Concussion law puts 'health first'

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - A new law aimed at keeping Michigan student-athletes safe was signed Tuesday by Gov. Rick Snyder. It aims to make sure coaches are not only aware of concussion risks, but also taking action when students show the signs.

There has always been a moral obligation for coaches to bench a player who's showing signs of a head injury, but the new measure throws behind it the power of law.

On Tuesday, middle school football players were playing hard even in the rain -- and hitting even harder.

Concussions and athlete head trauma have been a high-profile issue for a while -- thrust into the limelight again recently after the suicide death of an NFL star who blamed issues of depression on trauma to his head.

Larry Barnes' nephew plays football. He says concussions are a concern.

"It's a worry not only with my nephew, but any one of these children out here," said Barnes.

It's a key concern for Ford Middle School Athletic Director and former football standout George Zender.

"My concern is for these young guys playing right now at this age and even younger and then progressing through high school. Most of us have played 10, 15 years or more of football. That's a lot of blows," said Zender.

And Zender is full aware of the pressure on the students to perform.

"Any athlete that wants to play is going to say, 'Hey, Coach, I'm okay. Put me back in.' Doesn't matter if his eyeballs falling out -- he wants to play. And I can appreciate that and I respect that, but we've got to be concerned about their health first," Zender said.

The law will require schools to educate coaches on what a concussion looks like so coaches know what to do even if kids still want to hit the field. It also requires coaches to pull a student showing symptoms of a concussion out of the game until a doctor gives the okay.

Zender says the law will encourage coaches to play it safe.

"I think we owe it to the athletes," he said.