Concussion Quandary

It's clockwork at this point.  Another week and another rash of concussions across the National Football League.  Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden.  Chicago Bears wide receiver Devin Hester.  Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph.  Those are three of the big names but countless others around the league suffered the same fate.  That's just the way it is now.

Along with that new slew of concussions came the recent comments from former Steelers running back Willie Parker, who wondered out loud why you would even say anything if you got a concussion.  For some that comment is either ignorant or barbaric or both.  For me, it is understandable because I was once part of the profession and I know the mindset.

I mean, what do you think Alex Smith is thinking right now? He appears to have permanently lost his job as the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers to Colin Kaepernick after missing the Chicago Bears game due to an inability to pass the Niners rigorous concussion tests leading up to the game.  If you don't think the thought that perhaps he never should've said anything to the trainers during the game against the St. Louis Rams when the injury occurred hasn't crossed his mind you don't understand human nature.  At least not for professional athletes competing at the highest level.

It's something I think about often in light of the amount of concussions now being diagnosed, comments from the likes of Parker and former teammate Troy Polamalu, and situations like the one Smith finds himself in in San Francisco.  It always leads me to the same introspective question; what would I do now if I thought I suffered a "mild" (whatever that means) concussion during a game that the trainers would never be able to identify without me volunteering the information.

I'd like to think I'd say something.  I am well versed on the latest research and it is concerning to say the least.  Having a nine month old daughter now puts football more in perspective than ever before.  I want to be able to live a long and fulfilling life for and with her.  I wouldn't want to have the sort of cognitive issues that could potentially jeopardize that.  It's just not worth it.

Yet even armed with all that knowledge and being five years removed from my playing days I still wonder what I would do if I were in that situation today.  As much as being a little older and having a daughter forces me to think longer term than I ever would have when I was actually playing it also creates the added responsibility of another person to provide for.  That complicates things.

I suspect if I were a long-time starter and had already made a lot of money during my career I'd feel confident enough in my standing both on the team and in the league that I would seek medical attention.  That's probably the case but who knows? 

Considering the Alex Smith situation in which he may have lost out on an opportunity to quarterback a Super Bowl championship caliber team into the postseason there really is no telling for sure.  What does appear to be certain is that Smith's life is very much altered now.  Maybe forever.

Plus I wasn't a guy like Smith with that type of first round pedigree and the bank account that comes with it.  I had to fight and claw every year for either a starting spot or a roster spot.  Would I have wanted to have the "strike" against me that comes with being a player who has been concussed and is thus considered more likely to have a second concussion?  You don't want that label and you sure as heck don't want that to be the tie-breaker for the decision makers when it comes time to make roster cuts.

That's why I can't imagine saying anything if a potential concussion took place in, say, the third preseason game.  That close to making the opening day roster and everything that entails in terms of money, benefits, etc.?  I highly doubt it.  Yes, there is some percentage chance that I could suffer another concussion or that the decision could ultimately lead to some issues later in the life but there are also thousands of former players over the years that continued playing in the same game after getting literally knocked out unconscious that are doing just fine from a cognitive standpoint.  You don't really know the impact it will have on you because there are so many factors.  It'd be an interesting cost-benefit analysis to say the least.

 Plus, I am and was when I played blessed to feel confident that I could find gainful employment and provide a nice living for my family without football.  I can tell you for a fact most guys don't feel that way. Even if they are wrong and will do just fine post-football, their fear of the unknown that is life without football is palpable.

And can you blame them?  They have worked their entire lives for this career.  Not a potential second career afterwards.

So what would I do now being older, wiser, and having more access to the latest information?  I just don't know.  How would I know for sure unless I actually was in that situation and had to make that call?

What would you do?

MAILBAG QUESTIONS: Send your questions either via email to ross@sportsusamedia.com or via Twitter to both @rosstuckernfl and @sports_usa.

Do you think that some of the rookie success this year is coaches being more sensible about how to use them?

From John via email

Yeah I do.  I think coaches are more open to playing rookies than they ever have been in the past because of the success recent rookies have had. The fact that they are incorporating more and more college concepts really helps that as well.  This is especially true with all of the rookie quarterbacks.

What's wrong with Ravens O? Start of yr, it looked like Flacco was gonna earn a BIG contract, what do you think will happen?

From @RuneMA8 via Twitter

He'll still get a big contract and he still won't be going anywhere else.  All of the leverage in this situation is based on the Ravens potential use of the franchise tag anyway.  Nothing else really matters.  As for the offense, it is tough to explain why they are so much better at home then they are on the road.  Crowd noise is not this much of a determining factor.

Why is Reggie Bush not being used in Miami. Is it BC it is a contract year?

From @jbruce008 via Twitter

First of all I think they are back using him more again based on Sunday's victory over the Seattle Seahawks.  I think earlier they lightened his workload due to both health and fumbling concerns.  More importantly, a team would not limit a player like this because it happens to be his contract year, especially when they are still in the thick of the playoff race.  If anything they like the fact that it motivates a player during that year to perform at his very best.