MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Vermont lawmakers are working to better protect students on and off the field. Far too many high school football players are getting concussions, and now a bill, with support from coaches has been proposed.
Football... the contact sport many of us know and love.
"I just love playing football," Colin O'Meara said… and he knows the dangers all too well.
I asked, "Have you had a concussion?" He replied,"Yea, a couple." but in fear of missing out on future games, he didn't tell anyone how he was feeling and the concussions went unreported and undiagnosed.
"You feel nauseous, a little woozy, and you got a really bad headache," O'Meara said.
Montpelier high school head football coach john Murphy says he's seen a rise in concussions. On a 24 person team, at least five are hit hard enough to get a concussion each season. Although these students may be striving to play in college or at the professional level, coach Murphy says coaching is getting more difficult.
"If you look carefully as a coach, you see that their heads are down constantly and we at the youth level and the high school level scream heads up football," Coach Murphy said.
Along with another teammate O'Meara and Murphy shared their stories at the statehouse Thursday in support of a new bill. The bill would better educate players about the brain injury, and make policies clearer. For example, when a student could get back in the game.
Another part of the bill includes having more trained eyes on the field, so that if a player did have a concussion, it would be spotted immediately, they could get help right away and the symptoms could be less severe.
"I think it's a good idea to have referees trained," State Senator Richard Sears said.
A lot of lawmakers support this bill and are hopeful it will be passed this session.
Lawmakers do want to see more research on the long term affects of concussions.
