Heads Up: Lakewood High School Dodges Football Concussions

Courtesy of Lakewood Patch on Facebook

Winless.  Not exactly the start to the football season that the 0-8 Rangers of Lakewood High School had envisioned this year.  Mid-October and still searching for that first elusive victory of the year.  A member of the Division I Southwestern Conference, Lakewood is mere minutes west of downtown Cleveland.  As their forgettable season fades from memory, the team's last place record might not be the only topic needing answers from administrators.

You may be familiar with the 2015 film Concussion--starring Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu.  A famed neuropathologist and medical examiner, Dr. Omalu discovered chronic traumatic encephalothopy (CTE) in 2002, while performing an autopsy on former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Mike Webster.  His discovery brought to light the dangers and long term consequences of concussive brain damage that many athletes are subjected to.  In particular, Dr. Omalu has focused on football, in which athletes are most at-risk of suffering a concussion. 

What you may not know, is that Dr. Omalu authored an op-ed article in late 2015, which was published in the New York Times. The title of the article, Don't Let Kids Play Football, is about as on-the-nose as it gets. It is, however, chocked full of insight and information for parents to consider.

"We should at least wait for our children to grow up, be provided with the information and education on the risk of play, and let them make their own decisions." - Dr. Bennet Omalu

These comments, from such a knowledgeable and reputable physician, begs to question, "is he right?" Should children be allowed to play youth football? Should parents be allowed to make this decision on behalf of their child? How does my school handle a concussion?

In Kent State University's Computer Assisted Reporting class, we contacted high school principals and school board presidents across the state, asking if these administrators agreed or disagreed with Dr. Omalu.  The answers I received from Lakewood High School Principal Keith Ahearn and Lakewood School Board President Tom Einhouse, or rather, the lack thereof, might alarm you.

Both administrators were contacted last month and asked to provide the concussion policy for their football program--if one existed. They were also asked their opinion on Dr. Omalu's op-ed, and a short video Skype interview was requested to add another human element to a report centered around the health and safety of children.

Lakewood School Board
President Tom Einhouse

Lakewood High School
Principal Keith Ahearn

Neither Principal Ahearn, or President Einhouse responded to the video Skype interview request. Neither men would comment on Dr. Omalu's article. Neither men would personally provide a copy of the concussion policy for Lakewood High School. In fact, President Tom Einhouse did not respond to a single email.  Principal Keith Ahearn offered one solitary response to this emergent issue which is affecting many of the young men who play for the school he oversees.

"We do have a concussion protocol and policy in place because we believe that it is a serious public health issue and one that had a direct and potentially long-term impact on students.  How we respond, treat, evaluate, counsel and accommodate concussions is very important" - Principal Keith Ahearn

Concussion and head injury information
 sheet provided by Lakewood High School

The school's treasurer sent copies of Lakewood High School's bylaws and policies for their athletics programs, parent and student participation forms, as well as an outdated copy of the Ohio Department of Health's concussion and head injury information sheet. None of which detail a plan for students, should a concussion occur.  Nowhere in the paperwork provided by the school does it detail how a concussion is dealt with during practice or a game. The Lakewood High School athletic website provides no information on concussion policies and no paperwork or information we were provided could prove these protocols or policies exist.

If you're a parent or family member of a Lakewood High School football player, this should raise concerns. If concussion policies are in place here, have you been informed of them? If your child suffers a concussion during practice or a game, how will the coaches and administrators respond? Will they be able to recognize the symptoms?

The Ohio High School Athletic Association, or OHSAA, has "suggested guidelines" which coaches follow for players suspected of having concussions. These are merely recommendations, and are in no way legally required or enforced. It advises the coach or official that, "if confusion, unusual behavior or responsiveness, deteriorating condition, loss of consciousness, or concern about neck and spine injury exist, the athlete should be referred at once for emergency care." It also says that no athlete suspected of having a concussion should be allowed to re-enter a game. 

There is an Ohio law which requires coaches or officials to remove a player who may have potentially suffered a concussion from practice or a game, and an OHSAA Concussion Report to be filed by the official within 48 hours. There is also a law which requires written authorization by a physician for the student to "return to play." No law exists which requires a physician or independent neurologist to be on-site to evaluate athletes for concussions during practices or games. 

This places the burden of determining whether a player has a concussion directly onto the coaches or officials. These individuals most likely lack the formal medical training to be able to diagnose and evaluate a player for a concussion in a matter of moments during game-play.


What I've Learned

Football is an inherently violent sport and concussions are an unfortunate byproduct of playing.  Our goal was to inform. To seek the opinions of Ohio high school administrators with direct oversight of the football program and of student health and safety.  The reasons why so many chose not to comment are unclear but this is not an issue which is going away. It can't be swept under the rug, or passively ignored. Concussions are an ever-present reminder that concussive brain damage or CTE are both looming risks involved in this sport. What remains to be seen is how CTE is researched and discovered in the future and how this impacts youth and high school football programs. Let's hope that these administrators aren't on the wrong side of history when it comes to speaking out for the safety of our young athletes.

Most people do not want to speak to reporters or the media. There is very little risk-reward involved for them, and should they say something that offends someone--or contradicts the policies or collective mindset of their employer--they could be headed for trouble. I believe that the Lakewood High School Principal and School Board President did not wish to be interviewed because they understand that concussions are a controversial topic. Principal Ahearn clearly acknowledged that concussions are an issue, but had no desire to elaborate in an interview. The statement he gave was about as vague as vague can be and the forms were actually sent to me by the treasurer/P.R. rep--not Principal Ahearn or President Einhouse. The concussion and head injury information sheet was both outdated and lacked any formal evidence of a concussion protocol or policies. This isn't to say that they don't have one, but if they do, they didn't share it with me. 

Joe Finley
jfinle10@kent.edu

I learned that persistence, bordering on annoyance, is sometimes necessary to get answers. I emailed Principal Ahearn a total of five times; four consecutive times before I received the quote in my article. I must have called his office over ten times and even made an attempt to show up in-person to interview him, unsuccessfully. Had I given up after two emails, I would have had nothing to report on from either administrator. President Einhouse chose not to respond to any of my emails, which was not surprising once I spoke to others in class who were experiencing the same issue. 

The key to success as a journalist is recognizing the value in a good story and making your best effort to hold the people involved accountable.