NFL Not Playing Head Games

While Week 12 was full of surprises, none were bigger than quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner not playing.

Warner, after practicing all week, woke up with neck soreness on Sunday, a post-concussion symptom. He pretty much crossed his name off of the game day roster.

Roethlisberger getting pulled before Sunday night's game caught a lot of people off guard, particularly his teammates. He also practiced all week. Big Ben was preparing for an important divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens. But when he woke with a headache, Rothlisberger was benched.

The surprise decision stunned Roethlisberger’s teammates. His toughness was questioned publicly by his favorite target, receiver Hines Ward.

In a sport where toughness is a virtue, it’s hard to believe in an injury where there isn’t a limp or a cast. Ward made the mistake of speaking from emotion on Sunday, and he apologized to his quarterback.

The movement to take concussions more seriously has been building for years. It’s being led not just by doctors, but former athletes like former WWE wrester Chris Nowitzki and retired New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson. The NFL was accused of ignoring the data presented to them. Now we know the league was listening.

With standards already in place, Commissioner Roger Goodell issued new a standard for any player that suffers a concussion. Last year’s standard said a player couldn’t return to playing in the same game if he lost consciousness.

Now if a player shows symptoms after suffering a concussion, he should be held out for the rest of the game. Those symptoms include an inability to remember plays, a gap in memory, and persistent headaches or dizziness.

This new standard comes after Goodell last month encouraged players to rat on teammates if they suspected someone suffered a concussion.

People chuckled at the idea. The macho-ness of sports includes a code of silence when it comes to injuries. Teammates don’t tell teammates not to play. They know they need him in the game for the best chance to win. The last thing a competitor will do is compromise his chances of winning.

Playing hurt is also a badge of honor for athletes. Nothing earns respect from teammates or coaches than someone risking their health and putting it all on the line. Sacrifice isn’t asked, it’s expected from everyone.

With all due respect to the athlete’s code, much of the thinking behind it has to change. The days of the “he just had his bell rung” euphemism are over. Where’s the honor in making the play if years later you can’t remember making the play?

Goodell’s intentions were in the right place when he asked the players to look out for each other, but that won’t work. The best thing Goodell is doing is creating higher standards - from getting baseline measurements for every player before the season, to a higher vigilance of head injuries, to telling teams to find league-approved neurologists outside of the team medical staff to be consultants.

The NFL is far from finished with research and creating new guidelines, but after years of being mum on the subject, the NFL is off to a fast start addressing the issue.

And teams are doing the right thing with these new standards in place. This week eleven players are on the injured list with concussions, eight more with head injuries. Philadelphia RB Brian Westbrook missed the last two games because of a concussion and won’t play this week. Receiver DeSean Jackson likely will join Westbrook on the sideline with a concussion.

Cleveland running back Jamal Lewis, who already said this will be his last season, has been placed on injured reserve with post-concussion symptoms. Teammate Brodney Pool was placed on IR as well after suffering at least his fourth concussion in just his fifth season.

With greater attention paid to concussions, will this lead to shorter careers? It could happen. Roethlisberger could turn into a case study.

His toughness should never be questioned as his size and strength enable Roethlisberger to shrug off potential sacks and extend plays. But his strength puts him in position to take more hits, especially when he runs out of the pocket. Roethlisberger suffered at least his fourth concussion since 2006. If the concussions keep adding up, the 27-year-old Roethlisberger won’t play far beyond 30.

Outside consultants can suggest to players what’s best for long term mental health, but players don’t always look down the road. The best deterrent will be teams keeping players off the field. If greater awareness of concussions means less Hall of Famers, then so be it. It is better to have less Hall of Famers than more Hall of Famers like Baltimore tight end John Mackey