Regardless of the Titans game, concussions have become one of the most talked about safety issues in professional sports. After the discovery of CTE in past decades and the casualties of a long list of older players who had it, the NFL has tried desperately to protect its image and protect its players. There has always been some push back from conservative players who want to protect the integrity of the game and play the way they did as children. This weekend was the perfect example of that happening again.
Titans star talks about concussion protocol
As a former player, it can be frustrating to be held out to the concussion protocol even though you are symptom free to the naked eye. The medical staff are certainly doing the right thing based on the science but all the player wants to do is go out and help their team. That is what is currently going on with Tennessee right now.
Tennessee running back Derrick Henry has consistently been known for his bone-jarring style of play. The negative of playing as aggressively as Henry does is that you’re going to take a lot of hits from a lot of the bigger players on a defense. Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12, Henry exited after taking a hit to the head during one of his overpowering runs. Although Henry showed no symptoms, he was pulled from the game by medical staff and not allowed to return.
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“I felt fine — just took a helmet-to-helmet hit and they saw enough where I couldn’t go back in. I wanted to go back in — it was hard to watch — but I have to respect their decision,” Henry stated to Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ press team. “I can’t fight it — it’s their decision, it’s their call. It sucks, but you have to respect it. I wanted to go out there and continue to play and help us win, but they felt different. … I think the league is trying to be cautious with head injuries, which I respect. It’s all about player safety.”
Henry actually handled the situation as maturely as a player possibly could. It is incredibly frustrating to feel fine but be restricted from reentering the game. The medical rules have changes so rapidly that the training staff on the sideline must treat the players with a conservative mindset. After all, no one wants to be the athletic trainer who sends a player back in to get concussed.
After watching the traumatic events last season with Tua Tago’vailoa, the league is even more careful this season when it comes to concussions. It is very possible that the Dolphins don’t re-sign the Most Valuable Player candidate because the superstar repeatedly states that he is one game from retirement. While it is frustrating for the players, the changes to the rules are great for the protection of the sport in the future.
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