Remember Tua Tagovailoa’s viral concussion during the 2022 season? Any NFL enthusiast will be able to recall the scary moment of the QB against the Bengals. However, things weren’t always like this in the league. Marcellus Wiley shed light on his concussion injury and how it wasn’t an explored topic yet.
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Taking to his show, Hydration Situation, Wiley opened up about a concussion that he suffered during his playing days. However, it was not on the gridiron. Instead, he suffered the injury in an unexpected place—a swimming pool.
Per the former professional, the injury could have been avoided if he had been more cautious or if there had been more awareness around the topic like today. He said:
“Back in our days, I’m not lying to y’all, we didn’t talk about concussions ever.”
The incident took place when he was at the University of Oregon’s Track City International Classic in Eugene for a track meet. All Wiley wanted to do was hit the swimming pool on an off day from running. Unfortunately, as he grabbed the edge of the pool and jumped, he miscalculated the depth of the pool.
This resulted in Wiley hitting his head with the bottom of the pool super hard and suffering a concussion. The former DE, who played for 10 seasons with the Bills, Chargers, Cowboys, and Jaguars, also recalled how he ended up skipping the track meet competition and his “coach was mad at” him.
Marcellus Wiley’s concussion story is in sync with the experiences of many former NFL players, who have suffered in silence. One particular professional is Packers star Brett Favre who during his time in the league witnessed multiple head traumas.
Brett Favre’s hidden toll of head injuries
Former NFL QB, Brett Favre, who played in the NFL for 20 seasons, has not shied away from opening up about the long-term effects of head trauma in football.
In 2018, the Hall of Famer shared how he had faced more than 1,000 concussions throughout his NFL career. He revealed:
“When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion. And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”
Yes, Favre‘s fearless playing style was celebrated by NFL enthusiasts but at the same, the boon turned into a bane because it made him vulnerable to repeated head injuries, something that has now altered his life.
In January 2024, at the age of 56, 14 years after retiring from the NFL, the 1x Super Bowl Champion was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a neurological condition linked to head trauma.
In the era when Wiley or Favre played, roughly from 1990-2010, concussions were often brushed under the carpet. Players hid their symptoms to stay on the field and play because they feared losing their place or being seen as weak. However, the current league dynamics are different.
Protecting players has become a norm as there is more research about the long-term effects of concussions like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and Parkinson’s. Now, players, who suffer concussions are immediately evaluated by medical personnel and neurologists. Moreover, the injured ones are not allowed to return to the game at any cost without clearance.
