Throughout the years, countless NFL players from across the league have faced injuries. Fans throughout the league continue to wish the best for them, and then forget about it the next time they get in the game. However, people don’t usually understand the NFL deals with these injuries, and the changes the league makes to keep fans happy. Obviously, every player in the NFL, whether they’re in a high contact position or not, wears a full suit of protective equipment: helmets, shoulder pads, knee pads, thigh pads, etc. But recently, the NFL has had to go above and beyond in order to protect their players. But before we get there, let’s look how this has started. 

As an example, the Steelers have attempted to reduce the force of impact that the players feel by using more effective helmets, switching over to a “Guardian Cap” over the summer. While being optional for most, every offensive and defensive linemen is required to wear one. And while practically every Steeler thinks they look ridiculous, they realize this is for their own safety. 

This past NFL season, the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, faced a scary injury. In late September, Tua was sacked and taken off the field in a stretcher. He was then driven off in an ambulance to the local hospital. The NFL made a change so that players can be put on a list of “no-gos”, which means they are not allowed to play. 

There are a large number of injuries in the NFL that happen every single week. All injuries should be watched, and the NFL should consider all of them. But it is important to realize that the NFL is constantly figuring out solutions to injuries, and that the league is still thinking of ways to improve. Therefore, it is important to remember how powerful the NFL community and the NFL staff’s ability to bounce back from injuries are. 

Works cited:

https://www.nfl.com/news/changes-coming-to-nfl-concussion-protocol-a-needed-step-for-player-safety

https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/concussion-list-tracker-players-nfl-protocol-policy/