One way that has been suggested to limit concussions in football is to rethink kickoff returns, when a player catches the ball in the open field and tries to move as far as possible without being tackled by the opposing team. Could changing kickoff returns really help limit concussions?
To find out, the authors of a research letter published in JAMA examined what happened when the Ivy League, a NCAA conference made up of eight private universities, adjusted its kickoff policies in 2016. The kickoff line was moved from the 35-yard line to the 40-yard line, and the touchback line was moved from the 25-yard line to the 20-yard line.
These rule changes, the authors noted, could have been responsible for fewer concussions—or even more.
“The intention was to have more kickoffs land in the end zone and thereby reduce the likelihood the receiving player will advance the ball, thus increasing touchbacks,” wrote lead author Douglas J. Wiebe, PhD, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues. “However, moving the touchback line to the 20-yd line could cause receivers to try to advance the ball, possibly decreasing touchbacks.”
The authors studied plays and concussions for the affected universities from 2013 to 2017. There were more than 68,000 plays and 159 reported concussions during that time. While 126 concussions occurred before the rule changes, there were 33 after. The overall concussion rate was 2.3 per 1,000 players.
Kickoffs resulting in a touchback increased from 17.9 percent before the rule changes to 48 percent after. The mean annual concussion rate per 1,000 plays on kickoff plays was 10.93 before the changes and 2.04 after. Overall, analysis found that more than 7.51 fewer concussions occurred for every 1,000 plays once the changes were made.
“The kickoff rule change in Ivy League football was associated with a reduction in concussions,” the authors wrote.
The research did have certain limitations. For instance, full-contact hitting in practices was eliminated in 2016, meaning other factors could have contributed to fewer concussions taking place. However, the researchers still found their findings helpful as other policymakers consider changes that may help reduce concussions.
“The action taken by Ivy League leadership based on epidemiologic evidence demonstrates how targeted policy changes can reduce sport-related concussion,” Wiebe and colleagues concluded. “Although these results may not generalize beyond the Ivy League, they may inform the NCAA as it considers adjusting the kickoff rules in football in all collegiate conferences.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.