The obvious solution to concussions in AFL that no want's to say

[RJK Tiger]

If we are at a point where players like Curtis & Mansell are getting 3 weeks for "incidental concussions" & its the only way the AFL feels it can protect itself against future litigation - then why are they not just enforcing compulsory wearing of helmets? Or, enforcing compulsory wearing of helmets that can be bypassed by the players signing a "waiver" to NOT wear the helmet, at the risk of possible concussions due to incidental contact/non-foul play? Meaning, if a player chooses not to wear a helmet and gets concussed like Sinn has in the Curtis tackle, the responsibility is more on Sinn for choosing to sign the "no helmet" waiver VS Curtis for playing the game we all expect it to be played?

Surely, every AFL fan would rather watch the game with the players wearing these than see tackling and contact removed from the game completely, or, players being rubbed out for multiple weeks for playing the game the way they have been told to.

The reason? The AFL like to have their cake and eat it too. They take so much macho pride in being able to market the game as "We aint like the yanks, we have no protection in our game - cos we are tuff, derp".

The AFL continually just making examples out of "non star" players is beyond a joke now. Dangerfield has gotten off several times now for causing concussions, for example.

AFL should just grow a pair & enforce helmets with a "waiver" option for players to bypass, who then take responsibility for any concussion they make incur due to "non-foul play" in the game and stop with this bullshit suspensions. I would rather watch players play the game i like to watch with players wearing helmets than watch the crap we are seeing atm

 

[eaglespremiers]

What is the evidence for helmets preventing concussion?
I thought that it was tenuous at least going by recent research.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-22/concussion-head-injury-community-sport/104416454

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Helmets don’t prevent concussions.

They’re been wearing them for decades in the NFL and that sport has as many concussions as any.

 

[remfan101]

The 'obvious solution' is players signing waivers that acknowledge the risk, in exchange for the AFL guaranteeing medical care if they need it later in life.

 

[basashi]

Helmets don’t prevent concussions.

They’re been wearing them for decades in the NFL and that sport has as many concussions as any.

Current research relied upon by the league does NOT conclude that the concussions are prevented by helmets.

But I don't think there is enough research that is:

• based on the kind of knocks in Australian Rules football
• focussed on severity rather than incidence

I am not saying they would definitely work but more could be done. I think the league is hasty to reject them for aesthetic reasons.

 

[PhatBoy]

lol, they do absolutely nothing.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The 'obvious solution' is players signing waivers that acknowledge the risk, in exchange for the AFL guaranteeing medical care if they need it later in life.

There’s hundreds of thousands of footballers in Australia?

The AFL couldn’t ever afford to sign up to that

Not to mention - who the hell is going to sign up to say “yep I might get brain damage, all good”?

 

[basashi]

The 'obvious solution' is players signing waivers that acknowledge the risk, in exchange for the AFL guaranteeing medical care if they need it later in life.

Is the waiver to prevent them from suing? Who would sign it? At what age? based on what information? Would a court respect it? Guaranteeing medical care to what standard? What about the cost of living of a player whose condition precludes work?

 

[Quivorir]

Tell me how a helmet is going to stop the brain from colliding with the skull please.

 

[M Malice]

Helmets do not mitigate concussion, the brain still slops around in the skull on impact.

Do boxers, MMA fighters sign concussion waivers?

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

There’s hundreds of thousands of footballers in Australia?

The AFL couldn’t ever afford to sign up to that

Not to mention - who the hell is going to sign up to say “yep I might get brain damage, all good”?

Every boxer and mixed martial arts fighter ever?

 

[basashi]

Tell me how a helmet is going to stop the brain from colliding with the skull please.

the concept is that a portion of the kinetic energy is absorbed by the soft part of the helmet, thereby reducing the severity (but not the incidence) of the brain movement within the skull. Like the soft part of a boxer's glove or the crumple zone in a car. that has always been the theory...

 

[remfan101]

There’s hundreds of thousands of footballers in Australia?

The AFL couldn’t ever afford to sign up to that

Not to mention - who the hell is going to sign up to say “yep I might get brain damage, all good”?

Everyone playing AFL now (and ever, although much more detail these days) know that they might get brain damage.

 

[DocSholl]

They should ban pinning both arms as a tackling technique. They won't though, as they still want the spectacle of chase down tackles like Watson on Reid. So easier to penalise players when there's an unfortunate outcome.

 

[Aura]

I have no issue with requiring a waiver before being drafted—if you want to live a life better than 95% of people, that's the risk you take.

That said, players who are delisted after only a couple of years might be a reasonable exception to the rule.

 

[Cyclops]

Tell me how a helmet is going to stop the brain from colliding with the skull please.

Maybe if they wore the helmet on their brain instead of outside the skull?

Look concussion is no joke but OP seems a bit silly. Helmets don't work and open ended waivers seem a bit odd legally.

 

[Scotland]

Helmets don’t prevent concussions.

They’re been wearing them for decades in the NFL and that sport has as many concussions as any.

They wear proper helmets too, not the padded ones rugby players wear to keep their ears attached which some AFL players choose to wear.

It's pretty straightforward. The skull is hard to protect the brain. A helmet is designed to protect the skull.

The only way you prevent concussions in footy is to prevent players from making contact with each other and/or the ground. I'm not sure people understand that you can bump a player - make no contact to the head - and still give them a concussion,

 

[basashi]

I have no issue with requiring a waiver before being drafted—if you want to live a life better than 95% of people, that's the risk you take.

That said, players who are delisted after only a couple of years might be a reasonable exception to the rule.

before they turn 18?

 

[Aura]

before they turn 18?

Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe once their initial contracts up?

 

[RJK Tiger]

Helmets don’t prevent concussions.

They’re been wearing them for decades in the NFL and that sport has as many concussions as any.

I would say the impact of the NFL & the size of their players has as much to do with that than anything.

Like saying a helmet wont help you much if your riding a motorbike and get hit by a truck. No matter what your wearing, your rooted there. But a helmet certainly will help protect your head more if its impacted by incidental contact.

The NFL is purely "hit them as hard as f-ing possible" sport. The Curtis suspension is from a total non-intent gesture. I think there is a very good chance that Sinn would have avoided a concussion with a helmet on - how could it not. Its literally providing padding around your skull. Not many players are getting a concussion in the NFL "by accident". Its generally always from a player hitting another player as hard as possible, as its literally the game

 

[RJK Tiger]

What is the evidence for helmets preventing concussion?
I thought that it was tenuous at least going by recent research.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-22/concussion-head-injury-community-sport/104416454

this article is written around small kids with developing brains - not AFL players.

The concussions rate of AFL players currently sits as below

• Concussion Rates:
  Concussion rates in AFL are relatively stable, with 6.66 concussions per 1000 player hours.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The only way you can test if helmets will improve that number is by mandating it so that there is actually data to compare A) vs B). So you need at least 10,000 hours of AFL being played with helmets mandated to then weigh up if the result is better, or the same. At the moment, there is no data on this - so no one can definitely say "it's better" or definitely say "its no different". I would much rather the AFL ditch these ridiculous suspensions & mandate helmets for 2 years to get the data to see if it actually reports a difference. I can only really ever recall one player getting a concussion while wearing a helmet and that was Justin Koschitze in 2006 & he was only wearing the helmet due to a pre-existing condition. If players are wearing them BEFORE the pre-existing condition, no one knows as generally players have only ever worn them AFTER they have already received a serious head-knock.
  

 

[pico]

You boomers won't like this, but what I say here is true. And no I am not trolling.

The only thing that can save the afl is becoming completely contact free. No tackling, no wrestling, no shoving. This solves so many problems; concussions, holding the ball confusion, and the wrestling in marking and ruck contests (aka holding the man) which has become a core part of the game. It will also "free up" the game and shorten the length of matches because of less stoppages.

Gaelic football is like this and it's fine. Australian rules derived from rugby football, a sport which has far safer and sensical tackling, even in the 21st century. AFL needs to move on from tackling and look to gaelic football and basketball as models.

 

[RJK Tiger]

They wear proper helmets too, not the padded ones rugby players wear to keep their ears attached which some AFL players choose to wear.

It's pretty straightforward. The skull is hard to protect the brain. A helmet is designed to protect the skull.

The only way you prevent concussions in footy is to prevent players from making contact with each other and/or the ground. I'm not sure people understand that you can bump a player - make no contact to the head - and still give them a concussion,

Then make better helmets?

How much work has the AFL gone into in developing a helmet that would help support "brain injury" vs "skull injury".

And lets be straightforward here - the skull is there to protect the brain. If a helmet is helping to protect the skull, its by default providing more support against the brain being injured too. Its literally the purposed of the skull outside of it being a casing for all our other parts (eyes, ears etc)

 

[RJK Tiger]

You boomers won't like this, but what I say here is true. And no I am not trolling.

The only thing that can save the afl is becoming completely contact free. No tackling, no wrestling, no shoving. This solves so many problems; concussions, holding the ball confusion, and the wrestling in marking and ruck contests (aka holding the man) which has become a core part of the game. It will also "free up" the game and shorten the length of matches because of less stoppages.

Gaelic football is like this and it's fine. Australian rules derived from rugby football, a sport which has far safer and sensical tackling, even in the 21st century. AFL needs to move on from tackling and look to gaelic football and basketball as models.

Gaelic football is also a incredibly minor sport that could never sustain what the AFL is - so that is not a solution.

If the AFL didn't "cross-code" with Gaelic football, i wouldnt even know it existed tbh

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

lol, they do absolutely nothing.

Why does Xerri wear one?

It made me laugh watching him being a tough guy with JHF - standing about 7ft tall pushing and shoving a bloke about 2ft shorter than him and about 30kgs smaller - all whilst wearing a helmet.

Hahahahaha.