A Recently Published Concussion Study Drives Division I to Consider Enhanced Safety Measures for College Football’s Preseason
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A Recently Published Concussion Study Drives Division I to Consider Enhanced Safety Measures for College Football’s Preseason
Executive Summary
The Division I Football Oversight Committee recommends safety enhancements to football’s preseason practice period including reduction in contact practices and restrictions on unnecessary contact drills
“Opportunities for Prevention of Concussion and Repetitive Head Impact Exposure in College Football Players” Study was released on February 1, 2021, by the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium
Data indicates higher incidence of high-impact exposure (HIE) during the preseason practice period compared to later in season
Data also indicates a higher percentage of HIE occurred in practice compared to games
Football student-athlete representatives provided feedback and expressed a desire return to the typical preseason model in 2021-22, particularly after this season, to ensure a break before fall camp
The proposed preseason model attempts to provide a framework that reduces contact while providing flexibility to coaches
Division I FBS and FCS have had a five-day acclimatization period with limited contact in early stages of preseason practice with a progression toward full-contact practice over time
Recommended changes will be considered by the Division I Council on May 19
University leaders including general counsels and risk managers are keen to be tracking any development that relates to student safety on college campuses, including that of college athletes. A recently published concussion study has the NCAA on the cusp of adopting enhanced football player safety policies that could accelerate the cultural shift in how college football teams practice from a standpoint of contact and tactics.
On February 1, 2021, a summary report of a study entitled “Opportunities for Prevention of Concussion and Repetitive Head Impact Exposure in College Football Players” was released by the Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium. The CARE Consortium examined the following core question related to college football player safety: “Where might there be opportunities to do the greatest good toward reducing overall concussion incidence and head impact exposure (HIE) in collegiate football?”
The cohort study found that concussion incidence and HIE were disproportionately higher in the preseason than the regular season, and most concussions and HIE occurred during football practices. The study’s findings were part of the impetus for the Division I Football Oversight Committee’s action to reexamine the preseason practice period policies to enhance player safety beyond the current provisions.
The Committee’s proposed changes were informed by its own subcommittee that considered a number of data points, including information from NCAA member conferences, the NCAA injury surveillance program and the NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium, that suggest the preseason practice period may lead to a disproportionate amount of concussions and head impact exposure.
The study encompassed data across five seasons wherein 528,684 head impacts were recorded from 658 players instrumented with the HIT System during football practices or games met quality standards for analysis.
Players sustained a median of 415 recorded head impacts per season.
68 players sustained a diagnosed concussion.
In total, 48.5% of concussions occurred during preseason training, despite preseason representing only 20.8% of the football season.
Total HIE in the preseason occurred at twice the proportion of the regular season.
Every season, HIE per athlete was highest in August (preseason) and lowest in November.
Over 5 seasons, 72% of concussions and 66.9% of HIE occurred in practice.
Even within the regular season, total HIE in practices was 84.2% higher than in games.
To address the higher incidence of HIE sustained by football players during the preseason practice period, what changes have the Division I Football Oversight Committee recommended?
Prohibiting drills that create unneeded contact, particularly straight-line contact that is not common to the game (see photo below - an example of the "Bull in the Ring" drills that would be prohibited per this recommendation);
Reducing the maximum number of contact practices from 21 to 18, requiring at least seven helmet-only days (with optional spider pads) and restricting full-pads days to nine;
Increasing football’s preseason acclimatization period from five to seven days;
Additional limits on full-contact practices, including no more than two consecutive full-contact practices, a total of no more than 75 minutes of full contact within any practice session and no more than two scrimmages in the preseason; and
The creation of an annual education requirement to help coaches and staff on campus understand the new requirements and the reasons for the changes.
Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan led the subcommittee that developed the recommendations. That group had members from the Football Oversight Committee, Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and the American Football Coaches Association board of directors.
“The challenge in creating this model was to balance the need for a reduction in contact with preparing student-athletes properly to play a football season,” Harlan said. “The framework achieves this and allows coaches appropriate freedom and flexibility.”
Ryan Cassidy, who is on the football team at Rutgers and is a Football Oversight Committee member, said the student-athletes, both on the committee and those they worked with through the Student-Athlete Connection Group, influenced the outcome of the recommendations.
“I think (the committee) really relied on us and the student connection group not only for feedback but also for our experiences,” said Cassidy, who will graduate with a degree in economics later this month. “That is something I was very happy to see.”
What are Division I’s current football preseason rules to support football player safety?
Under current Division I FBS and FCS football preseason rules, all football student-athletes, including walk-ons who arrive after the first day of practice or who begin practice at any other point in the playing season, are required to undergo a five-day acclimatization period.
Division I rules specify that the five-day acclimatization period shall be conducted as follows:
(a) An institution may not conduct administrative activities (e.g., team pictures, etc.) other than those permitted prior to or on the academic orientation day (e.g., compliance-related activities, medical examinations or individual photographs) prior to the first permissible date of practice. Conditioning, speed, strength or agility tests may not occur on any day prior to the start of the five-day acclimatization period.
(b) During the five-day period, participants shall not engage in more than one on-field practice per day, not to exceed three hours in length. (1) Exception: During the five-day acclimatization period, an institution has the option of conducting one on-field practice per day, not to exceed three hours in length, or one on-field testing session (speed, conditioning or agility tests) per day, not to exceed one hour in length and one on-field practice, not to exceed two hours in length.
In addition, an institution may conduct one one-hour walkthrough session (during which footballs may be used) per day during the acclimatization period. Student-athletes must be provided with at least three continuous hours of recovery time between any sessions (testing, practice or walk-through) occurring that day. During this time, student-athletes may not attend any meetings or engage in other athletically related activities (e.g., weight lifting); however, time spent receiving medical treatment and eating meals may be included as part of the recovery time. If an institution conducts only a walkthrough on a particular day during the acclimatization period, that day does not count toward the required five days of acclimatization, but the walk-through counts toward the limit of 25 on-field practices in the preseason practice period.
(c) First-time participants and continuing students shall not be required to practice separately; and
(d) During the first two days of the acclimatization period, helmets shall be the only piece of protective equipment student-athletes may wear. During the third and fourth days of the acclimatization period, helmets and shoulder pads shall be the only pieces of protective equipment student-athletes may wear. During the final day of the five-day period and on any days thereafter, student-athletes may practice in full pads.
Several conferences expressed support for providing additional time in the preseason training window with the same number of practices. While this concept will not be in place for the 2021 season, it will be considered moving forward as a holistic review of the calendar. The Football Oversight Committee considered adjusting the length of the preseason but opted to keep the current limit at 25 total practices to begin 29 days before a team’s first contest for 2021.
The Division I Football Oversight Committee will continue to review and consider potential changes to the regular season, spring practice and out-of-season periods, especially after additional data from the 2021 fall season is available.
The Division I Council will consider the Football Oversight Committee’s recommendations at its May 19 meeting.
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