ACC and CTE: The 2018 ACC Kickoff Recap

It is with great honor that I come here this week to give you a recap of yet another exciting year ahead of us. As I arrive to this years Atlantic Coastal Conference Kickoff, I can sense the energy in the hotel shifting. A new season is among us. This year’s ACC Kickoff is set to welcome 28 student-athletes from across 14 states. These athletes represent a wide range of universities and football programs.

We started off this years ACC Kickoff with the commissioners forum. In the commissioners forum Commissioner, John Swofford, was able to welcome us to another year of exciting ACC football. Recently, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of attention surrounding the ACC. The commissioner began by describing the transition and rebranding of the ACC Network beginning in August of 2019. The ACC, collectively, is focused on rebuilding itself and its championships.

The commissioner also stated that Charlotte, North Carolina will be the host city for every ACC Championship. His goal is for the ACC to match the standards of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and establish a working relationship with the host city. This will result in the ACC establishing its own television network, which will allow them to broadcast all sporting events from all participating schools.

The first game of the season is right around the corner, with roughly a little over a month left before the first ACC matchup. Here at the Westin Hotel, there are hundreds of reporters seeking to gain information about this years the athletes, coaching staffs and the ACC as a whole. One source heavily relied upon was the question and answer sessions that took place. These sessions occurred between various coaches and the participating athletes. Through this, reporters were able to get first hand insight on some of the seasons hottest topics.

These sessions were filled with emotions from both parties. One passionate topic addressed was the Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) that players experience. Larry Fedora, Head Coach for the University of North Carolina football team spoke in this topic. He acknowledged the dangers of CTE.

Coach Fedora stated that the game of football is “under attack” due to scientists recent focus of head trauma in the NCAA. Recently, the NCAA has had hundreds of student-athletes suffer from some sort of head trauma. Coach Fedora also stated that recent research surrounding CTE affects will eventually change the game of football. Eventually resulting in more attention focused on the safety of the players.

Syracuse Head Coach Dino Barbers, also added that he understands the importance of monitoring his players. Coach Barbers stated that he will remove a player if he notices that he is out of it. He believes that “It does a team no good to leave a player on the field who is hurt.”

Discipline was also another hot topic. Again, Coach Barber was able to relate his military background to his Coach career, and how it has helped mold him and his coaching career. This type of mindset helped lead his unranked team to victory over the Clemson Tigers.

Throughout the years the ACC has become more challenging. The formula developed for winning has spread throughout all teams are increasing competition . The ACC is incredibly competitive this year, and features more talent than we have ever seen before.

Clemson Head Coach, Dabo Swiney, stated that it took time and consistency for people to change the narrative that was written in this conference. However, The ACC has worked consistently to develop leadership within their student-athletes. This can be seen throughout the event as student athlete have displayed great character traits, and have continued to remain humble during the process. The ACC also has great coaches who are committed to developing their programs, and it is only getting better with time.

There is no doubt that competition within this conference is getting stiffer. There are many teams who have already stepped up and shown what they were all about. This year, I look forward to seeing what each team has to offer. I am excited about the changes the conference is making, and I look forward to seeing many of the the conference teams in the playoffs this year.