Quotes from players interviewed recently by the AP about concussions

By AP
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

NFL players’ quotes about concussions

“You get a concussion, they’ve got to take you out of the game. So 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.” — Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers.

“I’ve had times where I walked up to the line, where I know the play, but don’t know what to do.” — Oakland Raiders tight end Tony Stewart.

“If you get a little headache or something, you’re not going to say anything. This is football, and everyone gets their heads rattled a little bit.” — Indianapolis Colts safety Jamie Silva.

“I don’t want to come out of games. I always feel that’s some kind of weakness. Somebody hits me and takes me out of the game, I feel weak. So if something happens, I take a minute to try to re-gather myself and then go back.” — New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove.

“I’m sure there have been guys who didn’t realize they had a concussion and just kept playing. It’s a violent game. The head injuries are the most dangerous to play with. We’re trained to play no matter what. If you can run, and you’re able to focus and know your responsibilities, you’re usually out there playing. You wouldn’t have enough players if no one played hurt. Especially if you’re, like, on special teams, you’re going to do everything you can to stay in the game.” — Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Brown.

“If you’re worried about concussions, you’re in the wrong business.” — Carolina Panthers fullback Brad Hoover.

“A lot of people think we’re gladiators, but we’re human beings. We get injured and we’ve got the rest of our lives to worry about. Playing football is like a vapor — it’s here and it’s gone — and you still have the rest of your life to live.” — New York Jets offensive lineman Damien Woody.

“I’ve known of players hiding concussions. … Sometimes players aren’t real sure. They hit their head, they get a little cuckoo for a little while. It happens all the time.” — Kansas City Chiefs center Rudy Niswanger.

“You can’t worry about it, because when you start worrying about it, you start playing tentative. You have to just go out and play the game the way you know to play the game and hope and pray you come out injury-free. You can’t fear one injury more than another.” — Oakland Raiders linebacker Isaiah Ekejiuba.

“I would not hide that. That’s not something you hide. That puts you in a terrible position, as well as the team. I think that would be the worst thing you could do in a situation like that. So if I ever got a concussion, I would definitely tell. I don’t know how you could hide a concussion.” — New England Patriots defensive lineman Mike Wright.

“My wife worries about it a little more than I do.” — New York Giants tight end Kevin Boss.

“I want every person who leaves this to be as healthy as possible when they leave. We all give up stiffness in knees, backs, joint pain stuff. You don’t want to give you your brain.” — Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday.

“Now that I’m getting older, I start thinking about it more. In 10 years, am I going to be one of those guys that’s suffering?” — Denver Broncos defensive end Vonnie Holliday.

“I’ve been fuzzy-headed a lot. You use your head a lot, and at the end of my career, I’ll probably be talking like Muhammad Ali.” — St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Jason Smith.

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