What's the Problem?
Throughout the first 14 weeks of the NFL football season a total of 128 concussions were reported. Players suffer concussions both during practice and games. Concussions cause various problems and complications, both short and long term. If concussions aren't diagnosed and treated responsibly they can lead to permanent brain damage. In the case of Junior Seau, Pro Bowl linebacker for the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, his many concussions were not treated well and his brain damage caused him to kill himself in his California home. In other cases, players have been diagnosed with short-term memory loss, lost their ability to speak, and also lost their ability to perform simple functions. The NFL has recognized this problem, and has taken action to protect both current and retired players.
Game Changes

Concussions can cause a great deal of pain and confusion

Many people have recommended to the NFL that kickoffs should be removed from the game. This is due to the high speed that players accelerate to and the high-risk of injury during theses types of plays. It is said that 30% of concussions are retained on kickoffs. The NFL has not removed any of these plays but has moved the location where the kicker kicks the ball from on these plays five yards closer to the receiving team. This led to the percentage of touch backs increasing by 16.1%. According to the NFL, this rule change cut the number of concussions occurring by 50%.
Helmet Technology

The game of football began as a game without the inclusion of helmets to protect players. Throughout the years, the game has introduced new types of helmet designs, improving player safety and design quality. Riddell has introduced helmets that can maximize heat ventilation for the comfortability of the player, but also have a design that is extremely fashionable but at the same time maximizes player safety.

Rule Changes

The past few years the NFL has begun to crack down hard on players that continually hit players illegally with harsh fines of up to $50,000. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the NFL "will not tolerate" these hits. Head on collisions between players are the leading cause of concussions and are often caused by players who have been taught since their earliest days as football players to hit with their heads lowered, which is extremely dangerous for both them and the player whom they are tackling

                                                                                  Conclusion
Although the NFL has taken small steps to improving player safety there are large obstacles to overcome to solving the concussion problem in the NFL. At the same time the NFL realizes that people want to preserve the tradition of the game and that concussions cannot be removed from the game in totality.

Many different materials are added to the inside of players' helmets for c