ASU football players to again participate in concussion study

The Arizona State football program announced Monday it will participate in a research study for the advancement of concussion detection and treatment for a second year.

ASU will be partnering with Riddell, the school’s helmet and safety equipment provider, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) for the study.

TGen and the Sun Devil medical staff will collect molecular samples from the participating athletes. Researchers will monitor the players’ samples throughout the season for changes and attempt to identify the effects of sub-concussive hits.

“Player protection has become an essential part of football, and this cutting-edge partnership sets ASU apart from not only the rest of the conference, but every collegiate football program in the nation,” said ASU head football coach Todd Graham. “We are not only looking out for our student-athletes while they are enrolled at ASU, but for the rest of their lives. You become a part of the brotherhood once you put on the maroon and gold, and that doesn’t end at graduation.”

Riddell is also using its Sideline Response System (SRS) this season to obtain head impact data from ASU football players. The data will be combined with the genetic information to help diagnose concussion, as well as develop new football helmets.

After the season, TGen will collect post-season data and partner with Barrow Neurological Institute and A.T. Still University to begin their analysis.

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