KANSAS CITY, MO. - Football is one of the country's favorite sports, but it's also one of the most dangerous.
They call it football, but its players' heads causing concern.
Alycia Lane found too many young players may be getting too many hits on the head.
"Helmet to helmet contact, helmet to shoulder pad contact and concussions are a very serious injury, said trainer Wade Anderson. “It's one of the most common injuries in sports, especially in the adolescent age group.”
The rough and tumble nature of the sport led to the first ever NFL-commissioned study, which shows former league players have 19-times the normal rate of dementia or memory related diseases than the normal population. Top-five ranked senior running back Malcolm Jones recalls his concussion two years ago.
"I couldn't really remember the plays,” Jones said. “I couldn't remember basic plays, basic running plays or basic pass plays. I couldn't even remember the team name we were playing against.”
"It can affect their mental clarity. It can affect their ability to pay attention in class,” said Anderson.
Coach Redell says few Oaks Christian players suffer concussions but adds it's all in how you coach.
"You know where you don't lead with your head, you don't lead with your forehead. Here at Oaks Christian you get a head injury or a neck injury, you're out," he said.
"You might want to take a few plays off, even though we all love being out here and playing, you just got to be smart about it because it's the rest of your life,” said Austin Bucciere, a junior cornerback at Oaks Christian.
