Athletes, parents and concussion experts meet at forum - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

High school football is well-known to be a contact sport. On a good day, players walk away from the hits they take on the field. 

On a bad day though, athletes like Zionsville linebacker Mike Witter are sidelined with a concussion.

"There was a lot of pressure in my head. I hurt real bad. I couldn't focus. My vision was blurry. I was just kind of tripping around out there," Witter recalled about the concussion he sustained in football practice this past June.

A law that took effect last month requires student athletes like Witter who have a concussion to be checked out by a doctor before they can play again.

"I sat out a week and a half, almost two weeks," said Witter.

Since the law took effect, plenty of schools have reported athletes with concussions. Eyewitness News asked several districts and found Fishers athletes have had 14 concussions so far this year.  Noblesville athletes have had 17.  Zionsville and Ben Davis have sidelined 5 athletes after concussions. So far, IPS has had zero.

At North Central High School, student athletes have also had their share of concussions, 5 so far. The school decided it was time to get parents and doctors involved by hosting a public forum on concussions.

"It's just good for us to be informed about what we need to do and what's the proper procedures," said mom Kiyomi Luckett. Her son plays football for North Central.

For some athletes though, like Mike Witter, sitting out while their teammates play can sometimes hurt worse than the injury itself.

"It's so frustrating. It's where you want to be, but you just gotta sit out and let it run its course," the senior said.