"The blue tent is now as much a part of NFL Sunday as the national anthem. It sits in full view on one sideline, and it's where players are sent to be assessed for concussions after receiving a blow to the head. Their injury is then checked by an independent concussion evaluator-and thank God for this shred of progress. But the tent is also a symbol of what the league wants to obscure:"
"So far in 2025, nine former and current NFL players under the age of 48 have died. Of those nine deaths, seven were the result of suicide, actions that signaled deep mental duress, or undisclosed reasons. A Nation overview of other major sports leagues-including the violent worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts, can't find anything close to similar numbers elsewhere. Yet you'd barely know it. Media members who once predicted that our knowledge of CTE could endanger the sport"
The blue tent on NFL sidelines houses off-camera concussion assessments, keeping brain-injury testing out of public view even as other injuries are visibly treated. Independent concussion evaluators check injured players inside the tent, representing limited progress in addressing head trauma. Repeated concussions in football remain linked to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is associated with depression, mood swings, and suicide. In 2025, nine former and current NFL players under 48 have died, seven from suicide, signaling severe mental health consequences. Media focus has shifted toward fan gambling and away from player workplace safety, reducing public scrutiny of brain-injury risks.
Read at The Nation
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