Joined by former professional football players and an official from the National Football League (NFL), Rep. Dick Stevenson (R-Mercer/Butler) enlisted his support this week to legislation to protect young athletes.
“Every trauma to the brain — especially those occurring on the playing field — must be carefully treated, as any impact or other medical conditions can disrupt neural pathways that can change the way a person thinks, feels and acts,” said Stevenson, chairman of the House Brain Injury Caucus. “The signs and symptoms of traumatic brain injury can be subtle and may not appear until days or weeks after the injury or may even be missed. That is why athletes are susceptible to long-term complications and why each strike to the head must be taken seriously.”
House Bill 200, which Stevenson has co-sponsored, would better manage concussions in youth sports and increase awareness of the seriousness and potentially long-term effects of the condition.
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