Concussion advocate Morey has concussion
Posted by on November 12, 2009 – 2:08 pmThe topic of concussions in athletes, especially football players, is dear to Sean Morey’s heart. He has thrown himself completely into the cause, trying to raise awareness and help athletes with potential brain injuries.
So it’s a tough situation when Morey suffers a concussion. And admittedly sticky when he actually plays with one, which he did after getting a concussion against the Panthers and then playing against the Bears.
“This is the nature of our game and the profession we have chosen,” Morey said.
Morey came down with the flu right after the Carolina game, and he thinks either his symptoms were masked a bit or “maybe it was just wishful thinking.” But he downplayed what he was feeling and didn’t communicate with the Cards’ training staff, which is one of the biggest things he advocates for players. He played in Chicago.
“No player wants to take a day off,” Morey said. “They want to play because there is a deep loyalty to their teammates and their coaches and their team and the owners that pay their salaries.”
He said he was retested Thursday and he will be able to practice Friday and hopefully be cleared to play. As for his situation as a spokesman, Morey said he understood why someone would wonder how he could play with a concussion given what he has advocated.
“All I can do is as a professional athlete is communicate with my trainers and be honest with my medical staff and let them do their job,” Morey said. “That’s the only message players need to hear. Whether it’s college or high school, you can’t lie about symptoms.
“It’s a double-edged sword and that’s what makes this issue so complicated. Owners pay (pro) players expecting performance, coaches develop relationships with players and your teammates, for all intents and purposes, are like your family and that’s who you want to play for. There is a lot of incentive to play through injuries.”
Morey said he didn’t think it was a mistake to play in Chicago. He said he thought he could play in such a way to minimize getting hit the wrong way, admitting that may have been “wishful thinking or maybe foolish pride on my part.”
“I don’t want to over-dramatize this,” Morey said. “But it’s the way players think.”
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By Todd on Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
Sean Morey is a warrior. He’s been a favorite of mine ever since the blocked punt against Dallas last year. If the team shop can ever come up with a custom jersey that the numbers don’t wash off the first time it’s washed I’ll surely be wearing a #87.
By Roberta Knox on Nov 12, 2009 | Reply
I was just reading Malcolm Gladwell’s article “Offensive Play” in the October 19, 2009 issue of The New Yorker magazine in re to stories about NFL players and head injuries. He also compares dogfighting and football. It’s a very interesting read.
By Darog on Nov 14, 2009 | Reply
Here’s a quote from a previous blog (9/15/09) that Sean made – “Mostly, Morey wants to protect players as best he can, to find a way where they can be tough like the sport asks but also give themselves enough recovery time if they do suffer a head injury. He wants to protect players from situations like Cardinals quarterbacks coach Chris Miller, who was forced to retire from the NFL because of concussions.” That’s all great that he will give his brain to brain concussion research, but if Sean can’t seriously practice what he preaches then he shouldn’t be fighting for the cause and stick to playing football that he’s good at. He’s going to end up with serious brain damage or dead if he keeps playing when he has a concussion instead of sitting on the sidelines bench and resting his hurt brain!!! Come on let’s get real Sean Morey!!