The high cost of concussions | National Football Post
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.
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Dang, i think i already got my answer. that hit/impact was so freakin vicious, that why its always stood out to me. matt knew the kind of train wreck collision he was in for but sacrificed his body and mind anyways. thats just the kind of hard nosed, sacrifice his body for the better of the team type player he was. never knew he was coming off a concussion one week prior. i vaguely remember the mack strong helmet to helmet incident the week before.
i see alot of reed doughty in him. not the most athletic player on the field but smart and willing to sacrifice his body to make the bone jarring hit if the need arises.
ps - 1 more thing. smith was in front of him and kinda made a jump as he corraled the ball. matt could have easily let smith fall to the ground or decide to take an angle on smith and wrap him up. but it was the last 2 minutes in a game we were up by 4 and the other team was driving on us. it was a crucial play. matt chose to go head on, taking a direct angle into smith in hopes of jarring the ball loose with a vicious hit. matt could have easily doen other things to ensure the tackle (smith was in the process of falling down anyway), but making a full steam direct hit was the only hope of jarring that ball loose. if it was a different player, i think you would have seen him not take such a risk for the team.
with 2 minutes to go, i want players like matt bowen out there. hungry players.