Tackling concussions on the front line

A few decades ago, when a football player got his "bell rung" with a hard hit to the head, he would shake it off, take smelling salts and return to the game. Times have changed. The University of Michigan faced outrage last year for allowing a quarterback to return to a game after a violent helmet-to-helmet hit. In March, a top NFL rookie retired because of concerns about long-term effects of brain injuries. Concussions have even caught the attention of Hollywood, with Will Smith starring in a film that opens Dec. 25 about the life and work of the UC Davis pathologist who first discovered chronic traumatic brain injuries in professional football players. It's not just football.