Ivy League Sees Drop In Football Players’ Concussions With 5-Yard Rule Change During Kickoffs
The NCAA and other football leagues are considering an adjustment to football kickoffs, described as the game's most dangerous play. The eight-school league enacted the change, pushing the kickoff up 5 yards, after studies showed that 21 percent of concussions occurred during the play that leads to high-speed crashes. The Ivy League also changed its touchback rule to help curb the concussion rate.
The New York Times:
Ivy League Football Saw Large Reduction In Concussions After New Kickoff Rules
A simple rule change in Ivy League football games has led to a significant drop in concussions, a study released this week found. After the Ivy League changed its kickoff rules in 2016, adjusting the kickoff and touchback lines by just five yards, the rate of concussions per 1,000 kickoff plays fell to two from 11, according to the study, which was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Mervosh, 10/2)
The Associated Press:
Concussions Drop In Ivy League Football With Kickoff Change
The NCAA approved the changes on an experimental basis for the eight private universities in the Ivy League. Other NCAA teams have kickoffs at the 35. ...The aim of the 5-yard move was to have more kickoffs land in the end zone and reduce returns. That play is one of the only times “where players on both teams have the space to get up to full speed” rushing at each other and potentially risking a head-on tackle, said University of Pennsylvania researcher Douglas Wiebe, the lead author. The 2016 change came at the recommendation of league coaches after data from the previous year showed kickoffs accounted for 6 percent of all plays but 21 percent of concussions. (Tanner, 10/1)
Los Angeles Times:
After A Small Change In Kickoff Rules, Ivy League Football Players Saw A Big Drop In Concussions
The study authors cautioned that their results might not apply to other Division 1 teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn., let alone professional teams in the National Football League. But as the NCAA contemplates a nationwide adjustment to kickoff rules, these findings demonstrate that “targeted policy changes can reduce sport-related concussion,” the researchers concluded. (Kaplan, 10/1)
