Concussions (continued)

The National Football League is making a modest first step--that players who have concussion like symptoms cannot return to the field that day.  This, of course, still relies on players to report their symptoms to a degree, and the competitive environment, both team vs team and within a team to continue to make the team and to start, will continue to create disincentives towards reporting.

The NFL should have and can still do some stuff that would have a clear impact (oops)--requiring a certain kind of mouthpiece and most advanced helments.  These may not be comfortable, but they would be more likely to make a big difference over the long run. 

So, I am pretty confused--why not take the extra step and go where they need to go now, rather than dither further?  Yes, I have defended Obama's dithering, but the science and technology of helmets is pretty clear on this. 

For previous posts on this stuff, see here and here.