A 16-year-old San Jose High Academy student is in critical condition after colliding with another player during a Thanksgiving Day football game, a San Jose Unified School District spokeswoman said. Matthew Blea went down during the game after a legal helmet-to-helmet hit, got up, went to the sideline and collapsed. Paramedics took him to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Blea suffered a traumatic brain injury.
This latest high school incident is only the latest of dozens of head injuries in football every single week, from games in youth football leagues to college to the National Football League (NFL). Head injuries cause major damage, and concussions are more than just a bump on the head. Damage from a head injury can last a lifetime. Even with better technology in helmets and rule adjustments, head injuries are still happening. Blea was wearing a Riddell "Revolution" helmet, arguably considered to be the best helmet for high school players.
More and more retired football players are now speaking up about the troubling affects of their injuries, while more and more current players are suffering concussions during games. Football leagues from high school leagues to the NFL are increasingly under scrutiny for the serious affects of these head injuries.
Congress even called a hearing on the subject of head injuries in football last month, in which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was questioned about a link between multiple head injuries in NFL players with brain diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer's and dementia. Both Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association leader DeMaurice Smith agreed to turn over players' medical records to the House Judiciary Committee. Michigan Democrat John Conyers said he also wants information on head injuries from the NCAA and high schools. One man, Dick Benson, tearfully told the committee about his 17-year-old son's death from a head injury following helmet-to-helmet hit during a 2002 high school game. Benson said changes need to be made to reduce physical contact, especially helmet-to-helmet hits.
Continue reading "San Jose High School Football Player Critically Injured in Thanksgiving Day Football Game " »
An injured paraglider was rescued after crashing into a slope near the Juniper campground in Mount Diablo State Park, authorities reported. Fire crews in the San Ramon Valley Fire District responded to the paragliding accident, which was reported shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday. The man was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, and is expected to survive. The cause of the accident is under investigation. The man's level of experience paragliding was not known. 
