News
News

Dawgs, Tide mum about concussions, AJC survey finds

January 1, 2018 Pasadena: Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter flatens Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield during the second half in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game on Monday, January 1, 2018, in Pasadena. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
January 1, 2018 Pasadena: Georgia defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter flatens Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield during the second half in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game on Monday, January 1, 2018, in Pasadena. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
By and
Jan 4, 2018

Oddsmakers and fans alike can parse reams of statistics for Monday’s football championship between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

But one on-the-field stat that neither team has revealed is the number of concussions sustained by its student athletes.

The AJC sought concussion data from 62 Division I, II and III and found that about 1 in 6 athletic programs do not count student-athlete concussions by sport, even though such data collection could lead to better safety protocols for their athletes.

UGA said they kept concussion numbers for a time as part of a grant proposal, but stopped five years ago. Alabama said they kept the data — but declined to release it.

Read more about concussions in college athletics, and the steps some schools are taking to minimize concussion-related injuries on myAJC.com.

About the Authors

Willoughby Mariano is an investigative reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she focuses on housing and criminal justice issues. She previously worked for the AJC's PolitiFact Georgia, where she fact checked the claims of elected officials, and at the Orlando Sentinel, where she covered crime and breaking news.

Follow Willoughby Mariano on twitter

Jennifer Peebles is a newsroom data specialist at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, helping reporters find and tell stories with government data (and sometimes documents, too).

Follow Jennifer Peebles on facebookFollow Jennifer Peebles on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

The SNAP program provided benefits to about 13% of Georgia’s population, 1.4 million people, during the 2024 fiscal year. (Associated Press)

Credit: Sipa USA via AP

Georgia had third-highest SNAP payment error rate in country in 2024

The state’s error rate during fiscal 2024 was exceeded by only Alaska and the District of Columbia

2h ago

Gwinnett drops charges against Spanish-language reporter in ICE custody

Misdemeanor charges against journalist Mario Guevara have now been dropped in both Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.

DISPATCH

In Georgia’s melon mecca, watermelon wizards’ ears are sweetly attuned

In the heart of Georgia's watermelon country, everyone has a trick to tell if a melon is ripe. One way is the sound a melon makes when it is thumped. Or better, patted.

The Latest

Friends, Chyna Bradley (from left), Keyvarious Wilson, Timeshia Alexander, pose in line outside Beyonce's Cowboy Carter concert in Atlanta on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).

Credit: Olivia Bowdoin

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour pushes fans outside the norm

30m ago

Georgia had third-highest SNAP payment error rate in country in 2024

2h ago

AJC Peachtree Road Race updates: Keep the momentum going

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Georgia disability rights advocates fear weakening of U.S. accessibility law

Advocates worry the Department of Energy’s move could be the start of a broader effort by other federal agencies to roll back civil rights rules.

From boycott to ballgame: Baseball’s political All-Star Game saga returns to Georgia

MLB pulled the 2021 All-Star Game from Georgia over the state's voting law, Senate Bill 202. Now it’s back — and Republicans say the return proves they were right all along.

OPINION

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ tour pushes fans outside the norm

Preparations for the show pushed people out of their comfort zones — into new stores, new communities, a new style of dress, and in some cases, to visit new cities.