It’s strange how something that’s been around forever in football suddenly jumps to to the fore of the public’s consciousness. We’ve had concussions and head injuries in football since the first snap of a pigskin, but it took until the 2009 season for the problem to get massive attention.
Concussions/Head Injuries Taking A Toll
↵This week, veteran Jamal Lewis, was forced to IR and basically started his retirement a little earlier than he had planned. Lewis’ case sounds troubling.
↵↵Jamal Lewis suffered a serious concussion Sunday in Cincinnati and visited a brain trauma specialist on Wednesday, said a source with knowledge of the situation. [...]
↵A source said that Lewis was “pretty shaken up” when an MRI test showed “brain abnormalities.” They may be the result of excessive trauma triggered by a recent hit. More tests will be done to determine the extent of Lewis’ injury, the source said.
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Brain abnormalities on a MRI is a scary phrase. The NFL just issued new guidelines for players and teams, emphasizing safety over everything else. Concussions probably aren’t anymore prevalent than they have been in the past, it’s just now with better diagnosis, and more candor from players about their injuries, the issue has finally reached critical mass.
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Currently, Kurt Warner is still trying to shake off a concussion, Ben Roethlisberger is ready to return after missing a week, Brian Westbrook is still out, Clinton Portis has been out for weeks and might return soon, and now DeSean Jackson is suffering the after-effects of concussion. It might be a bummer to us in the fantasy world with so many stars being shutdown due to concussions, but the NFL and the players are absolutely making the right move.
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