According to the website for the Cedar Sinai Hospital in New York, a brain hemorrhage occurs when bleeding into the brain kills brain cells. For a person under 50, a head injury is the most common cause.
But the chance of injury makes the game compelling for Regina high school football coach Ryan Hall.
“If football were safer than it would be for everyone. (The game) would no longer require the challenge,” said Hall, the defensive coordinator for Regina’s Campbell Tartans.
Still, Hall’s team has taken steps to protect players from suffering head injuries. This includes updating the team’s supply of helmets so most players would have a helmet either in its first or second season of use. Campbell players raised the money to buy the new equipment.
The team has encouraged players to use custom-fitted mouth gaurds, which costs $50 for a dentist to make. The mouth gaurds can be covered by a dental plan if a parent has one.
Coach Hall not only has the perspective of a coach but also that of a parent. Hall has two sons who currently play for Campbell, and worries whenever his sons step onto the field. This is especially true for his oldest son Marcus, who has suffered a series of concussions over the past three seasons. The Hall family took all the precautions that they could to protect him, including buying a helmet specifically for him, he said.
“Ever since I started coaching my biggest dream was to coach my sons. Having to pull one of my sons from football would be very tough for me.”
