Concussions have cut short the careers of many athletes and caused the early deaths of thousands of them; professionals, children and weekend warriors.
Last week, Western University hosted the fourth annual See The Line symposium on concusssions, attended by several athletes including retired NHL star Eric Lindros, and former CFL defensive lineman and Grey Cup winner Greg Wojt, who I interviewed that day. Greg was sidelined because of a shoulder injury when he played with the Hamilton Tigercats and then suffered concussions when he returned to the Edmonton Eskimos. At that point, he decided he wanted a life more than a career in the CFL and wisely retired. Now he’s in school to become a high school teacher and football coach. Lucky kids!
While working at CHML in 1996, I met then-Ticat Matt Dunigan, who announced his retirement after several concussions in a row. His wife put her foot down, he said. Wise woman. Wise man, for putting aside his risky aspirations as a quarterback so he could be around to see their kids grow up. He joined a long list of football players who had to quit because of repeated head injuries. Sometimes, they fade into the distance. Dunigan reinvented himself as a TV BBQ chef. After being a TV football analyst on and off, and one unsuccessful year as coach ot the Calgary Stampeders, Dunigan was dared by his family to audition for the TV series, Road Grill, for the Food Network. It only lasted a couple of seasons but it spun off into a cookbook and a whole new career for him.
Concussions are misdiagnosed, misunderstood and simply missed too much of the time. Experts are working on better ways of determining whether a player has sustained a head injury. Part of the advancement comes from Rowan’s Law, named for 17-year-old rugby player Rowan Stringer, who died after suffering back-to-back concussions. The law passed in Ontario this spring and outlines mandatory education about head injuries as well as providing a framework for when to remove an athlete from a game. It’s not the entire solution, but it’s a start.