My view of concussion protocols and the like has taken a dramatic turn in the last few weeks.
I managed to concuss myself by falling hard on the ice the Friday before Christmas. Didn't get knocked out, got up, loaded my car, drove home (10 miles). By the time I got home, I had realized I needed to see a doctor.
Fortunately for me, I made it home without an accident, and fortunately my clinic is only a block walk from where I live.
Three weeks later, I'm still in a fog. Sleep issues. Anxiety issues (my poor dog -- I no more than sit down, he settles in my lap, and I then feel compelled to jump up and ... be foggy.
I definitely shouldn't have driven that day. I probably shouldn't be driving yet, but, well, some things have to get done and I'm the only one here to do them.
But it gives a new perspective -- because unlike when I go to the grocery store today and I can assess the risks of driving be-fogged, that was not the case on the day of the injury. Because while I was able to "decide" to drive home, the reality was my brain wasn't just fogged, it was deluded. Today, I'm driving impaired. That day, I was driving impaired AND unaware that I was doing so.
So count me among those who likes the "guilty until proven innocent" rules that the NFL now has with respect to concussions. Because if Bahktiari had one, he wasn't in a position to decide.
Originally Posted by: Wade