Troy Polamalu Admits to Concealing Concussions

During a radio interview, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu admitted that he has lied about head injuries and has chosen to play despite the urging of the team's medical staff not to. In the interview, he said a number of things that show just how oblivious some NFL players are to the dangers of concussions later in life.

The two most ridiculous statements he made had to have been, first, that players see a line between a head injury that should keep you out of action and a smaller one that a doctor sees as a concussion. He went on to compare concussions to the different levels of severity that can be experienced with a knee injury and how it is possible to play through that.

First of all, Troy, there is no opinion that goes along with whether or not a concussion is a concussion. Doctors don't "see" something as a concussion that may not be one. A concussion is a concussion which can damage your ability to function properly later in your life regardless of how severe it is.

Secondly, a slight tweak in your knee can't affect your ability to read or remember your own name in twenty years. A slight concussion can. To compare knee injuries and brain injuries is simply moronic and the reason that over 2,000 players are now suing the NFL based on the damage done to them in their playing days.

It is talk like this that sets back the movement for player safety in the NFL. After all, if the players aren't trying to protect themselves, why should anyone else? Rather than theorizing about opinion-based concussions and making outlandish comparisons, Polamalu and other players hiding head injuries should do the right thing and follow the advice of their respective medical staffs. If they don't, they will be the only ones to pay for it.