Michael Sam looks for new chance through NFL veterans combine

Monday's health and safety news from the world of football:

• USA Today reported that free agent linebacker Michael Sam, who is the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, has applied for the first NFL veteran * combine.

• The Buffalo News featuredBuffalo Bills athletic trainer Bud Carpenter, whose crew was named the NFL athletic training staff of the year.

• The Detroit Free Press looked back at the brief but brilliant career of Detroit Lions running back Billy Sims, who retired in 1995 after was sidelined because of a severe knee injury in 1984.

• The San Jose Mercury-News featured former San Francisco 49ers safety Dwight Hicks, who is acting in a Bay Area play about life in football.

• Health News Florida reported that concussion awareness is spreading among South Florida student athletes.

• The Chicago Tribune profiled Tyrre Burks, who created Player's Health, a company that offers a platform to document athletic injuries across teams and organizations.

• WBUP-TV in Marquette, Michigan, reported on a concussion conference at Northern Michigan University.

• The Springfield State Journal-Register in Illinois, reported that the state senate has introduced a bill to require a medical team at high schools to deal with concussions.

-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor