The Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. and Robert Cantu, M.D. Nowinski met Dr. Cantu, a world-renowned concussion expert, while seeking treatment for the Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) he developed from a concussion suffered during his career as a professional wrestler with WWE.
As Nowinski learned more about concussions, he became passionate about not only creating awareness through the CLF (www. ConcussionFoundation.org), but helping the organization become a catalyst for change.
Today, he is arguably the most influential voice in the movement to mitigate the risk of suffering a concussion as well as the damage it can cause.
Given the well-publicized controversy involving Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered two concussions in the span of five days, we reached out to Nowinski for his thoughts.
Question: What were your first thoughts when you saw his injury on September 25 against the Buffalo Bills?
Answer: I thought that he showed five distinct signs of concussion, including gross motor instability, an automatic removal in the NFL protocol. So I was certain he was done for the day.
Q: Were you surprised by the decision to reinsert him in the game and why?
A: Yes, I was surprised, because the signs were so obvious and specific, including moving his head in a “shaking off the cobwebs” motion that I’ve never seen outside of a concussion. Even if we believe that back injury story, it would not explain that, and therefore any doctor should have held him out.
Q: In the aftermath of that game, there were assertions that it was back injury, not a head injury. Your reaction?
A: It was a preposterous excuse. Not only could it not account for the signs of concussion he showed, he never showed any signs of a back injury.
Q: Is it dangerous to have multiple concussions in a matter of days, and why?
A; A concussion, or even a head impact, before a previous concussion has been resolved can cause second-impact syndrome, which kills multiple football players every year. Besides that, two concussions in a short period of time can cause post-concussion syndrome, which has ended many careers, including my own.
Q: What would you like to see happen in the aftermath of this?
A: We are going to forever have to police the NFL on this issue because their incentives are not to protect the short- and long-term health of players. I hope that this is a teaching moment for the country on how we can better protect all athletes, especially children. However, I hope it also convinces people to stop enrolling their children in contact sports before age 14. We launched a campaign called Stop Hitting Kids in the Head to encourage changes to youth sports. If 30 medical professionals at the Miami game couldn’t keep Tua off the field with a concussion – twice – what chance does your child have to have their concussion diagnosed and treated properly? The solution is not doctors at the games of 7 year-olds, because even diagnosed and treated concussions can cause long-term effects and change the course of a child’s life. The solution is preventing the concussion from even happening in the first place.
