His situation: the divorce papers were officially signed, his taxis were unpaid, his health was quickly worsening and he had become mentally insane. He was parked at a train station, unaware of how to find his way home. His family was puzzled and felt betrayed. The feeling of complete isolation was present but his mind, on the other hand, was not. An incoherent note he scribbled read, " ... deep, confusing, twisting fishing line tangled up mess of confusing things go on all the time." Additionally, while speaking with a doctor, he claimed to have "been in 350,000 car accidents," but these so-called "car accidents" were truly opposing players' bodies (Gordon). Purple lips and a ghostly face is how his son found him one Sunday morning. He was pronounced dead two days later at the young age of 50. While comparing his life to a tangled fishing line, the only sport to blame is in fact football. The amount of times he had taken a blow to the head is comparable to thousands of motor vehicle accidents; certain players can unleash close to 1,700 pounds of force which is equivalent to a ton of bricks falling on somebody. This specific player, a Football Hall of Fame member, is Mike Webster, and his story significantly changed football forever. Evaluating concussion data in the NFL proves that former players are dying from traumatic brain injuries, which most players and viewers do not focus on due to their love for the sport. While most reporters on the issue emphasis the need for rules and regulations to be changed, it is also imperative that awareness of the concussion crisis is raised to past, present, and future players as well.

While analyzing Webster's brain, Bennet Omalu, a neuropathologist, was the first to 

discover Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) (Gregory). Through determination and the help of other doctors, Dr. Omalu would attempt to shed light on the NFL's concussion crisis. In 2005, another popular former football player's brain was saved for Dr. Omalu to examine ("CTE: Discovery of a New Disease"). Dr. Omalu took matters into his own hands and spoke with Terry Long's wife about his symptoms. They were extremely similar to those of Webster's; although they both attempted suicide multiple times, Long drank antifreeze and successfully ended his own life. After the second similar case, Dr. Omalu began to see a trend; a trend that he dreamed of putting an end to. The disease was eventually titled CTE and the symptoms were defined ("NFL Concussions Fast Facts"). Since it is a progressive degenerate brain disease, it begins with symptoms such as memory loss, mood swings and difficulty concentrating, but CTE eventually develops into dementia and possible thoughts of suicide. Moreover, the disease may result in aggression and a lack of impulse control. The major difference between CTE and Alzheimer's is that it effects people at a much younger age such as 40-year-olds. The cause of CTE is a build up of an abnormal protein known as tau, in the brain, due to multiple hits to the head. Research has found that over 90% of former NFL players have developed CTE, but selection bias plays a slight role in this statistic; the players who suffered and their family members who wanted answers were more likely to have their brain's studied. The catch, it cannot yet be diagnosed in the living; doctors can only confirm CTE in an autopsy. Although research is currently occurring in order to diagnose it in the living, no definite findings have been made yet, therefore there is clearly no cure either. Despite all of the proof of the linkage between concussions and CTE, the NFL turned its back to the issue and denied the research. 

Similar to many research topics today, it is challenging to obtain entirely accurate 

statistics, but in terms of the concussion crisis, this task becomes even more difficult for several reasons. For starters, players do not always report their concussions in fear of not being able to play or being viewed as weak. Additionally, the NFL wishes to report on fewer concussions than the true amount in an attempt to mask the crisis as much as possible. In a recently released article "subsequent analysis confirmed that at least one hundred concussions, including some serious ones to the game's top players, were not included in the league's studies" ("Decoding the N.F.L. Database to Find 100 Missing Concussions"). The New York Times is claiming that the NFL used inaccurate data while computing their study in order to state that there is no correlation between playing football and CTE. To date, the most accurate concussion tracker is the "Concussion Watch" on Frontline since their data is from the NFL injury report, but as previously mentioned the statistics are never exact which is a problem within itself. According to this resource, from the 2012 to 2015 football seasons the concussion totals were 171, 152, 123, and 199 respectively (Frontline: Concussion Watch). The number of concussions are alerting and the confirmed number of former player's deaths due to CTE is even more appalling. In October, an eye opening study was released which revealed "87 of 91 former NFL players who donated their brains to science tested positive for the disease" (Gutierrez).  Although the NFL will not admit to concussions being related to CTE, the league has acknowledged that multiple rules need to be changed for the player's safety. In reaction to The New York Times' accusation that one hundred concussions were excluded, the NFL refuted the finding: since the 2002 season, the year of Webster's passing, the NFL has made a total of forty-two changes to the rulebook in hopes to make the sport safer (Perez). This vague statement leaves it unclear if all forty-two rules were specifically altered to avoid concussions or general safety precautions. The most recent rule change for concussion prevention purposes released by the NFL was that players who are outside of the tackle box are prohibited from lowering their heads and hitting with their helmets ("30 Years of Health & Safety Rule Changes").

Statistics are often simply numbers. In this case, every number represents a life. While 

players may be praised by their fans and the league, they are also humans like the rest of us. They have friends, parents, spouses, and/or children. Concussions are a number on record, but each concussion is one step closer to the player being driven to insanity and the suffering of their loved ones. The number of deaths in the past few years due to CTE is not only concerning but also heartbreaking. Spending hours on end to become the best player possible and live out their dream of competing in the NFL should not result in an unpreventable death. Despite the past rule changes, the concussion crisis is still relevant and has not reached a turning point quite yet. One vital rule that must be more strictly enforced is not allowing players to participate immediately after experience amnesia or poor balance. These are two pure signs of a concussion that must be taken more seriously. 

Comparable to how children break rules from their parents, teachers or specific laws, 

NFL players and coaches are not always going to play by the rules. The implementation of rules will definitely assist the crisis, especially when penalties are a consequence for breaking them, however, another factor must be added to the equation: awareness. Everyday, with more and more media attention drawn to the crisis, the NFL becomes one step closer to admitting to the relationship between concussions and CTE. March 15, 2016 marks the first time any NFL employee has acknowledged a link between the two matters. Jeff Miller, Senior Vice President for Health and Safety, proclaimed to Congress that "certainly yes" there is a link between football and CTE (Fainaru). The leagues denial was quickly visible when the Cowboys' owner declared that "it's absurd" to connect the two subjects. He asserted that "there's no data that in anyway creates a knowledge" even though there have been years of studies completed. This example displays that the more the media reports on the predicament with published research, the NFL is increasingly likely to crack. 

Meanwhile, if the NFL will not come to terms with the problem, then time cannot be 

wasted; somebody must take the initiative to raise awareness about the concussion crisis. Although the film Concussion staring Will Smith was a powerful method to expose the topic, awareness cannot stop at a Hollywood film. An organization whose goal is to spell out the dangers of concussions to players and parents of all ages is a necessity. At the young age of ten, an important stage of brain development, children are experiencing blows to the head (Waldron). This greatly increases their risk of impairing their brain. Professionals are likely to have been participating in football since their youth; it is only fair for them to be cognizant of the risks they are taking every time they experience a hit to the head. The major dilemma is players currently suffer from hysteria instead of being fully informed on the situation. Constant media coverage, films, and documentaries only worry the players; alternatively, they would benefit from the perils being conveyed directly to them.

In opposition with the solutions to the concussion crisis, there are a good amount of 

people who believe that death due to concussions in the NFL will not cease, unless football is no longer a sport. It is assumed that as long as there is contact between players, it will be impossible to correct the issue without abolishing the sport altogether, no matter how many rules are improved. A former player himself, Antwaan Randle El, views the crisis as not having an answer. In an interview, Randle El mentions that he struggles to remember certain conversations he has with his wife (McCollough). The media strongly focused on his bold declaration that if he could go back, he would play baseball instead of football because he would still be able to be playing. "I want to see my kids raised up. I want to see my grandkids," were two powerful remarks he made while reflecting on his career. Moreover, Randle El stated that there is "no correcting" the issue and "no helmet that's going to correct it." His concluding comment on the topic was that he wouldn't be shocked if football does not exist in 25 years. The depth of the concussion disaster is displayed through Randle El's deliberations and his outlooks were alarming to the public.

Randle El is living proof that action must be taken in order to prevent memory loss and 

more concerns from continuing, nonetheless he views the situation as impossible to fix. Contrarily to his belief, football is not going to discontinue as a sport. In the United States, the Super Bowl has more viewers than any other show or event every year. When visualizing America's culture, many people would include the sport of football. The NFL has a total value of 62.9 billion dollars. To put this amount into perspective, the 30 Major League Baseball teams and 30 National Basketball Association teams COMBINE are worth as much as the NFL. The likelihood of football no longer existing in twenty years is slim to none. If he could go back, Randle El would play baseball instead. He was uninformed of the major consequences that accompany the sport and is beginning to fear his fate. Ending the most popular sport is not the answer, awareness is. If players are more sensitive to the magnitude of the problem, then it is probable that they will contemplate slamming their helmet into another player's helmet. A better understanding will allow them to make their own educated decisions on how hard to hit another player. Furthermore, with knowledge of the effects concussions have, players choosing to play will be at their own risk. Nobody can blame the NFL for the death of players if they are taught the repercussions of concussions and yet decide to perform. Public-service announcements can be utilized to broadcast the dangers of constantly being hit with incredible force. Comparable to "consumption of alcoholic beverages may cause health problems" and "caution: cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health," the NFL should be required to warn their players about CTE.

Major health risks are accompanied with football and it is not acceptable to prioritize the 

business aspect over these dangers. Lawsuit after lawsuit the NFL continues to ignore the facts: CTE and football have a direct correlation. While rule changes will help reduce the opportunity for concussions, more substantial actions must be taken immediately. If the NFL will not recognize and publicize the issue in fear that the league will suffer, then an outside source must focus their attention on raising proper awareness. Former, present and future players reserve the right to be conscious of the possible outcomes competing in football has. People who are attempting to make a living from the sport should not be treated like gladiators. If the NFL continues in its current direction, then the amount of deaths due to CTE will exponentially increase. There is no question that players deserve to know they could possibly lose control of their mind from participating. All in all, the league's denial is inhumane and a stand must be taken. There have been eighty-seven established deaths due to CTE and the quantity is not terminating there. CTE can tear relationships apart because the former player is greatly effected and nobody can pinpoint the reasoning for their actions. That is eighty-seven broken families, eighty-seven lives cut extremely short and an unmeasurable number of perplexed and fretful current players. 

On December 13, 2013 not only was my brain shaken, my life was as well. A head-to-

head collision caused more damage than I could have ever imagined. A simple fight to the basketball resulted in a traumatic brain injury. For weeks following the incident: my ears were ringing, I had a nonstop headache, I was oblivious to the world around me, and I could not balance properly. I was instructed by the doctor to not use any electronics because excessive stimulation can harm the brain even more. Additionally, I could not return to school for three weeks or compete for the rest of the season. These players are hit several more times per game and with an incomprehensibly greater force than I was, yet they continue to play without second-guessing their decision. The human brain is arguably the most important organ of the body and it is crucial to treated it precisely. Complete recognition of CTE symptoms will persuade players to provide their brains with the appropriate healing time. Harping the notion that treating concussions inadequately can lead to memory loss, difficulty controlling impulsive behavior, impaired judgment, depression, and a gradual onset of dementia should trigger players to proceed with caution. As awareness increases, the amount of former players diagnosed with CTE will decrease. Nobody should have to experience the horrifying episodes Mike Webster, and many other former NFL players, dealt with. Rules may not always be followed, but if players are fully aware of the horrific end results of too many blows to the head, then the NFL's concussion crisis will deplete; lives will be saved.

