EXPERT ADVISORY – AUGUST 8, 2025 – R0089

As professional sports leagues ramp up concussion protocols, a Brock University expert warns that public understanding of brain injury recovery remains dangerously inadequate, with risks extending far beyond the playing field.

This week, the National Football League (NFL) banned the use of smelling salts, also known as ammonia inhalants, during games, pregame warmups and halftimes.

A memo sent to all 32 teams cited guidance from the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee as well as a 2024 warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which raised concerns about the products’ safety and potential to mask symptoms of brain trauma.

The ban comes amid a wave of concussion-related headlines across North America.

“This is part of a growing recognition that concussions are more than a momentary setback,” said Maureen Connolly, Professor of Kinesiology in Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. “They are injuries to the brain, and recovery takes time, care and understanding.”

In the NFL, seven players have already been listed with concussions just two weeks into training camps.

In Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays were recently forced to sideline two key players.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk returned to the lineup from the seven-day injured list on Sunday, Aug. 3 after taking a foul tip to the mask in a win over Detroit. Though he finished the inning, concussion symptoms soon emerged, and he was immediately evaluated. Outfielder George Springer also made the injured list after being struck by a pitch to the helmet on July 28 against Baltimore, which derailed a resurgent season for the veteran slugger.

“These are examples of the real risks athletes take with their bodies,” Connolly said. “And it’s not just physical. Concussions affect memory, focus, mood and even vision, which are critical for both athletes and everyday workers.”

Connolly’s research focuses on the challenges faced by students and employees returning to cognitively demanding environments following a head injury.

While physical symptoms may fade, she says underlying issues often resurface once individuals return to tasks that include prolonged screen use or sustained cognitive focus.

“People might feel better and think they’re ready,” she said. “Then they go back to work or school and sit in front of a screen for five hours. Their symptoms return. That’s because of the visual and cognitive load. Recovery must be gradual.”

Data from Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) shows a 430 per cent increase in lost-time concussion claims between 2021 and 2022 — a reminder that brain injuries happen off the field, too.

“People fall on the ice, get into fender benders or take an unexpected elbow in a crowd,” Connolly said. “They might write it off as a sore neck or fatigue, but it could be a concussion they never identify.”

Connolly advocates for screen-free recovery strategies and environmental accommodations, including low-stimulus spaces, modified lighting and even blindfolding during certain tasks to ease the burden of visual processing.

“Even after you turn off the screen, your brain is still rendering what it saw,” she said. “Visual processing is one of the hardest things for the brain to manage after a concussion.”

In a chilling reminder of the stakes, the man who opened fire in a Manhattan office building late last month, killing four people before taking his own life, left behind a note claiming he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma and associated with aggression, depression and memory loss.

While CTE can only be diagnosed post-mortem, Connolly says such claims deserve serious attention.

“Recovery timelines vary, but one constant is that rushing the process can cause more damage,” she said. “Mental health issues linked to traumatic brain injury deserve proper medical attention.”

Connolly urges employers, coaches and educators to adjust environments for those recovering from concussions, whether that means fewer screens, shorter shifts or alternative learning methods.

“If you think recovery will take three months, give it six,” she said. “There’s no harm in going slower, but pushing too fast can result in setbacks that last much longer.”

Brock University Professor of Kinesiology Maureen Connolly is available for media interviews on this topic.

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

*Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256 

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