Concussions are unfortunately all too common in high school sports, especially football. Without a doubt a concussion is not just a minor bump on the head with no consequences down the road.

In fact the NFL is now struggling with how to prevent CTE or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a devastating brain disease which results from repeated head injuries.

Even a simple concussion carries risks of personality changes, loss of smell and risk for CTE down the road. Second impact syndrome, which results when a second head injury-even mild- occurs after a concussion, can cause the brain to shut down and even at times result in a permanent vegetative state.

Indiana has recently passed a law which requires that all public school coaches for grades 5-12 must receive training in concussions. This includes how to recognize concussions and when to pull kids out of a game.

By the way not only football but also other sports such as soccer can result in concussions. It’s just that football is by far the most common offender.

Given the potential serious consequences of even a single concussion, I believe that all athletes should be pulled out of games for even minor injuries. The earliest they should return to playing is 24 hours. And I would seriously ask myself as a parent whether I want my child participating in tackle football, when there are so many other sports without such risks that children can play.