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Christian Handler
Mrs. DeBock
English 4
September 22, 2016
Essential question: How can we protect athletes that play football from concussions?
Working thesis: High schools, college, and NFL level football are making helmets that are trying
to help protect players from enduring concussions.
Refined thesis: Players around the football world try to hide concussions.
Annotated Bibliography

Durando, Stu. "Is Pro Football Too Dangerous?" St. Louis Post-Dispatch 12 Dec. 2010. Rpt. in
Professional Athletes. Ed. Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott. Detroit: Greenhaven
Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
According to the NFL and from there study of concussions players over the years have
suffered severe head trauma and from the concussion they have endured. There was a server hit
that occurred on a sunday afternoon game between the saints and eagles and the eagles receiver
desean jackson was running a five yard slant across the middle of the field and the safety Dunta
Robinson was coming down from his zone and desean jackson was in his headlights and once
Desean Jackson caught the ball Dunta Robinson helmet met Desean Jackson's helmet and the
two player fell on the ground and neither one of them got up for a good 30 mins. After Desean
was diagnosed with having a concussion the next day it came out that Dunta Robinson was also
diagnosed with a concussion. The reason these two suffered a concussion is from the
force of the hit and from the brain moving and hitting the skull side and giving it a little pressure

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and damage to the brain. This article is relevant to my research because it's showing how a hit
can cause brain trouble it caused a concussion it could possibly cause more in the future.

Fendrich, Howard. "Some NFL Players Still Willing to Hide Concussions." USA Today
26 Dec. 2011. Rpt. in Professional Athletes. Ed. Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott.
Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
According to the second article former tight end for the Indianapolis Colts John Mackey claims
from over all the years of playing football he sustained a few good hits to the head that led to a
concussion but now into days age he has had really bad headache that would lead into a little
brain trouble and he had to be sent to the hospital. Which is bad because he was playing football
and that is what has caused his bad headaches and small brain trouble. There are some
organizations trying to make better helmets and the league is trying to make personal fouls and
making rules of not hitting other players in the head so they don't have to worry about
concussions or future brain trouble. This article is relevant because this is talking about a former
player from the football days and telling his story of how he lives in a scare day in and day out.

Hughes, Jed. "Professional Sports Organizations Have a Responsibility to Safeguard the Health
of . Players." Professional Athletes. Ed. Margaret Haerens and Lynn M. Zott. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Sports Head and Heart
Injuries Can be Underestimated." NewJerseyNewsroom.com. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints

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in Context. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.

According to reports from a guy with the name of Jed Hughes he was interviewing one of the
former leading rushers named Maurice Jones-Drew said that he has had a concussion before and
has had to hide it and act like he didn't have one just to make sure he can keep playing football
and making money to provide for his family. Mr. Jones-Drew even claimed to ask the whole
league if they would tell the doctor or hide there concussion from them more than half would say
that they would rather hide there concussion from the doctors to make sure they can keep playing
and to keep making money because it's what they were chosen to do and they feel it's their job to
do whatever it takes to keep playing and take care of their family. This article is relevant because
doctors don't really know if a player has a concussion because the players lie to them most times
or the coaches and managers lie to them and that put the player in more harms way of severe
brain damage.