NFL player's reaction to frightening head injury is heartbreaking
In a scary scene from Thursday Night Football, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion.
Kuechly took a hit to the back of the head, near the neck, in addition to twisting his knee awkwardly on the play. Injuries can often be emotional for players, but Kuechly, the league leader in tackles, was a wreck. He sobbed as the medical staff tended to him.
And despite the ongoing debate surrounding head injuries, the bureaucracy and politics of player safety, Kuechly's tears reminded us one very important thing — for players, it's terrifying.
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So much of the NFL's concussion discussion is rooted in policy.
Are teams following proper concussion protocol? Should officials be stricter about hits to the head?
One thing's certain: players are fed up.
Richard Sherman slammed the NFL in September, calling it a "bottom line business" when it comes to taking care of its players. Recently, MVP Cam Newton — the latest poster child of the concussion debate, thanks to the hits to the helmet he took in Week 1 — called out the league's officials. He said he doesn't feel safe anymore.
Kuechly just provided a poignant example of that harsh reality.
Panthers head coach Ron Rivera didn't offer many details about Kuechly's status on Friday. The linebacker is in concussion protocol, but doesn't have a return timeline.
Luckily, he seemed to be O.K. on Friday, according to teammate Thomas Davis's Instagram.
But his reaction on the field said it all.
This discussion needed a dose of emotion, an example of the frightening trials of head injuries, and a reminder of what players risk on a daily basis. The league pledged $100 million to concussion research in September, but its biggest response to the head injury debate this year has been its updated concussion protocol, which now provides additional support for spotting concussions on the field.
If the NFL had lost sight of the human element of this debate in the midst of all this policy, Kuechly's injury is a disturbing reminder.
