GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Concussions are returning to the spotlight and the rivalry now rages between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers after a brawl on national television Thursday night.
There were just eight seconds left in the game, with the Browns leading 21-7. Their first victory over Pittsburgh since 2014 was already written in the history books. But a sack by defensive end Myles Garrett turned into an all out physical skirmish after Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph seemed to take issue with the manner he was tackled. Rudolph shoved Garrett, who then ripped off the quarterback’s helmet and despite being held back by other players, swung the helmet and connected with Rudolph’s head.
Garrett was subsequently ejected, later receiving an indefinite suspension for his actions. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was suspended for going after Garrett, while another Browns defender Larry Ogunjobi also received a suspension for shoving Rudolph later in the play.
The concussion topic returned due to Rudolph being struck in the head with his own helmet. While he did not suffer a concussion from that incident, concerns were raised because he had suffered a serious concussion after being knocked out cold on the field against the Baltimore Ravens on October 6th.
Athletic Trainer Roland Schmidt from Bellin Health Sports Medicine discussed the impact of concussions and consequences of repeat concussions with WTAQ News after the incident. Schmidt says Rudolph is lucky to avoid another one so soon.
“When we see multiple concussions within a short time frame, six months, twelve months – that’s when we’re seeing those long term effects. Students who can’t function cognitively in the classroom as well as they used to, concentration issues, repeat headache issues, those types of things,” says Schmidt, “if you return too quickly, there are consequences that could be upwards of longterm health and even death that they could potentially sustain if they go back too quickly.”
Schmidt works with student-athletes around the area. He says trainers often remind the players to care more about their health than their playing time.
“We need them to be honest with us when it comes to reporting their symptoms. And we look at a series of 22 symptoms – everything from headaches to light or noise increasing their headache and many more,” Schmidt tells WTAQ News, “if those athletes continue to play after those first symptoms are recognized, even for as little as 5-10 minutes, it increases their time of recovery by three, four, five days on the back side.”
Once those athletes are pulled from the game and begin treatment, there are a number of different steps they need to take before returning to the field. Schmidt says they run ImPACT tests to determine the cognitive abilities of athletes, comparing computerized tests to a baseline set before the season. Athletes must pass the ImPACT tests before returning to any form of practice.
Schmidt tells us “once they are symptom free and clear of all their symptoms and they’ve gone through that battery of tests, then we’ll put them through a physical return to play. And it’s a gradual physical increase. Day one, they get to bike for fifteen minutes. Then progressively adding more to their daily return to practice.”
There are a number of arguments against collision sports like football because concussions have been often linked to CTE (Chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a neurodegenerative disease. However, Schmidt is not fully convinced there is a direct line between the two.
“As many studies there are saying it does link it, there are just as many that says it does not. I think we’re looking deeper and deeper into it, and we’re getting closer and closer to some of those answers. But I don’t think we have a concrete answer as of this point,” Schmidt says.
Returning specifically to injuries caused during serious collisions in football, Schmidt points out that while the sport is inherently violent, there are still ways to reduce concussions. In the second quarter of the game Thursday night, former Packers safety Damarious Randall was ejected for a high speed helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers rookie wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Johnson was left crumpled on the sideline, and was eventually carted off the field. Schmidt says hits like that not only endanger the players on the receiving end, but those delivering the blow as well.
“Those individuals who continue to lead with their head are at a significantly higher risk than those who are tackling with better form. The heads up football programs that have been out there for many, many years – we see these types of techniques are reducing the number of concussions,” Schmidt explains, “there are no such things as concussion-proof helmets. There are some organizations with very highly graded helmets from a safety standpoint, but again, we’re still moving forward with the research and trying to actually place it for sure a helmet is helping prevent concussions.”
The play at the end of the game was an unprecedented incident with serious consequences, but Rudolph was hit with a glancing blow from the underside of his helmet. When asked to speculate about what could have happened, had it been solid contact from the hard crown of the helmet, Schmidt says the results could have been significantly worse. He speculates that a direct hit of a helmet to the head without protection could have caused a serious concussion, laceration, or even fractured Rudolph’s skull. Luckily for him, that is only a speculative estimate about what could have happened.
Anyone who believes they may have suffered from a concussion should seek opinions from a medical professional. Athletes who have hit their head and feel fatigue or struggle with concentration should be checked out before returning to physical activity.
