Helmet-to-helmet hits can have long-term effects on players. Matt Bowen
This past year, I was called by the University of Michigan countless times asking me to take part in a research survey. I was told it was being done through the NFL and was designed to tally information about the post-career successes or failures of former players, and that it would help the league.
I finally accepted and ended up on the phone for close to an hour and a half — talking about my education, my marriage, my finances and lastly — my health. Concussions, in particular, because I had plenty of them during my seven seasons in the league.
The survey lasted longer when I told them that I still get headaches.
Out in the open
On Wednesday, a story in the New York Times detailed the exact survey I took part in, but it centered on concussions because, as we know, this is a hot-button topic in the league, in college football and in high school football.
They’re bad, they can be career-ending and, in my personal opinion, one Sunday someone is not going to get up from one — for good.
The message behind the Times story that spiked interest on the Internet and radio airwaves was the number of former NFL players between the ages of 30 and 49 who have Alzheimer’s disease or similar memory-related diseases. The number is shocking to say the least — 19 times the normal rate of men in that age group.
I’ll be 33 next month, and I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be included in the mix. But that won’t happen to me, will it? I went back to school, received a master’s degree and have no issues with my short-term or long-term memory.
But the headaches -- well, they just seem to hang around.
I came clean on that survey, talking to the woman on the other end of the phone line and telling her everything. Why? Because I don’t want players in this league to reach their 40s and forget who they are, or forget their children’s names, or suffer so much that they can’t hold decent jobs.
However, every player — past and present — is guilty of putting themselves in harm’s way when it comes to concussions.
And that’s why we’re looking at these numbers, and why they have the NFL scared.
Hiding the facts
Every player knows his own body — no question about that. On Sunday mornings, you know what you’ll be able to do on the football field, and the training staff and coaching staff are well aware.
It’s easy when we’re talking about an ankle, a knee or a shoulder. But concussions are totally different. You can’t treat them with ice, and you can’t tape them up. A needle won’t numb the pain.
You’re the judge. If you can play, you play. If you can’t play, well, you play anyway — and this is where the problems arise.
When I played, we used to take this test on the computer in August. We called it the “concussion test”: numbers, math, memorization, shapes, sizes, etc., etc., etc. The computer tallied your score. During the season, if you suffered a blow to the head, you had to take the test the following week. If your score compared well to the test you took in August, well, then you could probably get back on the field. If you failed, you were most likely out — until you could pass it.
I failed it in August — on purpose.
Why? Pretty simple. Because I knew that if I had a concussion, my scores would be low, and since I intentionally missed questions during my first test, I would score pretty well during the season.
Stupid? Asinine? Idiotic? All of that.
But the issue here is simple. Coaches can judge your toughness when a trainer says you have a grade-3 knee sprain, yet you’re still on the field making plays.
But a trainer can’t judge a headache. So you play, and you hit, and you hit again for 60-plus plays if you’re a starter. And if you’re a special teamer, 20-plus plays at full speed — with a 50-yard head start.
You play because you’re scared for your job.
“Real concussions”
Many of us think that a concussion is when you’re knocked out — like what happened to Florida’s Tim Tebow last Saturday night. Arms go up, the body stiffens and you’re asleep in the middle of the football field.
I’ve had that, with the knockout and the all-night vomiting. And I had one in 2003 with the Washington Redskins when I collided with Seattle fullback Mack Strong on our own goal line with a 20-yard sprint behind me from the other hash. We both fell back. I put a hand up and went to the sideline during the opening minutes of the first quarter.
The next tackle I made, on Seattle wide receiver Koren Robinson, was pure luck. He just happened to be standing in front of me, so I tackled him.
That was late in the second quarter. I had no idea how I got there. I threw a hand up again and finally realized where I was -- in the locker room, with a sweatshirt on and an assistant trainer sitting with me. It was the fourth quarter.
Amnesia, they said, the result of a blow to the head.
I started and played the next week at Carolina, and played well — until the fourth quarter when I hit Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith on a post route. My head vibrated inside my helmet. I was foggy, discombobulated, and felt like vomiting again.
But it was my choice to be out there. I was in charge, and I told the training staff I could play. No one forced me back onto the field, but at the time, I was a starter -- and I wasn’t going to lose that over a concussion.
But after talking with a neurologist this past spring, I was told that every time you see “stars,” which we all have at one point or another in our lives, you’re experiencing a form of a concussion. How many times does that happen to NFL players?
Try daily during the season.
The risks
I understand that former players, like New England’s Ted Johnson, have filed grievances against the NFL due to post-career concussion syndrome. I also understand that the league should be held somewhat accountable for the health of its players once they leave the game because it’s the right thing to do. The NFL needs to be involved, and hopefully, this is the right step.
But when it comes to concussions, I’m fully aware of that warning label sticker on the back of the helmet. Have you ever read one of those things? They’re dreary and frightening, and they can put a frown on your face — ending with “…can lead to fatal brain injury.”
What?
Yes, every player at every level knows that football is a major risk to your health and that concussions are a big part of it.
But the risk is higher at the NFL level because the hitting is out of this world, and the ramifications can be life-altering. You play for the money, the fame and the glory, but you also pay for it with your health after you leave the game.
People ask me all the time how I feel. And to be honest, there are days when I feel like absolute garbage -- and the headaches don’t help. I have two little boys under the age of 3 and another baby coming in February, and I need to be able to live my life fully with my family.
But was it worth it? Were all those helmet-to-helmet blows worth it?
So far, yes. But check with me down the road to really answer that question.
Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41
I agree, because a lot of this is on the players. If no one is forcing you back on the field, then why go out? But, I also see the pressure aspect to keep your job as well.
You see a lot of new helmets, especially in high school and college right now that are designed to limit the impact of blows to the head.
Don't see them as much in the pros as the players are wearing mostly what we have seen for the last 20-years. Any chance the NFL mandates a specific helmet for the league?
Wow! Thanks for the insight and best wishes on your headaches.
Excellent, excellent column, Matt.
I have to say that this particular subject makes me question whether I should be a football fan.
Matt,
I throughouly enjoyed reading your article about concussions however I would like to pose a question my self even though I will never be playing in the NFL. Last year, which was my last year of high school football I received a concussion midway through the year during practice. I was able to play the next game taking all my snaps at gunner and receiver. I then started to get headaches and missed the last game of my career. Even though I missed my last game, I continued to do boxing to not upset my trainer that I was in pain. During this period, I remember taking one big shot that didnt knock me out, but saw stars none the less. After this, I took some time off during the winter and was getting headaches for about a month constantly. Around March, the headaches started going away and I resumed boxing but I get headaches here and there especially after studying during an exam period. Boxing is something that I and my trainer have high aspirations for, but do you think it would be smart to stop boxing to avoid these problems that your are experiencing in the future. Also, like I stated before sometimes during studying I get headaches when going over multiple courses. Did this ever happen to you when you were getting your masters degree and did it ever impede you from doing school work?
Thanks
Very interesting post. It will be key to see what the league does now that they finally are checking this out and not just talking about for good PR.
It makes you wonder about a guy like Favre, who has taken so many big hits over the course of his career.
I would think there has been times when he was on the field and probably shouldn't have been.
Wow. Outstanding article...very eye-opening. It's funny, I was watching a game with a few buddies recently, one of whom is a research scientist who's done a lot of work with boxers' brains, and he said something that stuck with me (if a little bit exaggerated) "Everybody on that field has a concussion." Sounds like he wasn't far off...
Hopefully the league and safety equipment manufacturers can continue to take steps to minimize the dangers and alleviate the health issues that come with playing this game.
Very tough article. Thanks for sharing. A great argument as to why players hold out to maximize their earnings and makes one feel for the earlier generations that beat themselves to death without the earnings and improved equipment. I recall seeing a news story on John Mackey who has completely lost his memory.
Also made me think of North Dallas Forty -- playing with injury and the addiction for the game itself were running motifs in that flick.
kind of scary article matt, but definetly something to be concerned about. back in the late sixties i played high school football wearing those old suspension helmets and minor league hockey not wearing a helmet at all. i had several concussions as well but so far no lasting side effects and i'm in my mid fifties now, so i hope your symptoms will clear up. one particular instance i was in the locker room retightening my skates for the next period only to be told by a teamate the the game had been over for a half an hour, that i had scored twice in the third period including the game winner, and i don't remember any of it to this day.
One of your best columns ever. It's a scary situation. How many of today's sports heroes will be throwing the football in the nursing facility 20 years from now? Very insightful. Thanks for the revelations.
Powerful essay Matt - thanx for coming clean in such a forthright manner. With all the $ the NFL generates, they and the NFLPA must step up and back up former players with post-NFL health problems, especially these. Both groups come off as jerks when they say "Those former players made their choices with their retirement packages, and now they have to live with them." The long-term costs of playing have been hidden from former players for too long, even if they do make bad choices to not step down with concussions while playing, as you illustrate. I'm with Matt Birk and others on this one.
Marco-
I would discontinue the boxing career as soon as possible. Headaches are enough to tell you that it is just not worth it.
In my case, I probably should have sat out the games after concussions, and it is easier to look back on it now as a dad an ex-player to know that.
Really, really good article. I appreciated the way you kept sight of how both the NFL and the players need to be responsible in this area. It's very tempting for people to point their fingers only at the big corporation, forgetting that nobody's being forced to be out there.
Anyway, Godspeed on the headaches. Thank you for being willing to tell your story.
Concussions are an issue that make me feel guilty about liking football. You can't really ask the players to deal with it individually due to their career interests. You can't really ask the teams to do it individually, either. Their is too strong an interest in winning now, especially with free agency. The only level at which this can really be done is league-wide. However, is it just me, or would the players' union sell out the players' health for $50 and a bag of skittles? Issues like this never seem to be important enough to the union to make a big deal about come CBA time.
Outstanding article Matt. It's hard to believe that anyone can get back on the field after a concussion; it's an injury that is still downplayed by most fans (he's out for this game, but he should be back next week). After reading in Sports Illustrated about the Toronto Blue Jays' Aaron Hill, who suffered headaches for months and missed most of the baseball season last year, I wonder how many NFL players are gutting it out when they really shouldn't be out there. Or how about former Brewer Corey Koskie, who suffered from Post-Concussion Syndrome and had to retire after sustaining a single concussion in 2006. If these single concussions can ruin a baseball player's career and affect his health over a long time period, I shudder to think about the effect on NFL players over the course of their careers. I recall how Al Toon suffered from Post-Concussion Syndrome for years, and how Troy Aikman was forced to retire after suffering 10 concussions in his career. But overall it's still not publicized nearly enough, and I'm glad you could bring it to our attention.
That's scary!!! Saw the replay of the Gators player last week. Pretty Disturbing.
Matt - see, this is why I have serious issues with the NFLPA. You aren't saying anything here that every real fan of the game didn't already know - we just don't like to think about this part. Like in car racing - everyone likes a good crash, so long as no one gets seriously hurt. Even war - Americans don't have a problem with it but nobody wants to face up to the consequences.
What is a union for if it isn't looking out for the health and welfare of it's members? Union's used to shut companies down over unsafe and unhealthy working conditions - but a third party had to call attention to this in order to get attention? Like the union had no friggen clue that a pretty high number of former players leave the game with their eggs pretty well scrambled?
They need to quit worrying so dang much about the salary cap and start facing the real issues because this is the type of problem that can get the game shut down altogether.
Wow. I love football, and have since I was 7 and started loving Staubach in 1970. But the more I go on the more I get the nagging feeling that I'm like a spectator in the old Roman Colesium cheering at the spectacle of men bludgeoning each other.
Thanks for sharing, Matt.
Players that think the League is to blame for their post-career health problems remind me of those cigarette smokers who blame tobacco companies after they get lung cancer. The NFL is a dangerous game and there is a good chance you will end up with problems once your career is over--but EVERYONE knows this! You have "assumed the risk", as they say.
If you want to have a clear head and painless joints then get a regular job. Don't reap all the benefits and THEN come crying to me later whining about your jacked up knees and head.
I can imagine the force you guys create but I think I can sympathize with being crushed by Kris Jenkins.
4 years back I went snowboarding in March up in Mammoth, I soon learned why it's called the "Sierra Cement" late in the season.
I was cruising and then caught an edge, I was flying head first and saw the ground approaching, I tried to do the Reggie Bush flip to soften the blow. I didn't get my head under my body... a minute later my wife comes up behind me and see's how I'm doing, she tells me the questions I was asking is what freaked her out, and I'd keep repeating the same ones.
"Oh we made it to Utah...who drove?"
and "Where's Pepper (our dog)?
Matt you guys can get this type of thing any given Sunday, but I know you guys don't play scared, you guys love the game.
Matt, great read. Insight like this is we come to NFP - no other site has the player, personnel guy, contracts and agent viewpoints to give different angles on all things NFL.
Good luck with your health in the future, sincerely,
What a depressing article. Having read it I have to ask:
Do you want your kids to play football? Would you tell them it's worth the risk?
To ScottR: Wake up, pal. This is NOT like an individual smoking - $Billions$ are being made every week off of these injuries, and the league even makes $ licensing images of the very hits that produce the injuries. And unlike smoking, hundreds of millions of people are not assuming the risk, it's only a few thousand players a year. Your "individuals assume all risks" ideology reflects impoverished thinking, rather like some wingnuts' arguments in a current political debate that shall not be named (to spare readers further visual pollution).
These corrective mouth guards used by UT and the N.E Patriots were developed with Marvin Hagler for the purpose of preventing headaches, dizziness and the sensation of seeing stars along with concussion. The question remains, what happens to your physiology when you develope a Glass jaw. This protocol identifies these markers in order to construct a corrective oral appliance. Many NHL, NFL and NBA players wear them.
Matt,
Thanks for sharing your story. I was attacked during my college years and blacked out from a blow to the head. I remember nothing about the incident to this day. My memory has not been the same since that night, either, though I finished both college and post-graduate school. I shudder to think about this happening to anyone on a daily basis. So is it worth it on the gridiron? Not to me. No way.
Best regards,
mike j
MB- You should have your head examined for having another kid! Never let the kids outnumber you and your wife...
Nah, just kidding. Kids are the best. Good luck to you and the Mrs. with the child next year!
I was flying head first and saw the ground approaching, I tried to do the Reggie Bush flip to soften the blow. I didn't get my head under my body... a minute later my wife comes up behind me and see's how I'm doing,
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Oct 01, 2009
07:32 AM
Thank you for sharing this story with us Matt.
This gives such an inside look at the world of concussions including your personal situation. It's a part of the game fans don't usually get to see. It's easy to sit back in our La-Z-Boys on Sunday and call players 'soft' and 'injury-prone', but when it comes to head injuries things appear to be more serious than we realize.
Thanks again for sharing your insight - especially the detail about cheating on the August exam.
You and the staff at NFP provide such a unique perspective on the NFL that all fans need to know. We're all better off if we understand as much about the NFL as we can so we can become better fans and students of the game.
Thanks again for all your expert and personal insight. You're one of my favorite reads each week - including Eight In The Box every Friday. ;-)