Injury is a part of every sport, from basketball, soccer, to football. However, concussions have been quite a topic of conversation in the NFL. These hits to the head have led to serious concussions. The NFL reported 219 concussions in 2023, but it’s lower than past years. The NFL will continue to make the game safer for athletes. With this topic, the league addresses concussions which have become the most common injury in the game.  

This December 1st, the Houston Texans were traveling to play the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first half of the game, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was chased out of the pocket and started running for a first down. When he was sliding to avoid contact, Azeez Al-Shaair came in with a very late hit and Lawrence’s helmet flew off. Both of the teams got into a fight with all of the players emerging from the bench. Lawrence didn’t move; he laid flat on the field with medical trainers coming to his attention. Lawrence left the game on a cart with his head bobbing on the back of the seat. As of December 5th, he was put on the Injured Reserve and will not play for the rest of the season. Al-Shaair has been suspended for three games for being responsible for the hit and he will miss three out of the four regular season games left on the Texans’ schedule. 

The NFL is trying to help players stay in the game and recover faster. It’s developing new concussion helmets for concussion-prone players. These are called Guardian Caps, which were not allowed in past seasons, but the NFL is giving players the choice to use these helmets and some athletes are saying yes. Concussions are ending careers too soon because they involve nerve, memory, and cognitive problems. They can even lead to unconsciousness, which has been seen in the NFL before. Also, the NFL has made changes to kickoff returns with an eye toward reducing violent collisions and concussions. Still, the league will continue to focus on ways to make the game safer for its players. After all, fans want to watch stars on the field, not standing on the sidelines after another concussion.