A recent survey about the impact of concussions among pro football players found that 115 of 125 former NFLers reported "suffering at least one concussion," and of those 115, 76 listed "at least one mental-health symptom that could be related to their head injuries," according to Matt Crossman of SPORTING NEWS. The study indicated that the "most common ailment among the former players is memory loss," as 56 listed it as a symptom. Other "common problems include headaches (19), depression (12) and mood swings (seven)." Additionally, four former players "reported vision problems and five reported hearing problems," while three "have both." Four players said that they "have trouble with their balance," and three said that they "struggle with cognitive issues, meaning they have problems concentrating." For a point of comparison, Crossman notes a study in '05 conducted by the Univ. of North Carolina found that 60% of former NFLers reported "at least one concussion," and 24.4% "suffered three or more concussions." Meanwhile, the survey conducted by Sporting News found that 92% "suffered at least one," while 60% "suffered three or more." Of the players who suffered a concussion, 89.6% said that "they played with one." Sporting News' survey results are featured in part one of a five-part special report entitled, "Football's Concussion Crisis" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 8/20).
