Actually, Hovda had little to do with the NFL finally recognizing concussion as an issue. The alarm was sounded first by Robert Cantu, M.D. in Boston and Julian Bailes, M.D. in W Virginia. The Sport Legacy Institute was founded on the basis of the combined input of Cantu and a pathologist in Boston who first observed CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

Dr Cantu was trying to sound the alarm well over 20 years ago. It has been an uphill battle for 20 years with team doctors straddling the fence between the team owners and the players.

The research into soccer related concussion issues goes back to the 70's.

It was not until some big lawsuits that the tide started to change. That combined with the publicizing of some suicides of players brought the issue to the public.

It is sad and maybe criminal to see the way CDC, NIH, NFL, NHL, NCAA, and others have tried to deny the long term risks of concussion.

The best research was done in the 70's by Dorothy Gronwall, et. al. but was ignored even when she repeated it and republished her findings in the 1990's.

We still have a long way to go. The players are stronger and faster and the hits are harder. Even air bags are not preventing concussions like needed.

But, the momentum is starting to build. We just need to keep it going by promoting the good concussion doctors and refuting the concussion quacks.