Griffin's Noggin
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:53 pm
I know what every Redskins fan everywhere was thinking immediately after the game yesterday: "I'm so glad that we won, but what does Tiki Barber think about RG3 playing a week after being concussed?" Well, look no further than USA Today! http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nf ... n/1634175/
On a related note: if the league wants to stay around, it will have to prevent almost all brain injuries, and doing so may require significant changes to the way the game is played. Could this be the last generation of actual football? Would previous generations call what we watch actual football?
It's an interesting line of criticism, actually. In the recent past, a player like RG3 would have been sent back into the game pretty quickly after getting knocked around like that. But because the coach heeded the league's emphasis on treatment of potential traumatic brain injuries, the Redskins are now facing criticism for letting him play the following week? Even after being cleared by doctors? I guess everyone has to have something to write about.Tiki's Take: Robert Griffin III sent wrong message by playing after concussion
10:16AM EDT October 15. 2012 - "RGIII proved me wrong. I thought he should have sat out this week." — Washington Redskins fan commenting on Robert Griffin III's three-touchdown game (he had a combined 320 running/passing yards as well) Sunday.
As complimentary as this comment is, it typifies the challenges that NFL and youth sport medical professionals across the country face when trying to diagnose and prevent concussions.
It's difficult to argue that Griffin's outstanding day, including his electrifying, 76-yard touchdown run that sealed the Redskins' win over the Minnesota Vikings, was anything short of amazing. But if he really wanted to be an example for the game, he wouldn't even have suited up.
Last week, while scrambling on a third down, Griffin took a hard hit that concussed him and forced him out of the game. The Redskins, while acknowleding that he suffered a "mild concussion" and was "shaken up" quickly cleared him for practice on a limited basis during the week and then allowed him to play Sunday. The result was a huge win over one of the NFL's hottest teams.
I have to admit, given I grew up a Redskins fan in Southwest Virginia and played on that FedEx Field stage man times, it was exciting to witness the success of another young black and noncoventional quarterback.
Football has always had an overt machismo about it. There is an "are you hurt, or are you injured?" mentality that is ingrained into the conscience at a young age by parents, coaches and peers. It's a toughness that sometimes is seen as the defining difference between those who make it to the professional ranks and those who do not.
But it is also one of the reasons that many NFL players who have allowed their brain tissue to be examined after death have shown signs of chronic traumatic encepholopathy — a degenerative brain condition that leaves holes in brain tissue and affects reasoning and impulse control.
Diagnosis of brain trauma has greatly improved over the past few years as teams put players through a battery of baseline tests that allows for better understanding of the cognitive effects of concussions.
Less than 10 years ago, believe it or not, the diagnosis was left to the player. I remember taking a shot to the head in 1997, my rookie season, from Toby Wright, one of the league's hardest-hitting safeties. I was unconcious and left the game. But I quickly returned becasue I knew that was what I supposed to do — that is not let my team down. Ultimately, I stayed in the game for only a couple of snaps because I couldn't remember the plays.
There were no real precautions then, so you played whenever you "thought" you were well enough to compete. We know now that leaving decisions like that to players who can't think straight is silly. And dangerous.
Now in the NFL, there are many precautionary measures to prevent concussed players from playing too soon. The league and teams, and everyone surrounding the game, pay significant lip service to player safety with good cause. But how much has really changed?
Players still lie to stay on the field. They don't want to see someone else doing their job, especially when they know that they could be one injury away from not having one.
Short of guaranteeing contracts — which most likely will never happen — there's not much that can be done to force players to think about their long-term health as opposed to their short-term glory, other than to continue to educate them and hope they see the light — before seeing too many stars.
RGIII will be lauded for an amazing performance by his teammates, coaches, fans and media. In coming back from his concussion in just a week, he sent a message to his teammates and fans: I'm the tough kind of leader you want in that huddle. But he also sent a message to kids on every level of football, from Pop Warner to high school and college, who suffer head injuries ... and want to be just like him.
On a related note: if the league wants to stay around, it will have to prevent almost all brain injuries, and doing so may require significant changes to the way the game is played. Could this be the last generation of actual football? Would previous generations call what we watch actual football?
