D'Brickashaw Ferguson is the latest NFL player to see Concussion—as well as read the book its based on—and after watching the controversial picture, the Jets left tackle says he feels "betrayed" by the league.
Penning an essay for SI.com, the 10-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler writes about how disappointing it is knowing the NFL was less than forthcoming with information about concussions, making him feel "a bit betrayed by the people or committees put in place by the league who did not have my best interests at heart."
Perhaps I was a little naïve in my understanding of how the brain is affected by hits to the head. As I understood it, concussions dealt with big collisions, typically occurring at the skill positions, such as a wide receiver or defensive back trying to making a catch and receiving a hit in return from a player he didn’t account for, or a running back meeting a linebacker in the hole and colliding, sending both players to the ground dazed or frozen from the impact. Though I am familiar with examples of offensive lineman who have experienced concussions, it was still my contention that the offensive line was one of the safer positions when it came to being susceptible to head injuries. As I’ve come to find out, it isn’t just the large collisions that can be problematic, but rather the smaller collisions that don’t even amount to concussions but happen far more frequently, that are the real catalysts leading to CTE.
One individual Ferguson called out in the piece was former Jets team physician Elliot Pellman who also served as the NFL's committee chairman on head injuries. Ferguson wrote "to learn that he was a part of the group that tried to discredit the scope and impact of brain injuries among players within the league is disheartening."
Ferguson concluded the piece questioning whether he would have started playing football if he knew back then what he knows now. Ultimately, Ferguson said he wouldn't change a thing but wouldn't definitively say he would let his son strap on a helmet.
If I had a son, would I let him play? I struggle to answer this question. I sincerely believe that the game has and will continue to improve on all levels and put its players in the best possible position, but I do have doubts in whether that is something that I would want to let my child pursue.
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