Concussions: How Bad Can It Be?

            This is why we watch football. As fans we love to see the brutal hits, we love seeing a wide receiver come across the middle and take a shot from a linebacker or safety. Our jaws drop every time they show a replay because while we sit at home on our couch, we couldn’t imagine taking a hit like that and getting up. As someone who played football in high school I know how bad a helmet to helmet hit can hurt; and as someone who liked to lead with my helmet demonstrated poor tackling methods, I also know the risks that come with playing that way. I’m 22 and I lost count of how many concussions I've had but I know it’s upwards of 10-15 and because of that I have post concussion syndrome. Not all were severe but nonetheless, a concussion does damage. When I see an athlete go down with a concussion and come back into the game I just shake my head. I sit there and wonder how the training staff can let them go back in and take more repetitive hits the head and cause more damage to their brain.

            My first concussion was in 4^th grade during peewee football. My most severe concussion was during my senior year of high school when I took multiple blows to the head on the same play. My head hit the turf and I was out. I woke up sitting on the bench and when I opened my eyes, the pain the resonated in my head was something I had never felt before. I went to a neurologist the following day and got all the tests done along with an X-ray, MRI, and CAT Scan. When I went in to see the neurologist after the results came back he told how bad it was, he told me it was by far the worst I’ve had. My next question was how long would the headache I was having last; he said another week. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. The symptoms I had lasted about a month but the headaches still linger today.

            Those who live with them every day can only understand the lasting effects of concussions. The last time I saw my neurologist was this past October, he asked me when the last time I didn’t have a headache was, I told him probably 4 years ago. I can take medicine to lesson the headache but it’s always there. My short-term memory has slowly gotten worse over the years. On days when I have strong headaches it causes mood swings, I lose focus and energy, and I’m drained emotionally and mentally. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t act like my normal self, and as much as I’d like to, it’s something I cannot control. I give my fiancé tons of credit for now having to deal with me when I have bad days. I came to grips with the long-term ramifications of concussions and just moved on. I’m very fortunate, however, that my life living with concussions isn’t as bad as others. I didn’t play college football mainly because I didn’t have the skills or size, but I knew that my brain couldn’t handle it.

            Life after football for NFL players varies. Some guys can live a long, somewhat healthy life and just deal with the nagging bumps and bruises. Others will have to deal with a short life full of headaches, depression, anger, and sometimes regret. You hear former players talk about their memory and how bad it is. Former Bears quarterback Jim McMahon has publicly said that he needs to write down directions on how to get back to his house. Those are just some of the issues they have to deal with. If you’ve seen any of the documentaries or heard stories of those players, including the ones who have passed away, you know what their life was like. Painkillers were abused, drugs and alcohol are abused, divorces were happening, and their life is never the same. There have been players who have passed away in recent years and doctors have examined their brain have diagnosed them with having had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), it is a form of encephalopathy that is a progressive degenerative disease and is caused by repetitive blows to the head. Trainers and team doctors need to take the appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of the players. The Big Ten Conference is taking a strong approach into the way concussions are recognized. 

           The only way concussions are going to be stopped is if football is stopped. As a fan I never want to see that because I'm selfish and love the entertainment value of football and love the game but players are going to continue to get bigger and stronger and will continue hit harder. I won't say football will be eliminated, but down the road I feel it will be strongly considered if you have a dramatic occurrence on the field because again, it's all about player's safety.