FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER - BUT THE DAMAGE LINGERS ON.

My Stanford medical postgraduate training was physically, intellectually and emotionally grueling as we spent 90+ to 120+ hours each week, caring for terribly sick patients. But one of my most difficult days involved high school football, coaches and the failure of adults to protect kids entrusted to their supervision.

Offered the opportunity to earn a few dollars as the "doc" at a local high school football game, I accepted.  I was told when and where to appear, where to sit at the field, and other administrative details.  Some of the orthopedic residents with whom I trained told me to immediately call an ambulance for any player who was seriously injured and to abstain from any significant medical contact because the players had their own sports doctors who were willing and ready to respond when called.

On a warm sunny afternoon, I showed up as instructed and was greeted by a grumpy home team coach who complained that I was not there when the game started minutes earlier.  I took my field seat and watched the game.  Several of the teenage players took hard hits and I went on the field and sent them to the sidelines to recover.  But by the time I had walked back to my seat, the coaches had returned those injured players to the game.   This was not an isolated event: shaken students were put back in the game repeatedly, before they were steady on their feet.  

I complained to the coaches who were uninterested in my comments, leading me to believe  they were more concerned about their teams' scores and wins than the well-being of the students entrusted to their care and supervision. 

Today, we know that teenagers' brain may be permanently susceptible to damage by the trauma inflicted in sports, including high school football.   We have seen news reports of retired professional football players who suffer severe dementia from cumulative blows to their brains, beginning early in the careers.

Adults have a responsibility to protect young people from the exorbitant price that high school sports may exact.  Training, proper equipment and sensible rules will help. But vigorous protection of players, by those who are there oversee their safety, is the key line of defense.