UIL Proposes Tight Rules On Concussions For Texas Athletes

AUSTIN — Texas public high school athletes who get a concussion wouldn’t return to play until the next day at the earliest under new rules proposed by a medical panel of the University Interscholastic League.

A licensed healthcare professional would have to approve any return to play.

If approved by the UIL and the state education commissioner, the change would end current rules that allow athletes to return if they have been symptom-free for 15 minutes.

Some area coaches said they would welcome the change.

Colleyville Heritage coach Mike Fuller said that even though helmet technology keeps improving, athletes are getting bigger, stronger and faster, which increases the force of impact.

“We take [concussions] very seriously,” Fuller said. “We always err on the side of caution. We would never send [the player] back in the same game.”

Travis Pride, coach at Mansfield Summit, said: “In our profession, most injuries that occur aren’t visible to the eye. No play, no game, no sport is worth the risk of hurting a child, so it’s probably a good idea in the long run.”

The UIL proposal comes as Congress has been considering how to protect young athletes from the effects of blows to the head. One representative has cited estimates of 300,000 sports-related concussions a year, not including recreational and playground injuries. Some injuries may also go unreported because athletes want to continue playing.

Doctors have also said that concussions can cause long-term problems, including brain damage that affects memory, judgment, reflexes and speech. Damage is possible even without any obvious symptoms of a concussion, according to a recent study by Purdue University.

Policies reviewed

The UIL currently follows guidelines that were issued in 1997 by the American Academy of Neurology on the management of concussions in sports, but the academy is also reviewing its policies on what has been termed the “concussion crisis” in sports.

In light of the academy’s move, the UIL believed it was a good time to update its protocols, said Mark Cousins, policy director for the UIL.

Texas law requires any athlete who becomes unconscious in a practice or game to get written medical clearance to return to play. But many concussions leave athletes simply walking in a daze, meaning the law doesn’t force them to the sideline. The law also requires all coaches and sponsors to undergo safety training.

The proposed changes follow guidelines recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The UIL athletics committee is scheduled to vote Sunday on the rules, which would take effect in the 2011-12 school year.

At local schools

Fuller of Colleyville Heritage said the team is already using the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing system, a computerized method of determining an athlete’s readiness to play after a concussion. It establishes a player’s reaction times and establishes a cognitive baseline before a concussion. A player must replicate those cognitive abilities after a concussion to be allowed to play again, he said.

Some coaches are holding out key players after concussions. That’s what Arlington Bowie did with running back Russell Hansbrough, who was named District 4-5A Newcomer of the Year last season. Hansbrough suffered a concussion early in the second game of this season, so coaches sidelined him for the rest of that game and for game three.

Euless Trinity’s No. 1 running back, Tevin Williams, is also sitting out because of a concussion. He suffered the injury two weeks ago but will sit out one more game.

Pride said that it’s difficult to grade the severity of a concussion at a game.

“Even the most skilled and versed trainers cannot tell the depth of the concussion without the help of machines, until they go in and take a look,” the Mansfield Summit coach said. “This is a situation where the bad things that could happen outweigh the good that could come from putting” an athlete back in the game.

“If there is one kid that is saved from future problems like brain damage, then it’s obviously worth it.”

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