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Wisconsin football team and researchers partner with the NFL to study concussions
JADEN ROBERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL
By Anthony Trombi STAFF WRITER
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to collect data from high-tech mouthguard sensors currently used by the Badger football team. The main goal of the study is to look at the conditions surrounding an injury. Researchers are looking at the conditions on the field that cause sports-related concussions to occur, according to Daniel Cobian, assistant professor of orthopedics and reha-
bilitation at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. He is also a co-principal investigator for the study. Cobian worked with the NFL on previous projects at the Badger Athletic Performance Lab. “We’ve worked on some projects with the NFL before and I’d say that we’re kind of a logical partner based on our access to Division I studentathletes, particularly the football team, which is a good surrogate for their [NFL] population,” said Cobian in an interview with the Cardinal.
According to Cobian, his prior research primarily focused on lower extremities, performance after an injury and the return to sport. “This is more looking at the conditions surrounding the injury,” said Cobian. “So, what are the conditions on the field that cause head injury, that cause these sport-related concussions to occur in the sport of football? What factors relate to the severity of the injury or the types of impacts that are sustained?” Players involved in the study will wear mouthguards both during practice and in games. Both types of data will help improve player safety, according to Cobian. “The game has a lot of uncontrolled or uncontrollable factors, in terms of how the plays are carried out, what type of offense or what the opposing team is running,” said Cobian. “But in practice, the drills are planned or the specific practice periods or specific types of drills.” The hardware contained inside the mouthguards measure head and neck accelerations, but
the outside looks like a standard mouthguard. Cobian said these mouthguards should not affect players’ performances. “Some players, for the most part, actually have said this is the most comfortable mouthguard they’ve ever worn,” said Cobian. “Other players have said it’s very uncomfortable.” Players voluntarily opt into
“We’ve worked on some projects with the NFL before and I’d say that we’re kind of a logical partner.” Daniel Cobian UW School of Medicine and Public Health
the study and can decide to opt out at any time. Last year Badger football linemen were recruited to wear the mouthguards, but this year, running backs, wide receivers and secondary players all are a part of the study, according to Cobian. “The players first and foremost volunteering for this and
being willing to participate gives us the ability to study these types of things and hopefully improve the safety of future athletes,” said Cobian. “They are not necessarily going to receive a direct benefit in that way but the idea is for future athletes. So that’s really going to them for participating and then the athletic training staff and everybody else involved.” The NFL launched the mouthguard sensor program in 2019 as a part of the league’s $60 million commitment to help promote health and safety initiatives. This research at UW-Madison, the University of Alabama, University of North CarolinaChapel Hill and University of Washington will help drive concussion protection innovation at NFL and collegiate levels. “This is definitely kind of like a multi-site study where we’re gonna combine a lot of the information that we get and that just gives us a lot more data to work with,” said Cobian. “We can make much stronger conclusions with the more data you have. So that’s an aspect of this study that is pretty interesting.”
MPD to investigate all future use of tear gas By Sarah Eichstadt STAFF WRITER
Madison police now have to file reports after using tear gas. Madison Common Council passed an ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting that requires the Madison Police Department to produce an after-action report following the use of tear gas, mace, impact projectile devices or other chemical agents for crowd control. District 8 Alder Juliana Bennett originally proposed to ban MPD from using tear gas and other weapons. According to the agenda, Bennett and District 10 Alder Yannette Figueroa Cole proposed the alternative ordinance to continue use but require reports on Tuesday. Bennett said she met with Police Chief Shon Barnes Tuesday morning to reach a consensus on what should be brought to the council. “This ordinance is about trust,” Bennett said. “Given we
[Barnes and Bennett] want tear gas to be this last resort tool or weapon, it’s important for us to have a public review process to learn from this situation and become better.” The city will hire an independent police monitor to con-
“We should be proud to live in a city that has a progressive porlice department.”
Bonnie Roe Madison community member
duct the investigation and share their findings with the council and the city’s Police Civilian Oversight Board, according to Barnes. The length of the investigation will depend on how long the incident was, but it is required to begin within 30 days of the incident.
Members of the Madison community weighed in at the meeting on the use of tear gas by Madison police, citing its use during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Some residents said the use of tear gas is not effective at controlling the crowd and actually escalates the scene. Gregory Geboski was at a protest reporting for WORT-FM when the police started using tear gas. He felt this was unnecessary because he did not think the protest escalated into a riot. “I saw nothing related to a riot,” Geboski said. “I saw a lot of angry people who were yelling at police.” Other community members weighed in, pointing out how the Madison police don’t use tear gas often. “This is a tool our police have used responsibly,” Bonnie Roe said. “We should be proud to live in a city that has a progressive police department.”
Several people spoke on the short and long-term health effects of tear gas, including reproductive and respiratory consequences. Bennett wrote a blog post expressing concerns about MPD violating safety regulations when using tear gas and the long-term effects on people and the environment.
“Research indicates that chemical munitions not only flowed through protestors, but also through the protective gear of journalists, medics, legal observers, bystanders, the densely grassed urban landscape, and even entered the city’s waterways,” Bennett wrote in her blog.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW.CITYOFMADISON.COM
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”