Question: Does Playing Football Endanger Youths?

The suicide last week of former National Football League star Junior Seau has sparked another round of debate about how dangerous football might really be.

There's plenty of research to suggest that the hazards of football through head injuries - potentially long term damage - is not just reserved for pro players, but has become a major concern for high school athletes as well.

The Centers for Disease Controls estimate that there are between 1.6 million and 3.8 million sports-related concussions every year, and the centers conclude that they are at an "epidemic level."

On top of that, studies suggest for scholastic athletes, football creates the most potentially harmful hits to the head, and concussions in high-school football go vastly under reported.

Much of the research up until now has focused on concussions. Studies show that athletes with two or more traumatic brain injuries in their high school career demonstrate statistically significant lower grade-point averages.

Some of the new research on the study of brain injuries at Purdue University indicates that repeated blows to the head of much less force than a concussion can also create an impairment.

So, it leads to the question. What do you think about these new studies? Has any of it made you rethink whether you'd let your children play football in high school or college? As a student athlete, do you worry about the dangers?

Does it make you rethink your enjoyment of college football Saturdays or pro football Sundays?

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