Pac-12 Announces Health Initiative

Oct 29, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the Pac-12 logo during the NCAA football game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Southern California Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

In response to growing concern over student-athlete well-being, the Pac-12 Conference is unveiling a comprehensive health initiative, the league announced on its official website.

The release says:

"Following this past weekend’s summer meetings and unanimous approval from the Pac-12 CEO Group, the initiative will build upon current efforts to improve the health and safety of Pac-12 student-athletes while establishing new activities."

Mounting attention paid to head injuries is specifically addressed, as “[t]he Pac-12 will establish a task force under the Student-Athlete Health Conference to study head trauma and find ways to limit damage and exposure to student-athletes.

“Pac-12’s General Counsel and Director of Football will lead the task force and appoint coaches, administrators and doctors from Pac-12 institutions.”

Proactive approaches to concussions are of huge importance to football in the coming years. Concussions have impacted Pac-12 members in recent years as profoundly as every other college football conference. Notable examples include the retirement of Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Steven Threet following the 2010 season.

On this site, I have advocated universal policies for monitoring head collisions and coaching staffs’ subsequent handling of said injuries. The conference’s proposed Head Trauma Task Force is a step in that direction.

The conference is also putting limitations on the amount of full contact practices. Dennis Dodd reports that details will be released at Pac-12 media day.