Calvin Johnson, Ex-Lions Football Player, Talks About Concussions
Ex Detroit Lions player Calvin Johnson has recently revealed a rather shocking fact that the players regularly undergo concussions which they just don’t tell anyone. He said that even he hid concussions from the doctors of the team all through his 9-year NFL career and not only he but all other players do the same thing – they get concussions but hide them!
After his “Catching Dreams” football camp at Southfield High, Johnson said that he didn’t tell about the concussions to the coach because of the sense of responsibility of a job to do. It’s because his team needed him on the field. The player takes this quite casually and says that sometimes you have to put yourself into danger and that’s the rule of the world.
In an interview, Bundchen said on “CBS This Morning” that the New England Patriots quarterback, Brady, got a concussion last year but was never listed with the injury.
There was no official diagnosis of a concussion for Johnson who played 9 NFL seasons and retired last spring. He told last year to ESPN’s “E:60” that he suffered a significant amount of brain injuries while playing. When asked whether he hid one from team doctors, Johnson said, “Of course.”
Johnson said that anytime you hit the ground and stars shine before your eyes, anytime you black out and anytime your brain bumps on your skull, that’s a concussion. It’s a concussion after all, no matter how serious it is. Upon a severe concussion people often feel nauseated and get similar feelings. The player said that if you play football for a length of time, you are bound to have concussions.
President of Detroit Lions, Rod Wood said that NFL is trying to be attentive to identify and treat brain injuries, but players should be willing to tell if something doesn’t feel quite right.
He said further that they try to educate players on this issue and they should participate in it.
Johnson, at his football camp, dedicated a session to educate players about the danger of concussions. He said that it was done for both insurance purposes as well as to inform players about the risks they can face.
The player further said that this topic should be talked upon more and more every year and programs should be arranged. He said that concussion awareness should be created in camps. The biggest thing is that concussions take place in football and the most important thing is rest. If a player feels that he has got a concussion, he should rest. If you go on playing even after a concussion, things can get complicated.
Although Johnson never reported any concussion symptoms during his life as a player, he says he doesn’t regret for that and therefore he was comfortable while leaving.