What The New Concussion Law Means For Youth Sports

Within the last decade, both sons of Minnesota state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) suffered severe concussions while playing sports. 

My son “would just keep repeating phrases,” Bonoff said. “He sounded like Rain Man. It was very scary. We didn’t know what was going on.”

Now, a new state law co-authored by Bonoff, should make students, parents and coaches more aware of the dangers that concussions present to young athletes—and not just in football. 

What the law means for youth sports:

• Information about concussions should be made available to high school and youth league coaches, officials, athletes and their parents. This is intended to help everyone involved in sports become more aware of concussions, so parents such as Bonoff can better deal with the injury.
• Coaches and officials participating in organized sports programs must complete an online training exercise provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which discusses the risks, treatment and potential effects of sports concussions.         
• A player who has been removed from a sport with a possible concussion must be examined by a physician, and must be certified as having no symptoms of the concussion before returning to the sport. This is meant to reduce the frequency of second concussions before an athlete recovers from the first, which can cause more damage.

This story is part of a three-part series examining the new state law on sports-related concussions in Minnesota youth sports. The series was reported by John Hageman, Southwest Minneapolis Patch Local Editor James Sanna, and edited by Regional Sports Coordinator Mark Remme.

TODAY (Part I): The origins of the new Minnesota concussion law
TOMORROW (Part II): Why proper recovery steps are important to an athlete’s long-term health
WEDNESDAY (PART III): How one young woman’s testimony helped get the law passed