American sports agent Leigh Steinberg has represented some of the biggest stars in football history, and now he’s taking another step in his long-time side passion of combating one of the sports’ biggest dangers – concussions.
Steinberg recently launched the Leigh Steinberg Foundation, which aims to educate parents and fund research for concussion treatment in sports.
“It’s our effort to raise money for research to promote awareness, prevention and cures, to put money aside for at-risk kids who have neurological problems or concussion that can’t get treatment, and to fund research,” Steinberg said. “We have a doctor’s committee with 10 doctors on it, and we’ll be raising money to try and bring more healing to this.”
The veteran agent is also set to throw a Super Bowl party in New Orleans, and is inviting several neurologists from across the country to educate the attendees on concussions as well.
And as Super Bowl LIX marks the final game of the 2024 football season, the country will look to turn the page on one of the scariest years for brain injuries in recent history.
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In Alabama, Morgan Academy junior quarterback Caden Tellier received an injury to the head during the third quarter of his team’s 30-22 win against Southern Academy in Selma, Alabama, in late August.
Just days after that, a 13-year-old in West Virginia died after suffering a head injury at a middle school football practice. Eighth-grader Cohen Craddock, who played defensive line for Madison Middle School in Madison, suffered severe brain bleeding and swelling after making a tackle.
Months after that, Alabama A&M University football player Medrick Burnett Jr. died after sustaining a serious head injury in a game in late November.
Steinberg says his inspiration to pursue this cause came when he saw many of his own quarterback clients get repeatedly hit in the head during the late 1980s.
“They kept getting hit in the head, and when we went to the doctor and we asked, ‘How many is too many hits, and when should they contemplate retiring?’ The doctors had no answer because the brain is the last frontier of medical research,” Steinberg told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
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Steinberg started hosting panels with players to promote awareness for brain health in the 1990s. At one of those panels, an appearance by neuropathologist Bennet Ifeakandu Omalu, the subject of the movie “Concussion,” convinced Steinberg of how many concussions are too many.
Steinberg was told that three or more was the magic number. After that, Omalu said, there’s an “exponentially” higher rate of Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, premature cynicity, horno traumatic encephalopathy and depression.
But Steinberg has seen players play after suffering a third concussion.
“Part of the problem with players is they’re in a state of denial when it comes to their physical health,” Steinberg said. “Since they were in pop culture, little league they believe that real men play this play every circumstance. The concept of long-term health is an abstraction. So, it’s hard to get them to protect themselves, and it’s just very difficult.”
Steinberg even admits that he has seen some of his very own clients suffer at least three concussions, and it gave him reservations about encouraging them to keep playing afterward.
“I would talk about with them privately, because ultimately it’s their decision, but I try to be a voice that would interject into the dialogue the fact that traumatic brain injury is real, it has long-term consequences,” Steinberg said, adding that those conversations took place before recent advancements in medical technology that give clearer pictures and treatments of a person’s brain health.
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Steinberg has specialized in representing star quarterbacks as an agent. He presented the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft eight times, while representing 62 total first-round picks. His client list includes NFL legends like Troy Aikman and Steve Young.
This past NFL season was a particularly bad year for quarterback brain injuries.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is set to lead his team in the Super Bowl in New Orleans, suffered a concussion in the first half against the Washington Commanders in Week 16. It ended his regular season, but he returned in time for the playoffs.
But prior to the playoffs, Hurts said that he didn’t remember an incident that happened on the sideline, just moments after he suffered the concussion.
“It’s so far long ago, I don’t really remember,” Hurts said to reporters on Jan. 10. “Been out of routine, you go through a routine everyday, and being out of that is challenging. I’m obviously dealing with different symptoms, ain’t fun either.”
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion – the third of his NFL career – in an early-season tilt with the Buffalo Bills, on a nationally televised game. Tagovailoa had previously suffered multiple concussions within the span of just weeks in the 2022 season. The third of his career sparked national controversy, as some former players and media pundits called on him to retire.
Tagovailoa returned to play this past season anyway.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence suffered a concussion when he was the victim of an illegal hit by Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair during a game in early December. The hit ended Lawrence’s season, as Al-Shaair was suspended for three games and heavily criticized by the public and even an NFL executive.
As the country now turns its attention to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX between the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Steinberg will have a presence as he looks to counter the danger that comes with championship-level football.
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