in a row retirements Two college quarterbacks seemingly at the beginning of their careers are back in the spotlight. concussion And youth sportsespecially football.

On October 23, North Carolina State quarterback Grayson McCall announced: on Instagram He said he would retire from the sport after being ejected from the field during a match on October 5, during which he lost his helmet.

“As you all know, I’ve struggled with injuries my entire career, but I can’t come back from this situation. I’ve done everything I can to keep going, but this is where God Almighty has called me to serve in a different area.” McCall, 23, shared photos of himself playing football as a young boy. he wrote next to it. “Brain experts, my family and I concluded that it was in my best interest to hang up my cleats.”

Just five days later, on October 28, University of Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle announced that he, too, would retire from football, citing medical reasons.

Tuttle, a seventh-year senior, had surgery on his throwing arm during the offseason. accordingly ESPN suffered the fifth concussion of his career this season.

“Unfortunately, my experience enduring my fifth concussion has revealed the harsh truth: I need to start prioritizing my health,” Tuttle, 25, wrote in part in a post. Instagram post announced his retirement. “I dealt with numerous injuries throughout my college career and as a result, I made the difficult choice to give up playing the game I love.

Both Tuttle and McCall have stated that they plan to pursue football through coaching, with McCall writing: “I look forward to bringing my passion and love for football to the coaching field with a dream to serve and lead the next group of kids.”

Whether it is safe for young children to dream of playing football is a debate that has resumed following the retirement of quarterbacks as well as the recent deaths of two young football players.

In August, a 13-year-old boy in West Virginia died of brain trauma following a tackle during middle school football practice. accordingly Associated Press. same month, accordingly A 16-year-old high school football player in Alabama died after suffering a head injury during the game, according to AP.

Among youth sports, men’s soccer has the highest concussion rate at 10.4 concussions per 10,000 athletes, according to a 2019 study. It was published In the journal Pediatrics. Girls’ football and boys’ ice hockey followed with the second and third highest rates, respectively.

In children who start playing football at a young age, concussions may also begin at the same age. A. 2018 study It found that 5% of youth football players ages 5 to 14 suffered a football-related concussion each season.

Specializing in a single sport could be risky for young athletes, experts say

And science shows that every concussion, whether caused by a jolt to the head or a blow to the body, is significant.

Although not usually life-threatening, the effects of even a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion can be “serious.” accordingly It causes changes in the brain that can affect a child’s sleep, learning, behavior and thinking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, repeated concussions over time can cause long-term problems with concentration, memory, balance and headaches.

Chris NowinskiPh.D., co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit focused on concussion and CTE research, told ABC News that while he doesn’t know the details of Tuttle’s and McCall’s, their retirements are notable. now football during their college careers.

“Remember that you only have one brain, and you are putting your long-term brain health at risk when you play football,” Nowinski said. “And when you get warning signs that your brain is losing its resilience to trauma, you want to make sure you shut it down before it gets worse.”

He added of Tuttle and McCall: “It’s better for them to find that new passion rather than tearing their brains apart and dealing with the consequences for the rest of their lives.”

Implications for parents and young athletes

Nowinski said if a child is interested in playing football, he recommends playing flag or touch football instead of playing football for as long as possible.

This is a recommendation Reiterated by CDCquoted by data It shows that youth football players are 15 times more likely to suffer head impacts during a practice or match than flag football athletes.

If a child is playing football, the CDC’s safety recommendations include reducing the number of contact practices for teams, teaching position-specific and age-appropriate tackling and blocking skills, and strictly enforcing penalties for headers.

Noting the importance of children having as few concussions as possible, Nowinski said he also encourages parents, coaches and trainers to give young athletes plenty of time to recover from a concussion.

“This means being out for more than a week after a concussion and potentially being out longer than recommended,” he said. “And when you have two concussions in a shorter period of time, you get a longer break.”

Nowinski said the takeaway message for young athletes worried about missing a game or practice is: “The more concussions you have, the greater the risk of having to step away from the sport.”

Competitive youth sports lead to burnout and injuries, leading pediatric group warns

Dr. Munro CullumA concussion specialist and neuropsychologist at UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell Brain Institute told ABC News that he tells parents and athletes, “If in doubt, stay away.”

“If you have questions about how you’re doing, what I see for a lot of young adults is, ‘If you’re injured and you can’t do your best, you can’t be the best for your team,’” Cullum said. “‘You can’t be there for your team at full strength, so you have to let people know when there’s a problem.'”

Cullum said parents and guardians can often be the first line of defense when it comes to concussions in their children.

“I encourage parents to educate themselves on the signs of concussion because some changes can be very subtle,” he said. “Their behavior may change, and perhaps only a parent may notice when someone is more sullen or anxious than before.”

In some cases, concussion symptoms may appear immediately, while in others, it may take hours or days after the injury for symptoms to appear.

Concussion symptoms can range from dizziness, nausea, vision problems, and headaches to concentration problems, confusion, anxiety, sadness, irritability, or sleep changes. accordingly CDC.

When it comes to determining whether a recent concussion is too much for an athlete, Cullum said there is no “magic number.”

“We don’t yet know how much concussion is too much for whom,” Cullum said. “That’s what makes one individual unique versus another. There really can’t be a blanket prescription that’s right for everyone. There’s no one size fits all.”

Retirements of college quarterbacks shed light on concussions and children originally appeared goodmorningamerica.com