Concussions don't stop 'em

When Will Adams was a junior at Cleveland High School he missed more than a month of school, sitting in a quiet, dark room at his house because of migraines brought on by concussions he sustained playing football. Adams not only returned the following fall to play his senior season, but he now plays for the Tennessee Crush minor league team.

Why would Adams, like countless other football players, continue playing even after multiple severe concussions three years ago?

"I love the game and I just wasn't ready to walk away from it yet," he said. "I get that question all the time from people who know what I went through in high school. I know a concussion isn't like a knee injury, which can hurt but won't kill you. But the best answer I have is that I firmly believe when my time is up I will die, whether it's playing football or in a car crash. So I want to keep doing something I love for as long as I can."

Adams suffered his two concussions within a three-week span. The first concussion came on a collision with a 280-pound fullback. After 12 days away from the game, he returned and took a glancing blow to the side of his head, which caused the second concussion.

According to a recent study from the Center for Injury Research at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, as many as 40.5 percent of athletes return to action prematurely following concussions.

Dr. Glenn Beasley has been the team physician for Boyd-Buchanan's football program for 14 years. His son, Ben, is the Buccaneers' starting running back.

"The biggest concern, I believe, is not as much the severity of the concussion as the number of concussions a player has," Dr. Beasley said. "It's the player who suffers multiple licks to the head that would really worry me. My belief is after three concussions you should stop playing.

"The overall numbers are small because the equipment is so much better. But the possibility is still there. The concern is completely based on the speed of the game, the strength of the players and the force of the impact. Watching the NFL this year, I've been impressed with the violence of the hits. It seems like nearly every series there is a couple of plays where a helmet is knocked off or an across-the-middle impact that's just incredible. Even high school kids are bigger, stronger and faster, and that will lead to great impacts."

Dr. Beasley said his son has sustained a concussion during a game but his concern was overshadowed by Ben's desire to play.

"The benefits of him playing have outweighed the fear," Dr. Beasley said. "He's just like any other player. We keep an eye on all of them, and if a kid takes a big hit we'll check them out and make sure they're OK before sending them back out on the field. We have had to hide a helmet or two to keep them from sneaking back on sometimes."

After Adams sat out the second half of his junior year, he was fitted with a new oversized helmet manufactured by Schutt before returning for his senior season. He continues wearing one of the "DNA" helmets, which is designed with an air pad beneath the layer of normal padding to help prevent concussions.

"I would never want to go through that again," Adams said. "The migraines lasted a couple of months and would bring tears to my eyes, even after taking medicine.

"My head still rings after a big hit. I've never played a game where my body wasn't banged up afterward, but I love taking my aggression out on the field."

A University of Pittsburgh study on youth concussions reported that about 20 percent of high school players who play for four years will suffer a concussion. It said several neurological reports have revealed that teenagers are more likely to suffer from prolonged brain swelling after a concussion, which means high school athletes may have a slower recovery rate.

Other former area players besides Adams have admitted that at some point they ignored the warning signs of a possible concussion or lied to trainers about their symptoms in order to continue playing.

"From the time I was in little league you would hear people on the sideline yelling at somebody who was lying on the field to get up," said Eric Westmoreland, an assistant coach at Baylor School who played at Marion County High, the University of Tennessee and for six years in the NFL. "It's a pride thing that you don't want to be laying on the field. The same goes for getting your bell rung. I've hurt myself a lot making big hits, but I would just keep playing.

"It's a very physical, macho sport, and you want to be thought of as tough by your teammates and other players."