When Dr. Yolanda Bruce Brooks first set foot in an NFL locker room 16 years ago, the Cowboys players inside had little idea what to make of her. A woman in their inner sanctum, they deduced, could be only one of three things: a reporter, a jock sniffer or worse -- management. What she was, in fact, was the Cowboys' new psychologist, coming to Valley Ranch at the behest of Ring of Honor inductee turned team consultant Calvin Hill to help bring calm to a roster whose taste for drugs and depravity and disrespect for authority seemed like symptoms of deeper issues.
In the NFL, controlled violence is, and always will be, an essential part of the sport. As fans, we have no problem with coaches telling players to run hard, hit hard and tackle hard, because we know that we can't take that kind of contact and tough physicality out of football.
The early word on Yoenis Cespedes is in. "He's the real deal," says a scout who has seen him this spring. "Very mature approach. Very professional. And he can hit. He's the best hitter on the A's right now. Oakland made a great gamble."
Thanks to what seems like a never-ending battle with a foggy brain, outfielder Denard Span breaks away from his routine winter workouts one day a week for special treatments that he hopes fix concussion symptoms.
On Jan. 29, CNN will debut Big Hits, Broken Dreams, a documentary exploring concussions in high school football. SI.com's Ben Glicksman talked with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent and practicing neurosurgeon, about his findings and what parents, coaches and athletes need to know to try to protect themselves.
The sport of tackle football can be very dangerous. Can teams play safely and still win? Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.
For 17-year-old Nathan Stiles, his senior year was supposed to be the best yet.
Jamal Lewis, Dorsey Levens and two other former NFL players have filed a lawsuit accusing the National Football League of misleading them and failing to protect them against on-the-field brain injuries they say caused health problems years after they retired.
Former Detroit Lion Ryan Stewart is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit alleging NFL negligence in regard to concussions.
BALTIMORE -- Dan Duquette spent over two decades in the front offices of major league baseball teams, culminating with his role as Red Sox general manager in which he helped assemble the key pieces of what would become Boston's 2004 Curse-busting World Series title team.
It's football season: From Pop Warner, Young American Football League and other children's football leagues; from high school to college and the pros, football is the name of the game.
Seventy-five former professional football players are suing the National Football League, saying the league knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects of concussions on players' brains but concealed the information from players, coaches, trainers and others until June 2010.
Ellis Hobbs likened his spine to a jelly doughnut, saying that one of his vertebrae "squeezed out the back end" when he took a jolt to the head during a kick return in 2009.
Once one of the NFL's most feared safeties, Steve Atwater knows something about hard hits. He discusses the topic of concussions with Patrick Snell.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with the family of a former NFL player who committed suicide.
His was a suicide with a macabre twist. In February, former Chicago Bears safety David Duerson shot himself in the chest, but not before leaving behind a note requesting his brain be studied for evidence of a disease striking football players.
Former NFL lineman Shane Dronett's transformation from an affable prankster, quick to flash a wry smile, to a person who was often frightened -- and frightening -- was subtle at first.
For an injury that is largely invisible, it is no small irony that a new test to detect concussion involves the eyes.
The business leaders of the National Football League used to have a secret.
Calvin Lowe suffered a concussion playing football, but he won't walk away from the gridiron. CNN's Sarah Hoye reports.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is playing defense against brain injuries for student athletes.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about the league and players' attitudes on concussions.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Center Pierre-Marc Bouchard is set to suit up for the Minnesota Wild for the first time in more than a year.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner knows how it feels when a 250-pound defender is charging after him on the playing field. He knows the frenzied scramble, the attempt to evade a defender. Warner also knows, when none of that works, how it feels to have 250 pounds of flesh crushing him.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a young athlete who had his memory stolen by multiple concussions.
Today is a rare day. Fred McNeill is animated, beaming. Sunlight glances over his face as he relives the glory days 30 years ago when he was a professional football player for the Minnesota Vikings.
When Taylor Twellman won Major League Soccer's MVP award in 2005, he threw his head at balls in the penalty box with the force of a bird smacking into a window. That's how the U.S. and New England Revolution forward scored 101 goals in eight MLS seasons -- and how his playing career took an irretrievable turn on Aug. 30, 2008.
The NHL this week released a video (below) to illustrate the parameters of a new rule regarding illegal hits to the head. It also tacked on a series of calls that will be made for other hits, illegal checks and contact near the end boards.
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