Right ways and wrong ways to report on football concussions

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CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS/DOUG MURRAY

When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa collapsed after a head-first collision and concussion Thursday night, I felt sick that we had possibly just witnessed the career end for one of the most thrilling QBs who ever played at the University of Alabama.

Meanwhile, broadcaster Al Michaels projected routineness and dimwittedness, noting that Tagovailoa kept the drive alive with a first down and that Miami doesn’t play again for 10 days, as if there’s an actual chance the player might return by then. Completely tone deaf.

Sports media in recent years have gotten so much better at conveying the severity of concussions and in prioritizing health over winning games in their commentaries. But this requires a constant effort that too often doesn’t happen.

A concussion is an impact or whiplash effect that causes the brain to move violently and alters its functioning. In most cases players recover completely but in other cases one or more concussions cause long-term damage to physical and cognitive health. Football players can suffer such consequences also from the cumulative effect of years of more routine impacts that aren’t full-fledged concussions.

A concussion has the unfortunate result of making a player more susceptible to getting a second one. Tagovailoa has suffered at least five, including one at Alabama in 2019 and two within four days with the Dolphins in 2022. After Thursday’s trauma, numerous sports commentators, as well as some former NFL players, publicly advised Tagovailoa to retire or strongly consider it.

The NFL has addressed the problem with changes to rules and equipment plus an emphasis on proper tackling. There’s a more aggressive approach to spotting possible concussions and a more conservative approach to when players should return. But dangerous head impacts still occur regularly — some unavoidable and some very avoidable. According to the NFL’s own figures, the number of reported concussions in games and practices dropped from 281 in 2017 to 172 in 2020 but has increased every year since then to 219 last season. Failures of post-collision protocol still happen (see Tua’s first concussion of September 2022).

kevin scarbinsky of the alabama media group commendably calls out this hit saturday on a helmetless uab player.

All of this means concussion prevention and treatment must remain a coverage focus for sports journalists. And not just those who report on the NFL. This is an issue for youth, high school and college football (see UAB vs. Arkansas on Saturday) and sports beside football, especially soccer and ice hockey.

Resources exist for journalists who want more understanding of this complex physiological topic and who want to avoid reporting and writing errors that add to the problem. I point first to the Concussion Legacy Foundation. At minimum, journalists should read the educational links on the CLF’s “Media Project” webpage. The CLF also offers effective training programs* for college journalism classes and professional media organizations, plus a certification program.

In the meantime, here are some basic tips for responsible reporting on concussions:

  • Watch for violent impacts to or near the head and subsequent signs of a concussion. Note if the athlete is or isn’t removed from the game. If not, ask why.

  • If the athlete is removed, note if and when they return. Know the return-to-play protocol required by the league or association. Try to observe whether it was followed. A return sooner than 10 minutes is reason for suspicion and more questions about the concussion evaluation.

  • Don’t use euphemisms, such as “got his bell rung.” Also, it’s a “brain injury,” not a “head injury.”

  • Avoid “toughness” narratives. It sends the wrong message to athletes everywhere to praise players who knowingly play with a possible concussion. Praise players who take themselves out.

  • The adequacy or inadequacy of a league’s preventive measures and its treatment protocol should be a regular coverage topic. As should dangerous deviations from the protocol.

Big hits and star players are good for the media’s business. But monitoring player safety is more important.


* I judge the CLF training as effective because my department colleagues Dr. Scott Parrott, Dr. Andrew C. Billings and I tested the training on some of my students.