The N.F.L. held a news conference Thursday to talk about its 2016 injury data, that annual compilation of torn-up knees, ripped shoulder ligaments and rattled brains. As a prologue, I typed the words “Cam Newton” and “hits” into Google, clicked and let the videos roll. There was that Denver Broncos hit in early September, a lineman running at Newton full speed and striking their helmets together. Newton’s head spun round.
There was that Los Angeles Ram who flew at Newton and snapped his head back like a bobblehead doll. I caught myself wincing. Play after play, game after game, I was watching the winner of last season’s Most Valuable Player Award get his brain bounced. Newton was gentlemanly in response, allowing after one game that “It’s not fun getting hit in the head.” In one game, he slid as a Washington Redskins linebacker went airborne and ground Newton’s head into the grass. Newton flipped the football lightly toward the player who had just hit him.Newton was assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for his response.
So this is an excellent time to raise the curtain on the N.F.L. and its injury data results. Concussions decreased 11.3 percent in 2016 preseason and regular-season games and practices. The league’s executive vice president for health and safety policy, Jeff Miller, talked for many minutes about new research initiatives and biomechanical advances, $100 million here and $100 million there. My mind wandered — it was though I had ended up at a NASA briefing on a space launch. Then Miller offered us a movie tip. Make sure, he said, to watch the new video on how the concussion protocol works.
“If you haven’t seen it, I would commend it to you,” he said. I’m sure that Newton must have enjoyed watching that particular video before he sustained another severe concussion this season.
