One single play could end your career – one single play could end your life.

We see it everyday when we tune into a football game – any kind of football game. From the mini’s up to the NFL. We see it every time we watch a player taking a shot to the head.

Many people will say “it’s only a concussion, I’ll be okay soon,” and then come back in the game and play. That’s not the case at all though. Those injuries add up over time, and if you aren’t fully healed, your life can be in danger.

The NFL has made a lot of rules to make the game safer over the years after deaths of players who have committed suicide from CTE.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma. Players like Ken Stabler, Tyler Sash, Mike Webster, and many more have been diagnosed with CTE. Junior Seau, committed suicide in 2012 as a result of CTE.

The NFL made rule changes and tried to preach to the coaches to teach their players how to tackle lower and not lead with your helmet.

Currently, if you lead with your helmet to make a tackle, it’s a 15 yard penalty and could be called as targeting, which is an automatic ejection and even could lead to a suspension and a fine from the NFL.

The concussion rate has gone down in the recent years. In the 2015 season, it was 275 and last year it went down to 244. With all of that being said, and all of the rule changes that have been made, football is still a dangerous sport and always will be.