ESPN: Apple iPad to be used by the NFL to diagnose concussions on the field next season

For the last few years, concussions have become a major issue in the NFL. Last year, 160 concussions were suffered by players during an NFL game and a traumatic brain injury was cited as the reason for the suicide of Junior Seau. Even though the President is a football fan, he recently said that if he had a son, he doesn't know if he would allow him to play football. 

According to ESPN, during the league's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis on Friday, the NFL displayed a new app for the Apple iPad that can help team doctors diagnose concussions right after impact. The app will be distributed to all teams. Before the season starts, and at different points during the 16 game campaign, each player will be tested using the tablet and the app to get a baseline score. If the player is involved in a severe hit during the course of a game, team doctors will test the player using the app and compare the results with the player's baseline score.

If this app proves to be successful, we hope that the NFL would allow it to be used by teams in any organized football league, including by high school and college teams. While the app will help doctors more easily come to a diagnosis of a concussion, Seattle Seahawks team doctor Stanley Herring says that Doctors will still have to use their training and trust their instincts and observations as well.

source: ESPN via AppleInsider