Injuries
Many players currently in the National Football League (NFL) have needed surgery to repair injuries that might have otherwise ended their careers. An "Injury Report" section is ubiquitous in American newspapers' sports sections, detailing, for each injured player on each team, his injury and the amount of time he is expected to be out. Twice-weekly (Wednesdays and Fridays) during the season, all NFL teams must report the status of their injured players, or be subject to a fine from the league. The standard severity descriptions are "out" (will not play in the coming game); "doubtful" (25% chance of playing); "questionable" (50% chance of playing); or "probable" (75% chance of playing). Teams occasionally manipulate their injury reports, minimizing or maximizing the extent of a player's injury, as an attempt to strategically deny their upcoming opponents a clear picture of the team's health. The origin of the injury report was to combat gamblers gaining inside information from players.
The NFL has a roster limit of 53 players per team during the season, 46 of which dress for a game. Players who are injured are frequently among the seven that do not dress. If it becomes certain that a player will not play for the rest of the season, the team may put him on the "Injured Reserve" list and replace the player on the roster. The players on "Injured Reserve" cannot play until they pass tests saying they are ready to play.
The health issues in American football concern a variety of issues related to playing in football games, mainly with injuries, particularly concussions and brain injury (explained below). There are also concerns of performance enhancing drugs, such as steroid use or human growth hormone (HGH). Health issues which arise while playing games can have several effects years later. Problems have been studied with professional football players and students in high schools.
Read more about this topic: Health Issues In American Football
Famous quotes containing the word injuries:
“The only thing of weight that can be said against modern honour is that it is directly opposite to religion. The one bids you bear injuries with patience, the other tells you if you don’t resent them, you are not fit to live.”
—Bernard Mandeville (1670–1733)
“Men are not only apt to forget the kindnesses and injuries that have been done them, but which is a great deal more, they hate the persons that have obliged them, and lay aside their resentments against those that have used them ill. The trouble of returning favors and revenging wrongs is a slavery, it seems, which they can very hardly submit to.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)