The NFL saw its fewest number of concussions in the preseason since tracking started in 2015.
There were 44 concussions in practices and games, a decrease of about 24% from last year.
“The reason for that change has certainly to do with changes to rules, changes to equipment, including the Guardian Cap, as well as a host of other efforts we’ve made over the years to drive the numbers down,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL executive vice president overseeing player health and safety.
The league’s revamped kickoff rule led to fewer injuries overall but there were some concussions on the play.
“We saw a couple more concussions on the dynamic kickoff than we thought we would see,” Miller said. “We haven’t seen any concussions in the first three weeks of the dynamic kickoff in the regular season.”
Nearly 99% of players wore top-performing helmets, including more than 250 players wearing helmets that the league says provide as much — and in some cases more — protection than a helmet paired with a Guardian Cap.
There was a nearly 50% reduction in concussions in the preseason among players wearing the Guardian Cap in mandated sessions versus the pre-mandate average.
The injuries were back in the forefront when Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained his fourth diagnosed concussion in five years during Week 2.
"I know that he is seeing top experts,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said.
Lower-extremity strains were down by 27% in 2024 compared to the 2021 preseason, the year before the acclimation period was introduced.
“While there is no finish line in our efforts to make the game safer, the injury data from this preseason is an example of how the league’s deliberate approach to player safety continues to deliver results,” Sills said. “We’re committed to building a culture of safety around the game, and this preseason was another positive step in that direction.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa talks on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are opening lower as a strong year for the market looks set to end on a sour note. The S&P 500 was down 1.3% early Monday. With just two days left in 2024, the benchmark index still on track for its second straight yearly gain of more than 20%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 534 points, or 1.2%. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%. Declines in Big Tech companies like Apple and Microsoft weighed on the market. Boeing fell after one of its jets skidded off a runway in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
Wall Street retreated in light premarket trading Monday as the year draws to a close lacking the euphoria that pushed markets to record highs in 2024.
Futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.4% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%.
South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.2% to 2,399.49 and shares of Jeju Air Co., a low-cost South Korean airline, lost 8.7% after one of the company’s Boeing 737-800s skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete wall and burst into flames Sunday, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard. Authorities were investigating why the aircraft’s landing gear failed to deploy.
The disaster was yet another blow for Boeing following a machinists strike, further safety problems with its troubled top-selling aircraft and a plunging stock price. Its shares fell 3% in premarket trading and have declined more than 30% this year.
Despite some post-Christmas sluggishness, U.S. financial markets are moving closer to another standout annual finish. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998.
The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing.
The stream of upbeat economic data and easing inflation helped prompt a reversal in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy this year. Expectations for interest rate cuts also helped drive market gains. The central bank recently delivered its third cut to interest rates in 2024.
In Asia, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended 1% lower, at 39,894.54. The last trading session of the year ended on a somber note with the Japan Exchange Group's CEO Hiromi Yamaji apologizing during the traditional yearend ceremony over a recent insider trading case.
“I acknowledge trust towards the market is essential for investors to trade with confidence," Yamaji said. The exchange is working to improve training and verify findings of an independent investigation, he said, adding that “we are doing are our utmost best to rebuild trust and prevent this from happening again.”
In early European trading, Germany’s DAX inched back 0.1%, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.2% Britain’s FTSE 100 was unchanged.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.2% at 20,041.42 while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.2% to 3,407.33. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3% to 8,235.00.
U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 28 cents to $70.88 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 20 cents to $73.99 per barrel.
The dollar was trading at 157.55 yen, while the euro rose to $1.0445.
FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen at the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors look at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A staff works on the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen as a TV camera crew films the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Participants attend the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Media wait for the ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of Japan Exchange Group (JPX) delivers a speech at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FIL:E - People photograph the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown behind the statue titled "Fearless Girl", Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
