MADISON (WKOW) -- A Richland Center high school student with a history of debilitating concussions during prep sports joined former Green Bay Packer Mark Tauscher in urging state standards for sports participation after concussions.
During a State Capitol news conference, Brock Rosenkranz said the concussions he suffered during both high school football and basketball derailed his prep career, affected his school progress and alienated him from classmates.
"I had severe headaches every single day for two years," Rosenkranz said.
Rosenkranz, Tauscher, physicians and others said passage of legislation pending with the state Senate would require standard, safety protocols for removal of athletes from games and their reentry when concussion symptoms were involved. The legislation also involves mandatory medical examination of suspected high school concussion victims.
UW-Madison Dr. David Bernhardt said diagnosis of Rosenkranz's concussion condition may have been hastened had the standards been in place during the course of the teenagers' injuries.
Tauscher said NFL officials are more proactive than in the past in addressing player concussion symptoms and the standards in Wisconsin would be an extension of current day medicine's approach to sports concussions.
One of the legislation's authors, Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) said continuing to leave decisions on concussion treatment to individual school districts would not guarantee the highest level of health and safety for teenage patients.
Coaches, trainers, teachers and other educators do have an online course available with current information on sports concussions from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. But WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson said only a small percentage of school staff members have taken the course.
The proposed legislation passed the state assembly. Darling said some Republican Senate colleagues are concerned with the proposal's mandate approach.
Sources told 27 News Sen. Pam Galloway (R-Wausau), who has a medical degree, is opposed to the proposal. Galloway has yet to respond to a request for comment from 27 News.
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MADISON (WKOW) -- A former Green Bay Packer is supporting a bill to reduce youth concussions.
Offensive lineman Mark Tauscher will join medical professionals, a lobbyist for the NFL and the sponsors of the bill for a news conference Wednesday. The bill has passed the Assembly but stalled in the Senate.
The measure would require that young athletes who suffer what appears to be a concussion or head injury to be immediately removed from the activity and information be developed to educate coaches, athletes and parents about the risk of concussions and head injuries.
