NFL says diagnosed concussions way up this season

ByKEVIN SEIFERT
January 29, 2016, 2:00 PM

— -- Diagnosed concussions rose by nearly 32 percent in the NFL this season, according to data released Friday by the league.

The 2015 total was 271, a figure that includes all preseason and regular-season games as well as all practices since the start of training camp. The league had previously boasted of a decrease in reported concussions in both 2014 (206) and 2013 (229), a drop the league attributed to an enhanced concussion protocol it implemented after the 2012 season. There had been 261 concussions in 2012.

The NFL says reported concussions in regular-season games rose 58 percent from 2014 to 2015 -- the highest number (182) in any of the past four years.

The league offered no immediate context or explanation to go with the data release, which was conducted by Quintiles Injury Surveillance and Analytics.

Of the 271 concussions in 2015, 234 occurred in games and 37 in practice. The report listed the following as the most common causes during regular-season games:

  • Contact with another helmet (92)
  • Contact with the playing surface (29)
  • Contact with a shoulder (23)

Meanwhile, the league also reported an increase in knee injuries to the ACL and MCL. According to the data, ACL injuries rose from 49 last season to 56 in 2015 but were still lower than the 62 from 2013. There were 170 MCL injuries in 2015, up from 139 last season, 136 in 2013 and 132 in 2012.