Imagine you are running towards the end zone, you are about to score a touchdown for your team! Then all of a sudden a person on the other team smacks you in the back of the head, everything gets fuzzy and your head starts to hurt. Concussions are a thing that impacts peoples lives after they retire. Have you heard of Calvin Johnson? What about Aaron Hernandez? Those are just 2 players had concussions and they ended there careers early.
A concussion is temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head. The term is also used loosely of the aftereffects such as confusion or temporary incapacity. The signs and symptoms of a concussion may be physical such as blurred vision, dizziness and fatigue. The most common symptom of a concussion is headache. There are many ways to get a concussion. Some common ways include fights, falls, playground injuries, car crashes, and bike crashes. Concussions can also happen while participating in any sport or activity such as football, boxing, hockey, soccer, skiing, or snowboarding. If concussions are left untreated or are especially severe, the victim could suffer serious long-term effects. Some of the potential results of a concussion include anxiety, seizures, depression, aggression, memory problems, chronic headaches, and insomnia.
The NFL has tried to protect players best of their ability and prevent concussions. From 2018 to 2019 concussions rose slightly from 224 to 214. You can only do so much when it comes to attempting to make the game "safer". Calvin Johnson, who retired from the NFL early because his body was breaking down, said many players are choosing to do whatever it takes to stay on the field. That includes taking painkillers. He estimated that he suffered at least nine concussions during his football career, a super conservative number, according to him. He smoked frequently to help with the healing process. After some games he smoked just to deal with the pain. Calvin Johnson hung up the cleats at an early age and still is one of the greatest NFL players of all time. It shows even concussions can bring down the biggest and strongest people. Aaron Hernandez was one of the best tight ends in the game when he got into trouble with the law. Hernandez was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd. He was eventually was put into jail. Aaron Hernandez committed suicide on Apr 19, 2017. After his death an autopsy was done on Hernandez's brain and it revealed that the athlete had a severe form of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when he died in April. CTE is a degenerative brain condition that has been found in the brains of professional football players and boxers, according to news reports.
Concussions affect people and athletes. People do not realize concussions affect people in the later years.