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Pittsburgh Steelers Star Admits He ‘Hid Concussions’
Troy Polamalu, Five time All-Pro of the Pittsburgh Steelers, says he never told a “major lie,” but that he did conceal concussions to remain in games. Polamalu told Dan Patrick Show listeners on Wednesday that concussions have been present in his career and that officially he has suffered “eight or nine” over that span. He also eluded he and host Dan Patrick would “have another conversation” when Polamalu’s playing career was over.
Polamalu went on to explain that he didn’t consider getting his “bell rung” to be a true concussion, but according to NFL guidelines it counts as one. Polamalu went on to say that players would have “50 to 100 concussions” in a single season, if you used that standard.
Polamalu, who was the Steelers 2003 first round draft pick and is known for his aggressive no-holds-barred style of play, made the remarks while the NFL is being sued by more than 2,400 former players. The retired players contend that the NFL knew and concealed data on the seriousness and extent of concussions. In 2009 NFL wide receiver Chris Henry had symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerate brain disease whose symptoms mimic Alzheimer. Henry was only 26.
Other former NFL players diagnosed with CTE have committed suicide, including Ray Easterling, who was the lead plaintiff in a concussion lawsuit against the NFL. Other notable players are Mike Webster (ironically, himself a former Steeler), Andre Waters, and most recently the suicide of linebacker Junior Seau has raised suspicion. Seau’s family has even donated his brain for CTE research.
Polamalu is isn’t the only player to admit hiding a concussion, in February of this year Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears admitted to doing the same. In 2009 Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers put it more bluntly “You get a concussion, they… take you out. If you can hide it and conceal it as much as possible, you pay for it the next day, but you’ll be able to… stay in the game.”
It may well be that these types of player admissions are the NFL’s best defense as it moves forward with its legal defense strategy. For the Pittsburgh Steelers training staff it looks like they have one more player to over scrutinize the next time he gets up slow.
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