Boston City Council Announces New Concussion Regulations

A little more than four years after the NCAA announced new rules “requiring each member institution to have a concussion management plan”, the Boston City Council approved further head trauma-oriented safety ordinances last week for individuals competing in NCAA events within city limits. The law is thought to be the first of its kind.

NCAA Division I schools in the vicinity impacted by the new legislation include Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, and Northeastern, as well as each school’s opponents at home games.

Among other provisions, the law requires each affected college to have an emergency medical action plan in place for all events held in Boston. As a part of this plan, athletes are barred from reentering the same game or match after suffering a concussion or displaying concussion-like symptoms that signal a concussion.

Additionally, the city will require a neurotrauma consultant to be on-site for all NCAA Division I football, ice hockey, and men's lacrosse events effective on July 1 of next year, an action inspired by the National Football League’s use of these same experts at its games.

While the newest set of rules may affect other area schools to a greater degree, they figure to make little-to-no difference for Harvard because of the strict policies the Ivy League already in place before the ordinance.

“The practices the regulation asks for have been part of our normal protocol and are consistent with our focus on student health and welfare,” said Tim Williamson, the Harvard Athletics Department communication director, in an emailed statement.

The Ivy League has been a pioneer in the area of head injury legislation for the past few years, with the widespread call for reforms reaching its nadir just after Penn football captain Owen Thomas took his life in April of 2010.

Even before the NCAA enacted its own first major set of head injury reforms in 2010, the Ivy League had begun its research on how to lower the number of collisions in contact sports in 2009 and implemented a new policy for football of limiting full-contact practices during the season from the NCAA maximum of five down to two a week. Similar contact restrictions were rolled out for soccer and lacrosse teams in 2012, with more emphasis on concussion education and prevention introduced as well.

Currently, Harvard conducts a series of tests—both before the season for a baseline test and when a concussion is suspected. The process triggered by concussion-like symptoms involves visiting a team physician, notifying the resident dean for academic accommodation if a concussion is diagnosed, and a group of tests that must be passed before a player is cleared to return.