January 26th, 2012 
Walt J. There are two certainties in life, death and taxes. In sports there is only one, injuries. Whether you sprain an ankle playing basketball or break your hand while boxing, at some point the stresses of your chosen sport will take a toll on your body. Unless the injury is completely debilitating such as a broken leg, most athletes will ignore it or push through it. What about head injuries? Why are head injuries so overlooked by athletes?
I saw on SportsCenter recently that Philadelphia Flyers RW Danny Briere recently suffered a concussion, the SIXTH Flyers’ player affected this season. NHL & Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby is seeing a neurological spine specialist. He has played in a mere 8 games since January 5, 2011 due to the effects from a concussion. The NFL is facing several pending lawsuits by ex-players claiming that the league hid information from them regarding the dangers of concussions.
The current ongoing debate is: Who does the onus fall on, owners or players? The answer is, BOTH. Injury is usually determined by what is seen. If a player sees his broken arm in a cast, he knows he can’t play. If team management sees a player on crutches, they realize he’s hurt and can’t play. The problem with head injuries, specifically concussions, is that it’s based on feeling. Does the player feel well enough and from the team’s point of view, does he appear to be recovering from the effects? The NFL is just starting to upgrade their testing procedures and studies while players are openly admitting to concealing concussions. Recently, ESPN published an article regarding a survey conducted by the Associated Press on how many NFL players would hide a concussion. In the same study, several players said that they would like independent neurologists on the sidelines to essentially protect them from themselves.
It comes down to trust. Until both sides are willing to give full disclosure on studies, findings or feeling concussion-like symptoms; this process will never progress. While it is understood that the player fears being labeled as “injury-prone”, some things just aren’t worth risking. Athletes should be more concerned with their quality of life after their playing days are over. If you think it’s not a big deal, ask Ben Utecht.
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It’s nuts that you are seeing it more and more now. Especially in the NHL. You didn’t see all that many concussions in hockey until they changed all the rules. They need to start to use the red line again to slow the game down again.
Joe Montana is a D Bag
Yeah, the NHL needs to do something.
That experience was DEFINITELY not worth it.