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 As part of a $60 million effort to help stem the long-lasting
effects of brain injuries sustained by many professional and amateur
players, the league recently awarded seven projects $8.5 million,
including a $500,000 grant to test Dr. Michael Hoffer's so-called
concussion goggles.
Hoffer, a University of Miami researcher and former Navy surgeon who
served twice in Iraq, said he realized after seeing head injuries on
the battlefield that something cheap, portable and easy to use could
provide a reliable way to quickly spot concussions when a player
takes a serious hit.
"This device measures basic body reactions that can't be controlled,
he said.
 His research, which measures eye movement in response to sound,
began in 2008 with a $300,000 system developed by Pittsburgh-based
Neuro Kinetics Inc. Though the price hasn't fallen enough to make it
commercially viable, the device is now portable and can connect to a
laptop computer.
All that's left is to make it affordable and easy enough for a
layman to use.
"The goal is to have it ready for prime time within a year and a
half," Hoffer said.
The NFL, along with directors of high school and collegiate
athletics programs, has been criticized for failing to spot players
with mild or traumatic brain injuries and for encouraging them to
continue playing in some instances.
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Retired NFL players who sued the league over on-the-field
concussions accepted a settlement last month worth at least $675
million. It guarantees any retired player who develops neurological
impairments, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and
Lou Gehrig's Disease, payments of up to $5 million.
A spokesman for the NFL Players Association on Friday declined to
comment on the league's research grant program.
Hoffman, meanwhile, said he hopes his device will enable subjective
decisions about whether to field a potentially injured player to be
replaced by scientific reasoning.
(Editing by David Adams and Sandra Maler)
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