professor There is no history of significant injury from such close-quarter's impact
I guess it depends on your definition of "significant injury".
"Linemen (both offensive and defensive) and linebackers are the most likely positions to develop Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) due to the high cumulative impact of repeated, smaller head blows they experience during a game, rather than relying solely on the number of concussions, according to studies by Harvard and the National Institutes of Health. These frequent, less forceful impacts can lead to significant long-term brain damage linked to CTE, even without a history of major concussions."
I do agree, however, that "broken necks"/cervical trauma are far less likely without spearing