Auto racing: David Ragan wins Brickyard pole. 3C
Sports
S U N D A Y , J U L Y 31 , 2011
SECTION C
WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
DEEP IMPACT
CECIL HURT
1. Initial Concussion hits impact Blocking
A
Concussions a serious issue heading into football season By John McWilliams
Special to The Tuscaloosa News
Sk ul l
Bra
2. Brain strikes the skull
Because the brain is floating in fluid and allows for movement within the skull cavity, a sharp change in direction can cause it to surge forward and strike the inner walls of the skull.
in s hift s fo
Fl u
rwa rd
id
nds
Concussions usually occur on the rebound, when the brain shifts to the back of the head, striking the back part of the skull. Twisting of the brain during the rebound process can lead to a more severe concussion.
3. Damage The impact and twisting of the brain can result in bruising, tearing of blood vessels, swelling and nerve damage
Hospital visits by sport
of potassium ase e l Re
22,689
Vessels become restricted
50%
Impact
100%
lu c
Normal brain activity
ose
Loss of certain brain functions may occur at this time.
ow d fl Bloo sm oli Ox y g en m e t ab 1
2
3
4
Recovery days
5
6
Sources: Center for Injury Research and Policy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mayo Clinic.
Combative* 3,682
4,277 Softball
ma nd for g
5,194
De
150%
Football
Neurons fire continuously, using calcium and expelling potassium. The increased calcium and potassium going into the brain area reduce oxygen metabolism and constrict blood vessels, which are straining to supply glucose to the brain. It is this glucose deficiency that causes losses in basic brain functions, such as concentration and memory.
Hockey
5,000
4. Chemical reaction
*Includes wrestling and boxing.
5,878
10,000
Swim/Dive
w
Estimates of concussions not reported range from 21,000 to 44,000. 9,371
C a l c i u m i n fl o
16,130
15,000
Soccer
Neurons (firing)
Based on data retrieved between 2001 and 2005, researchers estimate 22,689 football players per year will be hospitalized for a concussion or traumatic brain injury. Numbers are based on 20,000 players 5 to 18 years old.
Glucose blocked by restricted vessel
10,103
u ebo in r
Baseball
Bra
Brain activity
t this point, nearly everyone has read or at least heard something about T-Town Menswear, the local business whose owner, Tom Al Betar, seems extra chummy with University of Alabama football players. Most have seen the pictures Al Betar, either out of a desire for business promotion or a curious narcissism, placed on his Facebook page, thus supplying the Internet world with fodder for the past week or so. They also earned Al Betar a disassociation letter from the University of Alabama athletic department about four months ago, long before this debate became public. There is nothing wrong with people asking questions, including the bloggers who have done the most to bring Al Betar’s pictures to the public. Furthermore, it is human nature to speculate. People — include those on both sides of the aisle in this matter — love to talk about what the NCAA might do. The opinions range from “nothing” (from Alabama fans who consider the issue “dead”) to “something” (from other fans, primarily). If you choose to violate the fi rst rule of NCAA-following — no one really knows what the NCA A is going to do — and you belong to the “something” camp, then there is an endless range of opinion on what that “something” may be. And one comparison people try to use — at least it is a name I have seen in most of the articles I have read on the subject — is “Ohio State.” I understand where the comparison comes from. Both are big-time football schools. Both are getting attention — serious attention, in Ohio State’s case — due to situations that involve memorabilia. But upon reading the NCA A’s Case Summary against Ohio State, released last week, I am struck, not by how similar the two cases are, but by their differences. The real issue at Ohio State, after all, is not that memorabilia was signed, or even that it was purchased from student-athletes, although that did create eligibility problems. To this point, no matter how suggestive pictures might be, there has been no direct evidence that any UA player received an extra benefit. The reason the Ohio State case has turned into something serious can be summed up in five words: the compliance model broke down. The head coach, when apprised of possible NCAA violations, did not turn them over to the school’s compliance office and let them do their job. Every problem in the current case the NCAA is pressing against OSU stems from that one fact. At Alabama, just the opposite seems to have happened. When the school became aware Al Betar was selling memorabilia, it appears — according to the documents UA has released so far — UA compliance acted in precisely the way it was supposed to act. It investigated the activities. UA took the “appropriate steps” based on what it had found, sending Al Betar a cease-and-desist letter. When he didn’t cease-and-desist, UA sent him a disassociation letter. That is about the limit of a compliance office’s power against any individual. It cannot padlock someone’s place of business and clap the owner in irons. And it is the response the NCA A expects a school to make. If the NCAA asks to see the case fi le — which, given Alabama’s allusions to repeated conversations with Al Betar, is probably thicker than anyone knows — it will likely fi nd most or all of the information it is looking for. Technology Update: those fi les can be sent to Indianapolis electronically, just as the CEO of a major corporation can actually sign his daily correspondence even SEE HURT | 7C
Being blocked
According to a study conducted by the 14.5% 14% Center for Injury Research and Policy, of the estimated 53,296 concussions during 33.6% 36% the 2005-06 high school Other football season, 36% 1.9% were the result of being tackled. Tackling Being tackled
Basketball
Al Betar issue nothing like one at Ohio State
What is a concussion?
Helmet-to-helmet collisions can range between 17 to 25 mph. Concussion-causing blows are usually strikes to the lower side of the helmet.
Symptoms to look for
Immediate
Delayed
Headache or pressure Nausea or vomiting Dizziness Double/blurred vision Sensitive to light/noise Sluggish, groggy, hazy Memory/concentration loss Confusion
Irritability Headaches Depression Sleep disorders Poor concentration Memory trouble
TUSCALOOSA | It was just like any other drill. The running back would receive a handoff from the quarterback, then try to break the tackle of a linebacker 3 yards ahead while staying between tackling dummies spaced a few yards apart. The drill would be over when one of the players was on the ground. It was the Oklahoma drill — a drill known for its bone-breaking, mouth guard-swallowing, ruthless helmet-to-helmet hits — designed to see how players respond to contact. It is a drill rarely used by college and NFL teams these days, a drill deemed by Dr. Jeri Zemke, a certified athletic trainer and clinical coordinator at the University of Alabama’s athletic trainer education program, as “the dumbest drill known to man.” It is the drill that gave American Christian Academy sophomore running back Austen Akins a concussion. “My head was hurting doing the drill,” Akins said. “I kept doing it because I thought it would go away, and I didn’t want to look weak with my friends watching. But I guess it was a bigger deal than I thought, because when we took a water break I wasn’t feeling good and passed out. “My friends said that I was delirious. I didn’t completely lose consciousness, but I came back in the hospital room wondering why I was here. My mom was in shock and scared. They scanned my head and said I had a concussion.” Akins in one of an estimated 43,000 to 67,000 players annually to sustain a concussion while playing high school football. The actual number of concussions per year may reach 100,000, since players hide injuries in order to play, according to an October 2010 Purdue University and Indiana University study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma. The risk of a concussion in football is three to six times higher in players who have had a previous concussion, according to SEE CONCUSSION | 7C
STAFF GRAPHIC | ATHONY BRATINA
PRO FOOTBALL
Ingram signs deal, eager to practice Brett Martell
The Associated Press
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees (9) talks with Saints’ first-round draft pick Mark Ingram during training camp Saturday in Metairie, La.
METAIRIE, L A . | Mark Ingram couldn’t wait to put on his jersey. Moments af ter signing his rookie contract with the New Orleans Saints, Ingram was pulling his No. 28 jersey on over shoulder pads, grabbing his helmet and trotting onto the field at club headquarters halfway through the second practice of training camp. Coaches wouldn’t let him do anything but watch on Saturday. Still, the fi rst-round draft pick and former A labama Heisman Trophy winner wanted to show his new coaches, teammates and fans crowding the bleachers that he is ready and eager to go. “It’s what I have been waiting for
INSIDE NFL:
Ex-Tide player Harper glad to be with Saints, close to home | 7C
my whole life. I am going to have the opportunity to play pro football,” said Ingram, whose father, Mark Ingram Sr., also played in the NFL as a receiver. “I am excited to be here and to be a part of such a great organization like the Saints.” “I just came out here and watched today, but ever y t h i ng went through” with the contract, Ingram said. “Everything is good. Now I’m here, full-go, and ready to practice.” Ingram signed a four-year contract worth about $7.4 million, a per-
son familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Saints did not release terms. A number of teammates offered congratulatory handshakes when they realized a significant piece of the club’s ground attack was among them. Head coach Sean Payton was pleased to see him as well. “We’ll get him going and get him involved in practice” on Sunday, Payton said. A lthough Payton insists the Saints still wanted to keep Reggie Bush when they traded for the 28th overall pick to draft Ingram, it appears that Ingram’s presence on the roster helped precipitate Bush’s departure to Miami. SEE I NGRAM | 7C