The next rule is no forearm shivers to the head, which happen every time that someone comes up with their forearm and smacks somebody in the head. That’s like boxing in football—just get rid of that. It should be noted that the Ivy League is experimenting with no-contact practices. Next, in terms of concussions and return to play, there are many physicians who are not aware of the fact that there is a four- to six-week minimum time for recovery. What we tried to do was pick a number that was sensible in terms of combining safety and all the reasons why people want to return to play. For kids, there’s just no reason why youth football players should be hitting heads ever; there’s just no reason. Tackle football should be abolished at that level.

KK: Don’t you also think that the presence of a helmet gives a false sense of confidence?

PA: One of the first responses I received from someone who read the article was his opinion that the way to solve the problem with football was to take the helmets away. If you take the helmets away, you’ll see the head injuries go away. What we recall is that the reason helmets were put in the game and why they added face masks was to prevent head and face injuries. Although, as you said, helmets provide a false sense of security because they aren’t designed to prevent concussions. They actually encourage players to strike heads with greater force, and the deceleration injury is not prevented by a helmet.

Reference

1. Auerbach PS, Waggoner WH 2nd. It’s time to change the rules. JAMA. 2016;316(12):1260-1261.