Tackling player safety in football

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is on the mend after he went into cardiac arrest on the field after a tackle during a Jan. 2 game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. The incident left both football fans and players stunned.

Hamlin’s cardiac arrest prompted a fresh wave of public concern about player safety and reignited conversations about the dangers of playing tackle football.

In this episode, we talk about the potential health risks associated with the sport, how some parents feel about letting their kids play tackle football and what changes football fans would like to see to make the game safer.

Guests: 

• Teresa Walker, Associated Press pro-football journalist

• Dr. Aaron M. Yengo-Kahn, neurosurgeon and co-director of The Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center & Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Research (V-SCoRe)

• Ingle Martin, former NFL quarterback and head football coach at Christian Presbyterian Academy

• Jamaal Stewart, head football coach at East Nashville Magnet High School 

• Eric Insignares, therapist, parent and lifelong football fan

Additional reading: 

• NPR: Shows of support and signs of unease mark the first NFL Sunday since Hamlin’s injury

• Insider: Damar Hamlin’s collapse is a reminder that football can be ‘extremely ugly’