Dr. Jeffrey Mjaanes, concussion expert and sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, was interviewed by The Chicago Tribune about the suicide of former NFL player Junior Seau. Sports experts are debating whether the suicide is related to concussions experienced during his tenure as a linebacker and how the game of football needs to change to protect the brains of football players. Dr. Mjaanes recommended that more safeguards be taken, especially for young football players.
"What the NFL does doesn't just impact the NFL, it sets a model of behavior for NCAA, Pop Warner, high school football," said Jeffrey Mjaanes, the director of the Chicago Sports Concussion Clinic at Rush University Medical Center. "I understand the players' point, but millions of kids watch these guys and it matters what they're doing."
"I don't tell kids not to play football," Mjaanes said. "But through fair play and proper safeguards, we all need to do it in a way to help protect our brains."
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