Reflection- In the beginning when i submitted my inquiry proposal, I knew there would

be abundance of information on this topic. Throughout researching i found out that there
is a lot of stuff that deals with concussions. I found out that there are so many cases
happened and still going on today. My self assessment of my ABs are that i do believe
they contain all the necessary information, and follow what the rubric was looking for. If
I had to give an overall averaged grade for all of them i would say around a 90 or a little
better. I believe that they all met the necessary components in the rubric, but i probably
left out some levels of thinking on some of them in places.

Goldberg, Daniel. Concussions, Professional Sports, and Conflicts of Interest: Why the
National Football Leagues Current Policies are Bad for Its (Players) Health.
HEC Forum Volume 20 Number 4 (2008): 337.

This article goes in depth to examine the controversy surrounding concussions in the
NFL. It goes onto examine the history of mTBI in the NFL, which is affecting many
different players over several decades. It is stated that when a player develops mTBI, they
can have neuropathological effects that have been linked to former players committing
suicide, along with having a changed state of mind. Within the article, Dr. Goldberg
suggests that the NFLs policies on concussions should be evaluated and examined closer.
He compares it to the boxing commissions guidelines on not letting a fighter fight after
suffering from a concussions. The issue is brought up stating that not all necessary
precautions have been taken when a player suffers from a concussion. Players have
possibly been sent back out on the field to soon, with not enough time to recover, and it is
leaving them more susceptible to more injuries. In suggesting the measures that need to
be taken Dr. Goldberg states that The educational efforts should either originate from or
at least be reviewed and supervised by outside educators and ethicists that are unaffiliated
with the NFL or any of its teams. This is suggested to lend an unbiased hand in keeping
more players from facing more serious injuries.
The article, Concussions, Professional Sports, and Conflicts of Interest: Why the
National Football Leagues Current Policies are Bad for Its (Players) Health was
written by Dr. Daniel Goldberg, Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine. This article was
designed to serve a purpose of bringing the issues that is surrounding the NFL to peoples
attention so that something may be done about it. The projected target audience for this
piece was meant to be the higher up office of the NFL. The purpose for this article was to
inform about what is going on, and what is really happening. It was used to open eyes to
what should be done about this.

Other quotes: Protective equipment can ameliorate but cannot eliminate the risk of
future concussions.
First, extensive education for both retired and current players is needed regarding issues
of mTBI and TBI. Such education should be forthright about the links between mTBI and
long-term neuropathology as well as the clinical uncertainty and novelty of concussion
science.
Analysis: This piece really brings key issues to light in the big issue of concussions in the
NFL. It provides excellent information and brings possibly unknown cases to the eye of
the reader. It was not an extremely difficult read, but it contained a lot of information that
required you to pay close attention. This piece fits right into my topic, and has a lot of
information that I can use in my thesis.

Pellman, Elliot. Concussion in Professional Football: Summary of the Research

Conducted by the National Football Leagues Committee on Mild Traumatic
Brain Injury. Medscape, Neurosurg Focus 2006. Web. 26 March 2016.

Elliot Pellman goes into the findings when the NFL conducted a comprehensive clinical
and biomechanical research study of mild traumatic brain injury. This case study
happened when a NFL player, Al Toon, retired because of post concussion syndrome. A
committee of experts from both inside and outside of the NFL was developed to research
these injuries. Members of this committee collected and analyzed injury data to give them
the best information. The article discusses the safety such as helmets, and goes into depth
about tackling techniques that are unsafe and could lead to TBI. This article focused a lot
on safety, and the best way to prevent these head traumas from occuring. The author
Elliot Pellman, Medical Doctor, claims that The newer headgear reduces concussion risk
by using thicker and more energy-absorbing padding on the side and back of the helmets
and around the ears. This is showing that throughout the research that has been
conducted, it has shown that there are things to be done that can reduce the risk for
football players of falling susceptible to TBIs.
The article Concussion in Professional Football: Summary of the Research Conducted
by the National Football Leagues Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury was
written as an informative article to show people what the effects of this injury has, and

also what can be done in preventing it. This article contained a large variety of facts that
were intended for people of the NFL to see to keep players safe, and to try and do
everything they can to keep players from suffering the effects reported in this study.
Other Quotes: Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
estimated that the number of mild TBIs has reached 300,000 cases per year in all sports.
The most common initial symptoms for players who sustained concussions were
headaches, dizziness, memory problems, cognitive problems, and somatic complaints.
The postconcussion syndrome follows head injury that is usually mild, and consists of
any combination of the symptoms and signs that occur after mild TBI.
Analysis- My analysis of this read is that it contained a lot of very valuable information.
It had a lot of medical terms which made it not as easy of a reading, but it was still not
extremely difficult to read. I believe it has a lot of facts that I will be able incorporate into
my thesis paper.

Stong, Colby. Concussion May Lead to High Depression Rate in Retired NFL Players.
Neurology Reviews. Vol. 21 Issue 6 (2013): p1

In this article, the writer examines side effects of what can be caused by a concussion.
The main point used is that former and current players who have suffered concussions are
facing depression, such as sadness, feelings of worthless- ness or self-criticism, and
suicidal thoughts as side effects from concussions. Dr. Didehbani, a research psychologist
at the Center for BrainHealth, University of Texas at Dallas, was quoted in this article
saying concussions were related to cognitive symptoms of depression, and it is possible
that the high endorsement of somatic symptoms may be related to pain or other factors."
To support these claims within the article, Stong showed a case study of 30 retired NFL
players who suffered concussions. The study showed that these players who suffered
concussions were more susceptible and suffering from different forms of concussions.
The author stated at the end of the piece, that more people needed to be educated on these
conditions, so that more can be done to help these players.
The article, Concussion May Lead to High Depression Rate in Retired NFL Players
shows the results of a study describing the effects concussions have had on players.
Written in 2013, these effects have been ongoing and were finally brought to light. The
main purpose of this article was to inform people of what is happening to players as a
result of suffering concussions while playing football. I believe the target audience could
be many people that know someone who has been a football player and possibly suffered
a concussion. This information would be beneficial for them to know in being able to see
signs of this type of depression happening and allowing them to possibly help someone.
Other quotes: Concussions in the former football players were specifically related to
cognitive symptoms of depression, such as sadness, feelings of worthlessness or self-

criticism, and suicidal thoughts, reported Nyaz Didehbani, PhD, and colleagues from the
University of Texas at Dallas and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Previous research has shown that concussions can lead to cognitive and mood
disturbances, though few studies had explored the effects that may occur as players age.
Analysis- My overall analysis of this piece is that it was a fairly easy read, and was
mostly based on facts. It provided facts with research on some of the effects concussions
have. It is applicable to my thesis because it will allow me to show what some effects
concussions have based on research.

Kirk, Michael, Mike Wiser, Steve Fainaru, Mark Fainaru-Wada, and Mark Fainaru-Wada.
League of Denial: The Nfl's Concussion Crisis. , 2013.

In the documentary, League of Denial: The Nfl's Concussion Crisis, it lays out a case
against the NFL, and how they handled concussions and brain injuries. In this
documentary the reporters claim that the NFL knew about the risks associated with these
injuries. Dr. Bennet Omalu, a Pittsburgh Medical Examiner, was the medical examiner
who brought up his findings. Within his findings, Dr. Omalu states his finding of CTE in
two former players. The NFL became upset claiming that with his reports it could end
football, and they claimed that no connection were between brain injuries and football.
NFL leaders attacked the Doctors credibility in his claims. Throughout the documentary,
many players deaths were said to have been linked to brain injuries. The reporters pointed
a lot of blame at the NFL. Retired New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson stated, "The
NFL has given you 765 million reasons why you shouldn't play football." This quote was
in reference to the settlement involving the settlement, and Carson was stating in
reference to how dangerous the game of football is.

The objective of this documentary was to show evidence of what is happening to players
in the NFL. Dr. Omalu brought up evidence that made the issue of brain injuries in
football a very serious subject of discussion. When aired in 2013, the point to get across
was that former players were dying and having serious health problems from head
injuries caused by playing football. The target audience was the public so that the
evidence would be out there. This really opened a lot of peoples eyes to what was really
occuring.

Other Quotes:"I wish I never met Mike Webster. You can't go against the NFL. They'll
squash you." Dr. Omalu

"There are thousands of retired players who do not have memory problems." NFL Greg
Aiello

Analysis- This documentary was very interesting to me, which made it something easy to
watch. A lot of information was presented in it, and opened my eyes up as well to some
stuff I did not know had been going on.

What is CTE?. Protectthebrain. Brain Injury Research Institute, n.d. Web. 26 March
2016.

The article, What is CTE? is an article that discusses what exactly CTE is. Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a disease that affects peoples brain. This disease is a
big issue in the football world, saying that so many players are being affected. Within the
article, it is stated by the Brain Injury Research Institute, that this disease affects people
who have suffered multiple concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Other facts stated
within this piece, go into more depth on what happens when this disease is present. The
symptoms of CTE can have many life-long symptoms. Some of these symptoms include
loss of memory, impaired judgement, and even a gradual onset of dementia. Dr. Bennet
Omalu and Dr. Julian Bailes, Brain Injury Research Institute doctors, diagnosed the first

case of CTE in a professional football player in 2002. Dr. Omalu stated that The
condition has so far only been diagnosable through the post-mortem examination of the
brain of an individual suspected of suffering from CTE. This means that the only way
for someone to be diagnosed with CTE is after they have already passed away.

What is CTE? Was written with an educational purpose to inform people of what this
disease really is. CTE has been a relatively unheard of disease, and with this article it has
allowed for more insight into what exactly this disease is. Within this piece, the
symptoms are also stated, and what is being done to prevent this from occurring anymore.
The target audience was meant to be general people, and for them to be able to learn what
this disease is and exactly how it works.

Other Quotes: The brain of an individual who suffers from chronic traumatic
encephalopathy gradually deteriorates and will over time end up losing mass.

. An individual with CTE may mistakenly ascribe the symptoms to the normal process
of aging, or might receive a wrong diagnosis due to the fact that many of the symptoms
are similar to other conditions such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

CTE has been diagnosed in several notable cases which received widespread media
attention, including the suicide deaths of NFL player Junior Seau, and professional
wrestler Chris Benoit who committed suicide after murdering his wife and son.

Analysis: This read was one that contained a lot of good background information. It gave
me a good context of what CTE actually is. This will be able to make its way into my

thesis paper with me being able to better describe the disease that is a prominent
component of my topic.

Beck, Julie. The NFLs Continuing Concussion Nightmare. The Atlantic. The Atlantic,
21 September 2015. Web. 26 March 2016.

With football being one of the most popular sports in America, there is always extra
attention that comes along with that. This publication is about the study of CTE. Research
done on brains of 165 people who played football, and evidence of CTE was found in
131 or 79 percent of the ones studied. Julie Beck, writer for The Atlantic quotes the
statement, In the NFLs 2015 Health and Safety Report, the league reported that
concussions in regular season games have gone down by 35 percent since 2012, perhaps
partially thanks to the leagues 2013 ban on players tackling with a blow from the crown
of the head. This shows that the NFL has been able to reduce the injuries since putting in
new rules. Within the article, a lot of focus is on the safety within the league. More focus
is now being put on concussions, and new rules such as a medical timeout have been

put in, that allows for trainers to notify a referee if they believe someone needs medical
attention. The reasons for all the new safety guidelines that have come up are because of
the settlement the NFL just made with over 5,000 retired players that accused them of
hiding the risks of concussions.

The article, The NFLs Continuing Concussion Nightmare is an ongoing conversation

based off of the safety of current players along with past ones. With news coming out
about players dying from head related trauma, people want answers. This publication was
to give people insight to what is going on with the issue everyone wants to know about,
and to give the people the information that they need to know.

Other Quotes:The NFL is clearly trying to show a dedication to player safety in the
aftermath of the $1 billion settlement it made in April with more than 5,000 retired
players who claimed the league hid the risks of concussions.

Of the brains studied, 91 of them belonged to former NFL players, and 87 of those 91
(96 percent) had signs of CTE.

But because head injuries have been endemic to the sport for so long, as these new
numbers show, the league might need to make deeper changes if it wants to signal a
genuine commitment to safety.

Analysis- This was an overall good read. The difficulty was not bad, and it had a lot of
good information in it. With the information given in it I can tie it into my thesis by using
it to show some of the precautions put in place now by the NFL.

Shaw, Gina. Football Tackles Concussion Risk. WebMD. WebMD, 28 January 2013.
Web. 24 March 2016.

When a football player suffers a concussion, it is a very serious issue. The information in
this publication on concussions provides a variety of facts on the topic. Now when a
concussion occurs, doctors are more focused on what long term damage is coming from
these injuries. Gina Shaw, a 10 year healthcare writer, claimed that Research shows that
athletes who have repeated concussions are more likely to get long-term brain damage.
This is linked to CTE which is a very serious brain disease. The symptoms of
concussions such as loss of consciousness and confusion were also discussed in the
article. The NFL is also taking new precautions and putting new rules into place that are
supposed to make football a safer game. One of the main focuses in this piece is of
making sure that players are not sent back into action to soon. This is one of the main
causes of becoming injured again. The main conclusion that Shaw wanted to get across
was that if a place does not have the resources to keep all the players safe then there
should not be a program.

The conversation that is going on in this piece of writing is all of the real dangers linked
to concussions.What goes on in the conversation is not only about the dangers of
concussions, but it also focuses on safety and the best way to keep all players safe. From
my view, the target audience would be general american population in just trying to get
the information out there that could save a life.

Analysis- This article was a mid difficulty to read. It had information that i can use to
support my ideas in my thesis paper.