The player delivered the blow with a loud snap. Lying on the football pitch, the player was slow to get up, eventually reaching the edge of the pitch. Once off the field they find the coach to beg to be returned to playing position. Now imagine that you are the coach and you have to determine whether the player returns to the field or whether he is out for a certain period of time. Which is the better of the two choices? It all depends on how you look at the situation and the details involved. If the player returns, he could win the game for the team, confidently assure the medical and coaching staff that he is capable of making a difference, scholarships could be in play, scouts could be present at the game, various other personal awards, coach approval, parental consent, end of season game or even the last game the player will participate in. On the other hand the player could also return and receive an even harder tackle, suffer a new injury, experience a new injury, fumble, miss a block that could indirectly injure another player, a reduction in performance, a mental effect resulting from a blow or, even in rare cases, death. After knowing all this information, the coach must now make the decision. How should one view this decision, much less be responsible for the yes or no choice towards the player? This is the question that needs to be addressed in today's society: "Should an injured athlete be allowed to return to the field?" Many sports have been made safer over the years thanks to rule changes and medical advances, but neither rules nor doctors can prevent all injuries in any sport, regardless of their qualifications. Injuries are a natural beast in sports and are inevitable no matter how much you try to prevent them. Through......middle of paper......m/>Hoffman, Jan. "'Don't Tell Coach': Playing Through Concussions." Wellness section. Article dated November 5, 2013 (2013). Published November 5, 2014. Rhodes, Elizabeth "Celebrity plastic surgeon sheds light on JJ Watt's upcoming nose job." , Texas]. Published December 28, 2013. Accessed April 4, 2014. Schleiger 14Simon, Mallory “2,000 Players Unite to Report NFL Head Injuries.” Sports section, article dated June 7, 2012. Published June 7, 2012. Accessed March 24, 2014. Wang, Stephanie et al. “Indiana bill proposes concussion training for football coaches, sit-out period.” IndyStar, article dated January 22, 2014. (2014). Printed on 22 January 2014, consulted on 24 March 2014.