Before Tonight’s Suspected Head Injury, Bengals QB Had Once Said the NFL Does a “Good Job” Handling Concussions

On Sunday, Bengals QB Joe Burrow took a concerning hit to the head on third down. As his head thudded against the ground with a jerk after a tackle from Brian Burns, everyone was convinced it was a concussion. He was rushed to the dreaded blue tent for an evaluation but returned later.

Even though he returned to the game, some remained convinced he had suffered a concussion. The hit was just too hard. Interestingly, two years before today’s incident, Joe Shiesty had shed light on how players sometimes lie about their concussion symptoms to get back in the game quickly.

As he praised the league’s concussion protocols, he said, 

“I don’t think there is a lot you can do when a player is withholding symptoms or he wants to go back out and he’s not telling you, ‘ I have a headache, or I’m dizzy. There’s not a lot you can do unless you want to go down that road to take a healthy player out of the game. It’s a tough spot. I think the league does a good job for the most part.”

Could something similar have happened tonight? Could Burrow have lied about his symptoms to get back in the game? There’s really no way of knowing. So, the only thing to do for now is to trust the league’s procedures.

During the post-game conference, Burrow brushed away the concussion concerns as he said he “felt fine,” but “just got his wind knocked out” of him.

Concussions are obviously no joke. They can have lasting effects on an athlete’s life and hence, it is advised they be completely honest about their symptoms.

Burrow has never missed time in his NFL career for concussion-related issues. But he’s previously admitted to playing through head injuries in the past.

Joe Burrow admits to not remembering parts of the game following hits

Burrow once shared his personal experience with concussions, and it didn’t paint football in the best light. In a conversation with Colin Cowherd, the Bengals QB mentioned that every player deals with concussions at some point in their career.

While he hasn’t experienced enough concussions to notice long-term effects, he did admit to forgetting parts of a game after taking a hard hit:

“I’ve had some where I don’t remember the second half or I don’t remember the entire game or I know that I got a little dizzy at one point, but nothing long-lasting.”

More concerningly, he said, “If I can go back out there and play I’m going to go back out there and play.” 

The LSU alum took another hard hit but was cleared to continue on Sunday, finishing the game with 208 passing yards on 19 completions and a rare 47-yard rushing touchdown.

The Bengals are surely relieved that their QB won’t have to spend more time on the sidelines after last season’s injury. They need him fit and firing if they have any chance of making the playoffs from 2-4.