Responsibility in the fog of concussions

Ronald Denig, wearing number five for Newfield High School, lunged to tackle a player from Comsewogue High School.

Photo courtesy Ronald Denig

A South Side High School football player landed headfirst on the turf in the 2014 Homecoming game against Herricks High School.

Maureen Lennon/Herald

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When brains rattle, blame is cast in the dark.

Concussions are a permanent risk factor in football. Players put on their helmets as doctors and trainers try to pull back the reins on injuries. A swirl of factors are involved in deciding who’s responsible for athletes’ safety.

In 2013, eight high school football players died from concussions. The National Federation of State High School Associations has been spearheading a nationwide initiative to reduce brain trauma in high school football.

Athletes whose helmets come off mid-game must leave the field until the helmet is securely fitted. Players suspected of having sustained a concussion must be symptom-free for 24 hours and present a doctor’s note to play. Schools are also teaching safer techniques like tackling with the hands instead of the head.

“Our athletes are instructed how to properly tackle, as well as how to receive a hit in an effort to minimize injury,” said Carol Roseto, the Rockville Centre School District athletic director.

Ronald Denig was taught the “old school” way to play — duck and charge. A former champion for the Newfield High School football team, the 21-year-old knows a thing or two about concussions: he’s had more of them than he can accurately recall. As a linebacker, his gritty, hard-charging style distinguished him.

“I only played one way,” Denig said. “That’s what made me good. That’s what made me be able to get to the next level. I don’t know if I would have had the wits to be like, ‘OK, playing this type of game isn’t good, maybe I should be more of a finesse player instead.’ I probably wouldn’t have done that though.”

Denig’s worst concussion came in 11th grade. “The game probably ended at like three and I remember for the rest of the day to the next morning I couldn’t get off my couch because I was so dizzy and my head hurt so bad,” he said. “I was very concussed after that game and I didn’t get it diagnosed because I knew if I got it diagnosed, I would be out for like a month or two and we were in the middle of the season. I was just trying to tough it out. I was being an idiot.”

As the team physician for the Miller Place High School football team, Dr. Mark Harary tries to put himself in the players’ shoes.