Concussions in high school sports are a growing concern, but with no state oversight, who's counting?

Todd Milewski:

Scott Rohlfing left Verona's football game at Madison La Follette feeling like his brain was going to bulge out of his eye sockets.

The senior offensive lineman and team captain doesn't remember much about the Sept. 12 game, but knows he took a pretty good hit to the helmet in the second quarter. He continued to play, but well into the second half, the pain was too much.

"I just could not stand it," Rohlfing said. "The lights were getting extremely bothering. At some point probably midway through the fourth quarter, I ended up just pulling the plug on it and talked to the trainer.

"I sat on the sideline with cotton balls in my ears and basically with my eyes closed and my head down, watching as much as I could just because the sound and lights were pretty intense."

Rohlfing was diagnosed with a concussion. His doctor ordered him to avoid electronics and school work. And state law forbid him from practicing or playing until he received written clearance from a health care provider.

Related: League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 10, 2013 12:50 AM
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