Concussions

Concussions have become a hot button issue across all levels of football. When will a comprehensive independent safety study of what is the safest helmet and safest mouthpiece exist? Currently there are multiple companies claiming to have the safest product for preventing concussions but where is the proof? I have heard "testing in very expensive" and "it is difficult to replicate actual football conditions in a lab" as possible explanations for why no study exists. Who is going to pay for it? Will it be accurate? I don't have the answers to those questions. What I do know is there are 631 football playing college teams in the NCAA that could serve as real world data collectors.

• 120 FBS
• 120 FCS
• 152 DII
• 239 DIII

All of these teams have a full time athletic trainer. It seems fairly low cost for the NCAA to simply ask team trainers to document every concussion on their team and what manufacturer and model of helmet the player was wearing when they sustained the injury. While this data might not be conclusive; it could serve as a guide for purchasing the safest helmet possible. Data could also be easily collected from JUCO, NAIA, and NFL teams.