An Old Mentality Takes a Hit

Jun 19, 08:50 PM

Current Headlines: CHICAGO _ During the NFL's day-long seminar on concussions Tuesday at an O'Hare hotel, Troy Vincent saw himself featured among the taped highlights shown to medical experts and doctors and trainers from all 32 teams. Vincent was on the screen, knocked out cold.

Vincent is the NFL Players Association president and happens to play safety, an aptly named position for the mandatory meeting.

Head injuries and their lingering effects are beginning to displace knee injuries as the most feared consequence of America's most violent sport. Studies are linking "mild traumatic brain injury" (MTBI) to long-term brain damage usually associated with boxers.

While the NFL has questioned the studies, Tuesday's seminar did include doctors who have criticized NFL medical practices. They appeared on panels along with doctors from within the league who have studied concussions on various levels for 14 years.

"We all have a common interest, learning more about concussions and the ramifications of head injuries so that we can protect the well-being of our players," said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who convened the seminar. "We have no other agenda and vigorous debate is part of advancing that agenda."

For the first time, NFL players will undergo neuropsychological baseline testing in an effort to help the league establish uniform guidelines to determine when players should return to play.

Theoretically, the program has the potential to change the sport dramatically. But first, this message: when creating concussions is among the fundamental purposes of the wildly popular entertainment, changing the inherent culture of football is no small task.

Vincent has been monitoring applications from retired players for the new "Plan 88" that provides financial assistance to players suffering from dementia. Its name comes from the playing number of John Mackey, Hall of Fame tight end and former Players Association president who suffers from dementia.

"None of us thought we'd see the number of applications we're seeing," Vincent said. "We thought potentially 10, 12, 15. We're more than 100."

Vincent also is well aware of the growing unrest among retired players seeking disability benefits and coming forward with emotional stories of physical distress from head to toe.

"We do have major concerns," Vincent said. "There's a lot of red tape. It's too long of a process. As active players, it is something we'll address. We're all going to be retired."

Vincent just turned 36 and the Washington Redskins released him after last season. After "six or seven" documented concussions in 16 years in the NFL, he could retire comfortably and watch his 7- and 11-year-olds play youth football. Yet Vincent is focused on catching on with another team soon and he says neither the Plan 88 applications nor the concussion data will deter him.

"Not one single bit," Vincent said. "I look at those tapes and I see myself on the highlights, knocked out, and it's like I can't wait to strap it up again. I was out cold, but you're ready to strap it up again."

The thrill of danger is what both compels the player and sells the fan. Anyone who notices grown men bashing helmets on a televised basis regularly could project possible long-term effects.

So the idea is to educate players as well as doctors, trainers and coaches on treating concussions properly. But Ernie Conwell, a tight end who finished last season with New Orleans and serves on the NFLPA executive board, expressed one concern:

"If we create a stringent set of guidelines, the players in essence (could) withdraw even more from training staffs. Guys are thinking about job security, about staying on the field. Already, there's kind of a counter-culture in the NFL of self-treating, of not letting trainers and doctors know when there's something wrong with you. You don't want to be labeled as somebody who's injured. We all know there's even an evaluation form for every athlete. It's `How well does he play injured?' My biggest concern is if it's not handled correctly and collectively by the league and players association and teams as a whole, we'll push players away. Guys will say, `Hey, be careful. You don't want to say anything about getting dinged because they might take you out of the game or you'll get labeled as a guy who has a soft head or in boxing, the glass jaw.'"

Players need to be convinced this is for their long-term health, not to mention the long-term health of the sport.

Vincent, Conwell and Houston tight end Mark Bruener, three athletes invited to the seminar, are hopeful education will prevail over the gladiator mentality.

"We don't know really what a concussion is because of the gladiator mentality," Vincent said. "The gladiator mentality is `get up, keep going, get some smelling salts, go back in.'"

Football is not necessarily the cause of the mentality, just the most popular vehicle.

"I think about our lifestyles in general. We have a lot of Type-A personalities, men who are by nature probably risk-takers," Conwell said. "From childhood, we probably slam our heads around a little more than the average kid, whether it's riding our bikes or just wrestling with our brothers."

Vincent thinks the treatment of concussions has improved over the years. He remembers taking tests the week after one of his concussions.

"I called it the cuckoo test," he said. "Every single day I was trying to trick the test to try to get back on the football field. I didn't know any better.

"Trying to get a player to think long-term is a challenge in itself. Active players are receptive, but we live in the now.

"We all think we're invincible. I'm able to go back now and talk about it from a more-educated position. What I like is every trainer is here so everyone is hearing the same message. This was mandatory. I think Roger is making a point of emphasis in this area. It has to start at the top."

On the job for less than a year, Goodell seems to be trying to civilize his sport. He has suspended Tennessee's Pacman Jones for a year for repeated run-ins with the law. He put down the Bears' Tank Johnson for half a season after Johnson served 60 days in Cook County jail for violation of probation on gun charges. He suspended Cincinnati's Chris Henry for half a season for other legal violations.

Under Goodell, no alcohol will be served on team flights. Coaches again will be allowed to wear coats and ties on sidelines _ league-approved apparel, of course.

Previously, there have been crackdowns on over-the-top touchdown celebrations as well as off-the-top Super Bowl halftime shows.

Now health and safety, with an emphasis on concussions in a collision sport.

If this keeps up, fans looking for hostile, boorish or hazardous action may have to forsake football and turn to the Cubs.

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