FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11/14/12
NFL HEALTH AND SAFETY UPDATE
Commissioner Goodell to Speak at Harvard
In 1905, amid widespread calls for the end of football, a Harvard graduate who happened to be President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, came to football’s rescue and began a process of evolution that modernized and popularized the sport.
More than a century later, COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL will deliver a Dean’s Distinguished Lecture at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in Boston this Thursday, November 15.
In his presentation, titled “Leadership on the Road to a Safer Game,” Commissioner Goodell will discuss the NFL’s long-standing and evolving commitment to making professional football safer, including the league’s role in addressing concussions—not only for NFL players, but also in youth sports. The lecture will include a discussion of the NFL’s health and safety agenda and how the league is taking a leadership role on this public health issue.
Commissioner Goodell will take questions from the audience as part of the lecture. He will be introduced by Harvard School of Public Health DEAN JULIO FRENK.
The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series brings international experts to the HSPH to share their views on the major public health challenges and opportunities in their fields.
The speech can be viewed on www.nfl.com/evolution, the NFL’s website addressing health and safety matters, beginning Thursday evening.
International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport.
Members of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee took part in the 4th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport in Zurich, Switzerland earlier this month.
The conference, hosted by FIFA, brought together medical experts and sports leagues from around the world to address head injuries, including sideline assessment of concussion, concussion diagnosis and return to play, and management of pediatric concussion.
DR. RICHARD ELLENBOGEN, Co-Chair, NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee, spoke on the NFL’s commitment to player health and safety and concussion treatment. DR. MARGOT PUTUKIAN, Chair, Subcommittee on Return-to-Play Issues, addressed the group on best practices for evaluating an adult athlete on the field of play. DR. KEVIN GUSKIEWICZ, Chair, Subcommittee on Safety Equipment and Playing Rules, spoke on the role of balance testing in diagnosis. DR. STANLEY HERRING, Chair, Subcommittee on Advocacy and Education, spoke on guidelines from other professional bodies and their effects on concussion management, as well as the NFL’s advocacy across the country to pass youth concussion laws.
They were joined by DR. JOHN YORK, San Francisco 49ers Co-Chairman and Chairman of the NFL Owners Committee on Health and Safety.
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