A few weeks ago, a series of big helmet-to-helmet collisions in the NFL has lead the league to implement a punishment system for illegal hits to the head. While it cost a penalty before, now it will cost the culprit an additional fine and possible suspension. These types of collisions are dangerous, as it is very likely to cause a concussion for one or both the players involved. While these type of hits have always been dangerous, the league is just now making an effort to prevent them.
The three hits in question were Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison on Cleveland receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson on Philadelphia receiver DeSean Jackson, and New England safety Brandon Meriweather on Baltimore tight end Tood Heap. Each of the three defenders were fined several tens of thousands of dollars, and prompted mutiliple-time offender James Harrison to leave practice to mull over retirement for a couple of days. He claimed that if he couldn't play aggressively anymore, he was not sure he wanted to be in the NFL.
The question is, why is the league just now making a large issue out of this? Helmet-to-helmet hits and concussions have been a part of the game since its inception. Concussions have been at the center of debate in the NFL for many years, but the league is just now making motions to prevent them. Some analysts blame the lack of tackling fundamentals of this generation's defenders. Others say concussions are becoming more of an issue. While tackling may not be as good as it used to be, concussions have always been a problem. Troy Aikman and Steve Young suffered multiple head injuries 15-20 years ago, long before this new movement. While I agree with the league to punish helmet-to-helmet hits, I think they should have done this a lot earlier. A lot of mushy brains could have been saved.
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