The information on the lasting impact of concussions is slowly making its way to the forefront of society. For example, in 2015, a critically-acclaimed movie aptly entitled "Concussions" stared actors such as Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. It dramatized the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who butted heads with the NFL when he exposed the damage that occurs to football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
While this topic has been getting a lot of media attention, the legislature has been slow to act. Last Monday, Manitoba introduced the Concussion in Youth Sport Act to ensure better training and identifications of concussions by coaches. Every jurisdiction in the United States has concussion related legislation. Ontario does not. Ontario PC MPP Lisa MacLeod is urging the Ontario government to change that.
MacLeod's advocacy is based on a larger campaign to legislate "Rowan's Law," a law that seeks to create an expert advisory committee that would advise on creating legislation that sufficiently addresses the impact of concussions. This push for legal reform is based on the death of Rowan Stringer, a 17 year old high school rugby player who died from a brain injury due to a concussion. According to texts sent between her and her friend, she ignored many critical signs of a concussion just days before her death. She went into a second rugby game that week with severe headaches and the second head injury ultimately killed her. The coroner's inquest surrounding her death concluded with 49 recommendations, most of which were ignored by the Ontario legislature.
Right now MacLeod is joined by other notable figures such as NHL Hall of Famer Eric Lindros and Grey Cup champion Tim Fleiszer, who both had numerous concussions impact their sports careers.
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