| Polamalu says he's suffered eight or nine recorded concussions. |
While it’s no surprise that anybody playing in the NFL will lie about a possible head injury in order to conceal it and stay on the field, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is just the latest example of a player who will admit it publicly.
That’s exactly what Polamalu did Wednesday on the Dan Patrick Show when he said he’s suffered "eight or nine" concussions in his career. Polamalu also said he's lied about injuries in order to keep playing.
“Yes I have, for sure,” Polamalu said. “There’s so much built up about team camaraderie and sacrifice. Football is such a tough man’s game. … It would be no different than the guy who goes to the mines in West Virginia. It’s that kind of commitment you need to play football.”
But Polamalu also hedged his bets about whether he lied to a team official specifically about whether he’s had a concussion. Or something like that.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve had any major lies,” Polamalu said, via PFT. “Somebody may say, ‘Is your knee messed up?’ It may be kind of messed up but you just kind of push yourself to be out there with your brothers. I wouldn’t say there are any major lies where I totally lied may way out of concussions. In fact, during concussions, if it’s serious enough you can’t even be conscious enough to lie.”
Polamalu also told Patrick that he would explain more about concussions after he retires.
Look, we’ve been over this concussion issue so much, it’s really not worth repeating other than to say this: if a player suffers a concussion, he really should come out of the game. As we see over and over again with retired players, the consequences simply don’t seem to be worth it.
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