Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan may get suspended

The NFL is reviewing the hit Danny Trevathan, Chicago Bears linebacker, gave to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams.

In the third quarter of the week four game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, medical staff took a player off the field on a stretcher. That player was Davante Adams, a wide receiver who plays for the Packers.

Adams was on the receiving end of a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit from Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan. The hit was ugly, unnecessary, and many feel it should have resulted in the officials kicking Trevathan out of the game.

While many assumed the NFL would suspend Trevathan, no one was sure what the NFL would do. It has now been reported that the NFL is investigating the hit for a possible suspension.

The NFL has recently changed the emphasis on their rules about egregious hits to the head. Owners have said the NFL can suspend players even if they are first-time offenders like Trevathan.

These types of hits can cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Without some sort of marked effort to eliminate these types of hits, football will face consequences. Youth football numbers are already plummeting, and they will continue to do so if nothing changes.

College football has taken a strong approach towards ending these types of hits. Enforced targeting penalties are up 73 percent. National coordinator of officials, Roger Redding, has attributed the increase in calls to the officials feeling more confident and comfortable in throwing the flag.

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The NFL claims to support player safety. If they really do, they need to start with a hard stance against hits like the one. Youth football has done it. College football has done it. Now, the NFL and professional football as a whole needs to do it.