A close look at state concussion laws

All 50 states have laws meant to protect high school athletes from concussions. But are those laws really keeping students safe?

In 2001, Max Conradt was tackled during the first half of a high school football game. The hit gave him a concussion that left him unconscious; he still was recovering from another he sustained during his previous game.

Conradt spent months in a coma and never fully recovered. He had what doctors called second impact syndrome, which happens when a person gets a second concussion before having fully recovered from the first.

“The Max we knew left us at 8 p.m. October 19, 2001,” said his father, Ralph Conradt. “There's a different Max now.”

Ralph Conradt worked with brain injury advocates to pass legislation that would prevent other athletes from getting injured like his son. In 2009, Oregon passed Max’s Law, becoming one of the first states in the country to regulate concussions. Under the law, players suspected of having a concussion can’t play or practice until they are cleared by a medical professional. Now, all 50 states and Washington, D.C., have concussion laws in place.

On this week’s episode, we examine just how effective these laws are at keeping students safe.

First up in the episode: Jonathan Boland was a promising football player at Parkrose High School in Oregon. By the time he started his senior year, he had sustained three concussions. His school kept no records on concussions during the years he was there.

Boland received a football scholarship to Portland State University. But right before his sophomore year, he got a fourth concussion, prompting him to retire from football.

Shortly after that, he was arrested for a string of robberies. Before his trial, a neuropsychologist determined that concussions had affected his ability to think rationally. Boland was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison nevertheless.

Next, we go to Youngstown, Ohio, where many in the community believe football is worth the risk of concussions. The game keeps kids active and out of trouble, and it opens the door to college scholarships.

“I just feel like, let them get hit,” one mother told us. “You’re either going to be rough or you’re going to be soft out there. Let them play. Play ball!”

Hear the episode.
Explore our map of concussion laws.
Do you want to learn more about your own school district’s concussion rules? We can help.

 

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