Throwaway Players: Concussion Crisis From Pee Wee Football to the NFL
Gay Culverhouse was the highest ranking woman in the National Football League as president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Gay broke ranks with the National Football League when she addressed the House Judiciary Committee on “Legal Issues Relating to Football Head Injuries” on October 28, 2009.Gay was successful in making the committee understand the importance of having an independent neurologist on the sidelines of every NFL game to evaluate head injuries, and on November 23, 2009, the NFL announced a plan to provide independent neurologists on game day.Gay's work with former players appeared in the New York Times, the Sarasota Herald Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times, The Tampa Tribune, Time Magazine and many more. Additionally, she has appeared on several radio shows including PBS and ESPN. Three documentaries have completed filming and are in post-production (CNN, ESPN, an independent film maker) on Gay's work.In November, 2009, Gay formed a non-profit organization to further the work nationally for retired players: The Gay Culverhouse Players’ Outreach Program, Inc. (www.playersoutreach.org). The foundation’s goal is to: provide information and assistance, at no cost, to former National Football League players and their families regarding the benefits to which they are entitled.