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N.C. Legislators Pull Back on Parents' Concussion Say

Detailshttp://www.athleticbusiness.com/law-policy/n-c-legislators-pull-back-on-parents-

concussion-involvement.html?eid=235807042&bid=1680011

by Nancy Armour

February 2017

Copyright 2017 Gannett Company, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

USA TODAY

There are times Mom and Dad really don't know what's best. Like, say, when it's safe for their

child to return to play after a concussion.

Fortunately, North Carolina lawmakers appear to have realized that. With furor building over

proposed legislation that would have allowed parents to make decisions for which they are not

equipped and that could jeopardize their children's lives, one of the co-sponsors told USA TODAY

Sports on Tuesday that the bill would soon be amended.

"That's going to be changed," promised state Rep. Greg Murphy, who is also a physician. "It's not

necessary, because I don't believe parents are medical professionals and they are not qualified to

make such decisions.

"I'm not sure why that was included, but it's definitely going to be removed."

Given some of the shenanigans in North Carolina politics lately, it's worth keeping an eye on

legislators until the necessary edits are actually made to House Bill 116. Because parents, no

matter how well-meaning, do not have the expertise to make decisions of this magnitude.

There is much we don't know about repetitive head trauma and the long-term damage it can

cause, particularly with young athletes. There is no set recovery time, either, with severity of the

injury, physiology and personal history all playing roles.

But one thing researchers do know is that returning to play too soon can leave a child vulnerable

to additional injury, even death. And while most parents would never do anything to purposely put

their children at risk, we've all seen those moms and dads with an unhealthy investment or

interest in their kids' athletic careers.

Giving them the power to rush their sons or daughters back on the field when a young body or

brain is still healing is not only senseless, it's reckless.

"Parents are very competitive in many venues of competitive sports. Sometimes those decisions

are made -- and I've seen them made previously," said Jason Mihalik, co-director of the Matthew

Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center at the University of North Carolina.

"At the end of the day, everyone should be a part of (discussions about) a student-athlete's health

and safety, and that includes parents," Mihalik added. "But certain decisions that need to be

made can impact the life of a student-athlete, and those decisions are best left to licensed

medical professionals."

The surprising part of all this is that North Carolina has one of the most comprehensive return-to-

play laws in the country, one that has been held up as a model for other states.

Named for two high school football players who died after suffering head trauma on the field, the

Gfeller-Waller Concussion Awareness Act prohibits kids from returning to play without the written

clearance of a physician, neuropsychologist, athletics trainer, physician's assistant or nurse

practitioner. It also requires schools to have formal emergency action plans in the event of serious

injuries or medical conditions.

"I strongly feel parents should be involved in medical decisions involving their child," Mihalik said.

"To do the scenario where a parent is exclusively able to (clear a child), without even seeking

health care for the child, is something I personally can't support."

The uproar over making parents concussion experts has also detracted from the other, laudable

aspects of HB 116. In addition to concussions, the Student Safety in Athletics bill would require all

coaches to be trained in CPR and prohibit kids who suffered heatstroke or heat exhaustion from

returning to play without medical clearance.

It also would require parents to acknowledge before each season that they had been given

educational information on sudden cardiac arrest, heat illnesses and head trauma.

But perhaps most important, HB 116 would create a statewide database of all catastrophic

illnesses, injuries and concussions suffered during an athletic activity. It would be cataloged by

age, gender and sport, providing researchers with a wealth of information.

"We can't act on data unless we have it," Murphy said.

And you can't make decisions that will impact the health and safety of a child if you don't have the

training and expertise.

Being a parent requires making tough choices every single day. Deciding whether your child's

injured brain has recovered enough to let him or her return to the playing field should not be one

of them