Tracy Yatsko, a 17-year old honor student and sports star at Tamaqua Area High School, joined Harold Carmichael and Mike Quick, former Eagles players, a top NFL official and several Pennsylvania legislators as they reintroduced bills which would better educate athletes, parents and coaches about sports concussions and how to prevent brain-injured students from returning to play too soon.
Yatsko suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2005 when she went up for a rebound and cracked her head against another player’s. Although signs of a concussion were present, she practiced the next day and played in a game the day after that. A few days later she collapsed in the locker room. Today, she still suffers from the effects of the injury and the lack of immediate treatment.