PALO ALTO, Calif. _ A concussion ended Steve Young's career when he was still at the peak of his Hall of Fame powers. Now, the former 49ers quarterback will try to help other players stay safe.
Young joined the advisory board of SyncThink, a Silicon Valley, Calif., company that aims to provide objective measurements for brain health. The company says it can assess brain health within 60 seconds thanks to a virtual reality helmet that tracks eye movement.
"This is about empowerment," Young said in statement released by the company early Monday morning. "Athletes at all levels deserve an objective tool to make informed decisions about the risks of playing their sport."
Young was 37 years old and coming off a 4,100-yard passing season when he was sacked by Aeneas Williams of the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 27, 1999. Young's helmet was slammed to the ground, and the resulting concussion _ not his first _ meant he never played football again.
SyncThink, based in Palo Alto, has what Young called a "sideline-ready" technology for initial screenings at the time of injury. The VR platform also aims to track recovery as well as help measure an athlete's readiness to return to the field.
"Having Steve join our team to support the work we're doing is a huge validation for us," said Laura Yecies, the CEO of SyncThink. "Steve's a leader, both in sports and business, and we're proud to partner with him to enhance player safety and optimize athletic performance."
SyncThink said in its news release that other early adopters of its proprietary technology include the Warriors, Stanford Athletics, all schools in the Pac 12 Conference as well Georgia and Texas.
