Between Multiple Concussions and ALS.
Scientists discover a link between multiple concussions and ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). New England Journal of Medicine article describes the consequences of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), which include CTE, early-onset Alzheimer’s. -
(NFL Response)
NFL changes the MTBI Committee to the “Head, Neck, and Spine Medical Committee,” and replaces its chairmen. The NFL’s new committee admits the work done by the MTBI committee was “infected.” Co-chairman Dr. Batjer says that the MTBI committee had an “inherent conflict of interest” that “was not acceptable by any modern standards.” -
Dr. Omalu says “We have known about concussions and the effects of concussions in football for over a century.”
Dr. Omalu tells members of Congress at a forum in Texas that “We have known about concussions and the effects of concussions in football for over a century.” -
(NFL Response)
Dr. Berger of the NFL’s new committee says that there was “no science” in the MTBI Committee’s long-term study.