While many more football players across all levels understand the dangers of concussions, there is still more to be done. Two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim Plunkett is hoping to close that knowledge gap with education.
This fall, Plunkett became an advisor to the non-profit organization TeachAids. They are working to launch CrashCourse, which is an interactive concussion education platform.
Fellow former Bay Area football stars, Steve Young and Ronnie Lott, have also jumped on as advisors. The program, which likely launches in September, educates coaches, players and staff on how people can identify and recover from concussions.
The goal of TeachAids is to help athletes understand that the best way to return to the field and stay there is to get proper concussion treatment. The curriculum was developed over two years and it is highly interactive.
Users go through a series of interactive films and VR experiences that simulate a virtual concussion. Real Football players also talk football and correct misconceptions held about head injuries.
Plunkett recently talked to Forbes about the project and outlined the thought-process he hopes to help change.
"I suffered several concussions over the years, the first one being in high school," said Plunkett. "But I always wanted to be back on the field, and I've seen that mindset from probably every player I've ever been around."
Plunkett took the football world by storm at Stanford University, where he won the 1970 Heisman Trophy and several other major awards. He was the first overall pick of the New England Patriots in 1971, but found the most success during a nine-year run with the Raiders from 1978-86.
Plunkett became Oakland's starter for the first time in 1980 and was named Super Bowl XV MVP. He also won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award that season.
Three years later, Plunkett worked his way again from backup to starter and led the Raiders to a win in Super Bowl XVIII. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
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