By A.J. Green, Miami Vice Wide Receiver
Edited by Kyle Grant, Miami Vice Public Relation Writer

MIAMI – Player’s safety has been a number one concern of the National Football League for the last few years. The NFL has become stricter on officiating calls to protect a defenseless player.

A few years ago I received a concussion in the last week of the 2015 season against the Pittsburgh Steelers leading me to miss a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts the week following. Luckily, the league started a concussion protocol and I was immediately placed under it after the play.

The protocol is implemented into the league to stop players from lying about their injuries and risking worsening of the injury. If it wasn’t for the protocol I probably would have went back out onto the field trying to help my team win the game. Or yet, I could’ve been ruled healthy for the playoff game.

Second Impact Syndrome, or SIS, is when a person sustains a second concussion when the first one has not fully healed. This leads to the brain losing its ability to properly function. No matter how minor the second concussion is it increases the risk of death. SIS has a 90% mortality rate.

If I would’ve played in the playoff game, I could’ve fallen victim to SIS. An injury more severe than the first concussion and it could have impacted my football career and my life if the NFL did not have this protocol.

Due to the recent and past discoveries about chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, improved equipment and improved equipment research needs have taken place in the NFL in order to protect its athletes.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease thought to be caused, at least in part, by repetitive brain trauma, including concussive and subconcussive injuries. CTE is a brain disease that causes the brain mass to deteriorate. The main problem with CTE is that it can only be diagnosed post-mortem, or after death.

Before it can even be diagnosed the brain and the body will begin to show symptoms that could declare one suffering from the disease. CTE could result in executive dysfunction, memory impairment, poor impulse control, depression and suicide, and eventually dementia.

Because of this the NFL has been hit with a basket of lawsuits in regards to player’s health after retirement. This concern has affected football with current and future issues.

Surprise early retirements are becoming the new norm in the NFL. Some notable players that have recently retired are Calvin Johnson, Jerod Mayo, and Marshawn Lynch. All players in their low thirties and had promising futures in the NFL. In 2011, five NFL players retired by the age of 30. In 2015, the total was more than four times that reaching to about 20 players.

With a problematic issue like this football around the country could see a decline in the number of participants to play the sport. The NFL has put a lot of time and money into the issue to better protect the players on the field to allow for a healthier future.

Remember you only have one brain…