NFL, NFLPA eye steps surrounding Ben Roethlisberger concussion

Roethlisberger suffered a concussion in his team’s 39-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but he has recently been cleared to practice. Roethlisberger on Wednesday said a team physician told him on the sideline against Seattle that he didn’t have a concussion. However, while under concussion protocol, Roethlisberger returned to practice and expects to start the game on Sunday. For whatever reason, Williams totaled eight carries on the day, one of a slew of questionable decisions made by Mike Tomlin and Co.

“We need to be smarter as football players”.

“We will lean on the expert advice of our medical staff”, Tomlin said, via ESPN. We may not score touchdowns every time, but we’re scoring every time we’re down there.

Speaking to “The Cook and Poni Show on Sportsradio 93.6 The Fan for the #1 Cochran Ben Roethlisberger Show Tuesday”, the veteran quarterback said a brain injury is not something he’s willing to risk. Tomlin declined to speculate on whether Roethlisberger and the team were “splitting hairs” over his diagnosis.

“They need to get together and tell their players what’s going on because I was just relaying what the doctors told me”, Roethlisberger said.

I don’t want my teammates, my linemen, my running backs and everybody you’ve played with, when you have reunions, when we have this Super Bowl XL reunion however many years from now, I don’t want guys hobbling on the sidelines and drooling and not being able to remember things. Carroll said FB Will Tukuafu and DL Demarcus Dobbs are both going through concussion protocol….

Roethlisberger went on to question the notion that players are somehow weaker if they come out of the game. That’s why I was so confused yesterday when coach Tomlin said I had one.

The regiment includes a rest and recovery period, light aerobic exercises, supervised cardiovascular workouts, non-contact drills and passing a concussion test.

Ben Roethlisberger is completing 66.5 percent of his passes for 2,343 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. One area that has no gray area for Roethlisberger – he’s glad he self-reported.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association are reviewing the circumstances around Roethlisberger’s diagnosis as part of procedure.

Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns in a win over the Colts last fall.

The Indianapolis Colts, though, continue to hold them off thanks to 40-year-old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who remains unbeaten in relief of the injured Andrew Luck after beating Tampa Bay. We’re going to look at Brandon Boykin maybe and give him an opportunity to work within that mix. Safety Mike Mitchell is dealing with knee inflammation….

When teams and coaches allow their athletes to keep playing despite apparent head trauma they should be severely punished with fines, and repeated infractions should result in forfeited draft picks.