Blood Test Can Benefit US NFL Concussion Return-to-Play Decisions
November 1, 2024
If professional athletes are meant to be real-life superheroes, Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa looked remarkably mortal on September 12. With his team down 31-10 in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills, the quarterback spotted a gap at the line of scrimmage and decided to scramble for a first down. When he encountered Bills’ defender Damar Hamlin, Tagovailoa lowered his head and ran straight into him. Tagovailoa stayed down injured after the play. He had suffered the third concussion of his NFL career, on top of the one he was diagnosed with during his time in the collegiate ranks.
As many as one in three former NFL players believe they have a chronic brain condition linked to repeated trauma to the head, recent research from Harvard has shown. It’s a shocking statistic and, currently, the condition can only be definitively diagnosed through a postmortem examination. However, a simple blood test could one day help identify these invisible head injuries, which even a CT scan can’t spot, and prevent a player from returning to the game before their brain has healed.
On paper, Tagovailoa did what a quarterback is supposed to do: sacrifice his body for the good of the team. But, in 2024, that mantra of self-sacrifice rings hollow, particularly when it comes to blows to the head. This isn’t an NFL-specific issue, either. The NHL, for example, has tried to weed out checks from behind and hits to the head, even as fighting persists. In the world of soccer, which is traditionally viewed as a less physical sport, concussion substitutes now allow managers to remove a player with a suspected head injury from a match with fewer drawbacks. And heading the ball is being phased out at the youth level.
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins lays on the ground after colliding with Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 12,… Megan Briggs/Getty
But even with those efforts, traumatic brain injuries including concussions are common both inside and outside the sporting world, accounting for an estimated 4.8 million emergency room visits in the U.S. every year. Without appropriate treatment and support, concussion—especially following repeated blows to the head—can lead to long-term consequences, including memory problems, changes in personality, sleep disorders, psychological issues and an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.
That’s true even for those who aren’t playing at the highest level. Patrick Risha’s football career took him from the youth ranks to Dartmouth University, but the game he loved also took its toll.
