The National Football League Players Association wants to team up with Harvard University for a comprehensive study on a broad topic: that which ails football players. And it’s willing to pay $100 million over the course of 10 years to see it happen.
The Players Association is in negotiations with the NFL to start a study that would be used to better diagnose, treat, and prevent player injuries and illnesses, according to a proposal obtained by CNN. That’s any injuries and illnesses, not just head injuries. The research will aim to look at football players across their careers and pinpoint what particular positions and actions cause particular physical problems later on.
The study would be unprecedented in both scope and resources as it relates to NFL player health, according to the Players Association. Initially, the research pool will encompass 1,000 current and former players, who will undergo a series of tests and exhaustive reviews of their playing and injury histories.
The 100 healthiest and the 100 least healthy will then participate in further study over the next several years at Harvard, where hundreds of scientists would potentially be participating. The idea is to discover how the physical and psychological stresses unique to football players come together over long careers and affect the player.
A study of this scope could lead to discoveries that have profound impacts on the health of future football players. And while the research is certainly not going to find the answers to everything which ails football players, it could certainly shed light on and improve the detection, treatment, and prevention of some maladies. And that’s worth $100 million dollars.
*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefenderTM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.
