Monday’s question: What should the NFL do to better protect their players from head trauma?

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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.

Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times

What more can the NFL do about concussions? The league has to seriously examine every possible technological advancement in equipment, of course – hemets, padding, mouthguards – but that’s already being done. The real change needs to be cultural and come at all levels of football. Just as Korey Stringer’s death opened people’s eyes about the importance of proper hydration – no more punishing players by denying them water – everyone involved has to treat concussions with the same sort of concern. From the time they start playing, kids need to know that “getting your bell rung” isn’t the type of injury to shrug off. That said, it’s an uphill battle, because a central focus of the game is A) hitting, and B) not showing weaknesses. That can’t be legislated out of football, nor can you expect every player to self-report every injury or bell-ringing – especially when those people play to put food on the table (and Hummers in the garage.)

Ken Murray, Baltimore Sun

It is impossible to prevent concussions in the violent world of the NFL. Better helmets didn’t do it. A ban on leading with the helmet didn’t do it. A rule that says all chinstraps must be buckled didn’t do it (besides being largely ignored).

The NFL has made incremental improvements toward a system that better safeguards players. If it insists that an independent neurologist be used in all concussion cases, it would prevent some abuse. But the player is as guilty of putting himself in harm’s way as the flawed NFL system. Unless you can safeguard a guy’s position, he’s going to want to play.

Here’s what would really help: If the league’s concussion committee would come into the 21st century and acknowledge what the rest of the medical world already knows, it would be a huge step forward. Better yet, the league should get a panel of neurologists from outside the league to formulate all strategies. Either that, or go to weight-division football.

Gary R. Blockus, Allentown Morning Call

Ban helmets and shoulder pads for NFL players. You won’t see many safeties leading with their heads to tackle if they’re without a helmet. But seriously, you have to change the culture of hitting, as too many players lead with their heads or target an opponent’s head while trying to make big hits. The only way the NFL can better protect players from concussions is to penalize all hits to the head or hits with the head, and strictly enforce the rule. A hit to the head or with the head should be an automatic penalty. And if it’s not called during the game, it becomes an automatic post-game fine equal to half the player’s pay for that game. Making the fine hefty enough is the only way to change the culture of head-hunting. A hit to the head may cost the offender $200,000, but it has the potential to cost the concussed player for the rest of his life.