Jags receiver Shorts out despite passing concussion tests

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have ruled wide receiver Cecil Shorts out for Sunday's game against the New York Jets due to concussion symptoms.

Shorts' symptoms are the result of a hit he took during Jacksonville's game against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. Shorts passed his concussion test earlier in the week but he has exhibited concussion symptoms and has not practiced all week.

He has team-bests of 43 receptions, 824 yards and seven touchdowns through 12 games. He ranks second in the NFL with a 19.2-yard average per reception and is second in the league with four receptions of 50-plus yards.

The second-year pro needs 176 receiving yards to become just the third Jaguar player in franchise history to reach 1,000 yards in a single season.

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Colts' Collie, coming off third concussion, says he's day to day for Bears game

Collie suffered his third diagnosed concussion in the preseason. (AP)

INDIANAPOLIS -- Everyone on the Colts is eager to get the season started, from owner Jim Irsay to rookie quarterback Andrew Luck to every last fan who watched the team suffer through a miserable 2-14 season a year ago.

Indianapolis wide receiver Austin Collie wants to get going, too. But he is being cautious after his third diagnosed concussion since the start of the 2010 season. It came in the second preseason game, and he did not return to practice until Monday as the Colts get ready for Sunday's opener against Chicago.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano said Collie is "full go." Collie, however, would not say Thursday if he's been fully cleared, saying "there is no definite timetable."

"We're just going to continue to see how I feel," Collie said. "I don't want to make a definite statement of `yes' I am playing on Sunday, `no' I'm not playing on Sunday because we still have time. I want to see how things go today, want to see how things go tomorrow and I'll go from there."

There has been a growing awareness of the long-term health risks associated with concussions, and thousands of former players have filed lawsuits against the NFL, blaming the league for failing to protect them from brain damage due to football-related concussions. The league has levied new guidelines to dictate a team's actions when a player is suspected of having a concussion and what tests must be passed to return.

Collie sustained two concussions in 2010, including one in which he was on the Philadelphia turf for 10 minutes before being taken off on a stretcher. Steelers linebacker Larry Foote buckled Collie with a hit during the Colts 26-24 preseason loss Aug. 19.

"I'm grateful that I have fans ... that want what's best for me," Collie said. "But I think me and my family are the only ones who know what's best for me. It's our decision. This is our life, my career. That's really the only opinion outside of my family that I care about, is what the doctors say."

Collie views the concussion like any other injury. Rehab, listen to doctors and return when allowed. Last week, he switched helmets at the recommendation of former teammate Dallas Clark, who dealt with his own concussion issues.

Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said he's not concerned for Collie's safety even though the receiver does much of his work in the middle of the field. Arians won't adjust the game plan or what routes Collie runs. Once doctors clear him, it's business as usual.

Collie said he has thought about the long-term ramifications, but said it's no different than other players with other injuries.

"That's the sacrifice we all knew we were going to make coming in the NFL," Collie said. "When we do get older, there are going to be some aches and pains. Everyone can sit there and say, yeah, but it's your head. But if the doctors say I'm OK and everything checks out, then I'm going to go."

A study this week in the journal Neurology found that former NFL players were unusually prone to dying from degenerative brain disease, the latest indication that repeated blows to the head may cause serious trouble later on. The death rate from Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease combined was about three times what one would predict from the general population, researchers reported.

Collie is not deterred.

"You don't hear about the players that have the exact same number of concussions that are doing perfectly fine," he said. "Not to mention the things we do know about concussions now and the preventative measures that can be taken that they didn't have previously. I think everyone gets so uptight and excited about really what the old players are saying, well, today's a new age of medicine. We have new studies, new things that are going to continue to help players with their problems. That's also something that I've kind of taken into consideration."

Collie and Reggie Wayne are the only two returning wide receivers on the Colts' roster. Fifth-year wideout Donnie Avery was signed during the offseason. The other six receivers and tight ends have a combined one year of NFL experience.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Lions' Best says he isn't worried about his third concussion

Monday June 04, 2012 - 6:14 PM

DETROIT -- Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best insists he's not worried about bouncing back from a concussion that shortened his second NFL season.

Best says Monday that the concussion he had in college was worse than the one that limited him to six games last year.

He has been working out with his teammates during organized team activities and expects to be cleared for contact before training camp starts next month.

Detroit drafted Best in the first round two years ago after a concussion ended his career at California. He says that concussion was the first of three he knows he's had.

The Lions need Best in the lineup to balance their one-dimensional offense.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

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Concussion lawsuit plaintiffs an eye- opening cross section of NFL past

Raymond Clayborn is one of at least four members of the Patriots' 1985 team in the lawsuits. (Getty Images)

By now you know former players -- lots of them -- are suing the NFL over the long-term effects of concussions. What you might not know is who -- other than names listed in various media reports -- these litigants really are.

So I would like to add what this story is missing -- context, back stories to go with names you may have heard while driving the kids to school. Or scanning a message board. Or quickly reading a story. There are more than 2,000 players suing the NFL claiming, mostly, that the league engaged in a concussion coverup.

Some of the names are incredible -- Super Bowl MVPs, Hall of Famers, Pro Bowl performers. Everyone from punters to linebackers to wide receivers.

They are smart men: lawyers, actors, businessmen, analysts. Some played five years, 10, more. In some cases, they made it to Canton. In others, they went back to Scranton. They all have two things in common:

• First, at one point, they dedicated their lives to the NFL.

• Second, they are now all suing the NFL.

It is an interesting mix of stars and non-stars, long- and short-timers. Some left football physically broken. Others have died since departing the sport, their estate suing the league. One rallied a city after a devastating hurricane. One starred in a sitcom. Another would be convicted of manslaughter in a shooting then have the conviction overturned by a judge. Others have gone on to careers a sports media personalities.

A picture develops of men who spilled blood for the league but believe -- right or wrong -- that the same league misled them about just how dangerous the game truly was. The NFL denies this.

Some of the names will genuinely surprise you. Some may not. Some will bring back memories of championships and historic plays and Super Bowl moments.

We looked at the entire list of plaintiffs obtained from news reports and the site nflconcussionlitigation.com, which has expertly tracked every concussion lawsuit. We picked 50. Then the names were Googled, Wiki'd, put through LexisNexis and several football databases for more information.

Here are 50 of those men, with a little more about who they are, what they did for the game -- or both.

1. Art Monk, WR: The best receiver in Washington Redskins history. Monk was a physically imposing presence who delivered as much punishment as he took. Throughout his career, the quiet Monk shunned publicity. He made the Hall of Fame in 2008.

2. Mark Rypien, QB: A teammate of Monk's and one of several cases where teammates are suing the league. Rypien was NFL MVP in 1991 and won a Super Bowl with the Redskins.

3. Brad Culpepper, DL: A nine-year player in the NFL, mostly with the Buccaneers, and started 87 games. Was a union rep for two NFL teams and is now a prominent lawyer in Tampa, Fla.

4. Jim Arnold, P: Played 12 years, mostly in Detroit, in the 1980s and '90s. Was a two-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also an All-American at Vanderbilt. One of only a few punters suing the league. If you don't think a punter can get a concussion, watch this.

5. Tony Dorsett, RB: A mainstay for the Cowboys in the late 1970s and '80s and one of the most recognized players of all time. Dorsett is one of a handful of players in the Hall of Fame who are suing.

6. Eric Allen, CB: Was one of the best cover corners of his generation and currently an ESPN analyst.

7. Ottis Anderson, RB: A hard-charging runner who played mostly in St. Louis and then with the New York Giants. He became famous in Super Bowl XXV against Buffalo with one of the hardest runs ever in the title game. He was named Super Bowl MVP.

8. Keith Byars, RB: Played 13 seasons in the NFL for four different teams. He was a favorite of Eagles fans and played in a Super Bowl with the Patriots.

9. Alex Karras, DT: A Pro Bowl defender for the Detroit Lions in the 1950s and '60s. Was perhaps most known for acting. Played the character Mongo in Blazing Saddles and starred in the sitcom Webster. Made the 1960s All-Decade team.

10. Mark Duper, WR: Played in Miami with Dan Marino and Mark Clayton. Duper and Clayton were nicknamed "The Marks Brothers." He made three Pro Bowls.

11. Joe Horn, WR: Picked for the Pro Bowl four times while playing with the Saints and became one of the public faces for the franchise in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

12. Jim McMahon, QB: Key figure on the Chicago Bears' Super Bowl XX champions, maybe the best team in the Super Bowl era.

13. Rodney Hampton, RB: I covered Hampton when he was with the Giants and I always believed no player I was ever around was tougher. Once interviewed Hampton while he was in a hospital bed suffering from internal organ damage after he was smashed in the lower back with a helmet.

Bears legend Jim McMahon looks on at the 2011 NFC Pro Bowl practice in Hawaii. (US Presswire) 14. Raymond Clayborn, CB: Played 15 seasons, made three Pro Bowl teams and started in Super Bowl XX with the New England Patriots.

15. Harold Jackson, WR: Made five Pro Bowls over 17 seasons with five teams.

16. Steve Nelson, LB: One of the more interesting cases. Nelson played for the Patriots, and his No. 57 jersey was retired by the team. When he left the game in 1987, Nelson eventually worked for a computer company. Nelson played in the NFL for 14 years and made three Pro Bowls.

17. Chris Calloway, WR: He was drafted by the Steelers in 1990 but played his best football with the Giants. I remember him as a tough player with mediocre speed who did the most with limited talent.

18. George Visger, DL: Played in the NFL for just two seasons with San Francisco in the 1980s, but despite the relatively short career, as he wrote in an illuminating open letter to Roger Goodell and union head DeMaurice Smith, he still sustained "9 emergency VP Shunt brain surgeries, 3 knee surgeries (including a GoreTex ACL transplant that they stopped doing in 1991) and multiple grand mal seizures. I was hung out to dry by the NFL, was forced to sue for WORKERS COMP to get brain surgeries # 2 and # 3 paid for – just 4 months after we won Super Bowl XVI – and recently spent 3 months fighting with the 49ers Workers Comp to get approval for a $3,700 three-day evaluation at Dr. Amen's clinic, AFTER already being referred there by my primary care provider. My fight for benefits continues to this day, despite the fact I won my Workers Comp case against the 49ers in 1986!"

19. Horace Copeland, WR: Played mostly for Tampa Bay. He celebrated most of his touchdowns by doing a back flip.

20. Barry Foster, RB: Played in the 1990s primarily in a reserve role, but was All-Pro in '92. Retired early due to debilitating injuries.

21. Keith Henderson, RB: Played for three years in the NFL with two different teams. One of hundreds of players suing who had just a few years of NFL experience.

22. Leonard Marshall, DL: Played on two New York Giants Super Bowl teams. Marshall is best known for his devastating hit that virtually ended the 49ers portion of Joe Montana's career. Marshall drilled Montana in the fourth quarter of the 1990 NFC title game, a hit so hard that Montana bruised his sternum, cracked ribs and broke a hand.

23. Dave Pear, DL: Has been one of the most outspoken critics of the NFL on how the sport handles injured and retired players. Pear says he has had spine and hip surgeries and in 2007 told Yahoo! Sports that "the NFL destroys families. I wish I had never played."

24. James Pruitt, WR: Played six seasons for the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

25. Johnny Rembert, LB: Played in Super Bowl XX while with the Patriots. Is an assistant athletic director at Edward Waters College.

26. Jamal Anderson, RB: One of the highest-profile Falcons players in team history and, like some other runners who have sued the NFL, took massive shots during his playing days.

27. Don Majkowski, QB: Spent most of his career in Green Bay, where he became one of the team's most prolific passers. A torn rotator cuff and, later, a torn ligament basically ended his Packers career, paving the way for Brett Favre.

28. Matt Joyce, OL: Played for a decade in the NFL for four different teams. He is also alleging in the suit that when team medical officials administered the painkiller Toradol, it dulled pain to the point that players sometimes didn't recognize concussion symptoms:

"The plaintiffs have described the situation as one of being in a pregame locker room with players lining up to receive injections of Toradol in a 'cattle call' with no warnings of any sort being given," the suit says, "no distinguishing between different medical conditions of the players, and regardless of whether the player had an injury of any kind."

29. Jerome Pathon, WR: Twice had 50 catches, in 1998 and 2000, with the Colts.

30. Dorsey Levens, RB: Another Packer. Twice rushed for more than 1,000 yards and made the Pro Bowl in 1997.

31. Ryan Stewart, DB: Another highly interesting case. Stewart played for four years in the late 1990s. Currently, he is one of the most popular radio personalities in the nation, co-hosting the 2 Live Stews show with his brother. Stewart is also a contributor to ESPN.

32. Reggie Barlow, WR: Led the league in punt returns in 1997. He later became a college coach.

33. Aaron Beasley, DB: Played most of his career in Jacksonville and later founded an energy drink company.

34. Lomas Brown, OL: One of the most congenial players the sport has ever seen. When something needed explaining to the media, Brown stood at his locker and did it. When a block was missed, he stood at his locker and took the heat, even if he wasn't the one who missed it. Brown was the most standup of standup guys.

35. Kyle Turley, OL: Another vocal critic of the NFL culture, spent most of his career with the Saints.

36. Reggie Rucker, WR: Played most of his 12 years in football with Cleveland. After his retirement became a large media presence in the area.

37. Conrad Dobler, OL: The NFL would point to this case and probably smirk. Dobler is one of the dirtiest players in the history of sports. He once kicked Merlin Olsen in the head, among many other transgressions. Longtime Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman: "Conrad Dobler was mean dirty. He tried to hurt people in a bad way. He made teams that he played on better. He played hurt, didn't complain, but he was a filthy, filthy player." Thus the man who inflicted so much carnage on others is suing, saying it was football that damaged him.

38. Joe Ferguson, QB: He is on the Bills' Wall of Fame.

39. Fred Smerlas, DL: Smerlas made five Pro Bowls.

40. Brian Blades, WR: Spent 11 years in Seattle. Was convicted of manslaughter in a shooting. The conviction was later overturned.

41. Stanley Morgan, WR: Made the Pro Bowl four times and is in the Patriots' Hall of Fame.

42. Roosevelt Potts, FB: He weighed more than 260 pounds and banged heads in short-yardage situations.

43. Dwight Stone, WR: Former Steeler and Panther is now a cop in Charlotte, N.C.

44. Seth Joyner, LB: Was part of a hard-hitting Eagles team beginning in the late 1980s.

45. Jeremiah Trotter, LB: Former Eagle and Redskin hasn't officially retired yet.

46. Billy Joe Dupree, TE: Never missed a game in 11 seasons with the Cowboys.

47. Jarrod Bunch, FB: One of the smartest players I ever covered. Left football to pursue an acting career.

48. Don Beebe, WR: Buffalo player that made one of the great plays in Super Bowl history, catching Leon Lett from behind and stripping the ball.

49. Sean Salisbury, QB: Longtime NFL quarterback who became famous for taking pictures of his penis with his cell phone.

50. Chidi Ahanotu, DE: Played for five different NFL teams.

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Ten ways to fix the NFL's growing concussion crisis

Removing facemasks would likely cut down on helmet-to-helmet hits. (Getty Images)

We set out to write 10 things the NFL can do to save itself from a concussed, brain-damaged future. One of those things might happen soon, and it could change the look and pace of the sport.

On the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the NFL's competition committee is a proposal to make the wearing of hip pads, thigh pads and knee pads mandatory beginning in the 2013 season.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has been quietly pushing this for several years. The idea is that the extra padding would do two things, both related to helping prevent concussions. First, by wearing knee pads, if a player's knee makes incidental contact (or purposeful contact) with the head of a player, a padded knee would offer more protection for the head than an unpadded one. Second, the wearing of the equipment would slow down the game which in turn might lessen the harshness of the collisions.

If this proposal passed -- and there's a good chance it could -- it could produce a different looking NFL with even more heavily padded players and slow down some of the skill players.

The NFL actually hopes to convince players to begin wearing the extra padding, which now almost none wear, maybe for this upcoming season. Interestingly, players don't want to wear the padding because they hate how it makes them look and they believe (correctly) the pads drain speed.

This is one suggestion to make the game safer. We have many more. Ten more, to be specific.

The idea is simple. Present 10 thoughts to keep the NFL safer for its players and viable as a league decades from now. In all, we queried CBSSports.com writers, editors, RapidReporters, NFL team officials and others for their ideas. Our belief is we've composed a fairly unique and, in some ways, innovative list.

When we sent our ideas to several team officials they added some of their own, which are also reflected. Some officials even corrected parts of our list where they believed policies already existed. For example, we initially called for teams lying about concussions or hiding them to be subjected to fines and loss of draft picks. But it turns out that can already happen.

We're not saying the NFL will do these things. We're saying the NFL and union should if they truly want to create a safer league.

The NFL is actually trying to change the culture for the better. Interestingly, some players remain the biggest resisters to that change. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White responded to ex-players who were suing the NFL over past concussion issues. He wrote this tweet on Wednesday: "It's crazy how football players are killing our game you signed up to play a violent game and made a lot of money now u talk bad about [it]."

These are 10 ways the NFL can help not just guarantee its survival but remain on top as the most watched sport in the country while protecting players ... even players like White who don't seem to know they need it.

1. Hire more concussion monitors. Assign three concussion monitors per game, one in the booth, and two on the field (one for each sideline). These three monitors would look for a player who exhibits signs of a concussion and they would be independent from team medical staff. The monitors would be given independent authority to call a timeout and have a player examined.

The NFL has a human concussion monitor in the press box, and an electronic video monitor so medical staff can review a big hit, but we want three separate human monitors at all games. And they make the final call on concussions.

2. If a flagrant hit leads to a concussion and missed time by a player, then the offending player must sit out the same number of games as the injured one misses. This is simple fairness, and of all the proposals, might be the most immediately effective.

3. Increase mental health resources to players. This would include a stronger and more publicized suicide prevention hotline and mandatory counseling sessions with a licensed therapist when a player retires. The latter would help players who have difficulty transitioning from the NFL to normal life.

4. Remove facemasks. No facemask would mean chances of huge, illegal hits would drop to almost zero. Players wouldn't risk turning their faces to Swiss cheese.

5. Test for HGH. No performance enhancers, less chance players grow to 400 pounds and hit each other with atomic force.

6. Do what the Nevada State Athletic Commission requires for professional boxers and MMA fighters. They must have a one-time MRI of the brain without contrast and an MRA of cerebral circulation. It can be done at the combine.

7. No 18-game schedule and consider the impossible: going back to a 14-game schedule. Simple math. Fewer games, fewer hits. There should also be just two preseason games.

8. Find ways to keep retired players connected to the game. Perhaps give them access to team workout facilities or incorporate them into programs such as NFL Play 60. Keeping retired players fit will go a long way in battling the depression brought on by concussion-related injuries. It will also help current players see exactly what the game does to the human body long-term. Many older retired players I've met have serious limps, memory loss and financial issues. This will remind current players like, say, White that they must protect futures they cannot see yet.

9. No one from the NFL, NFL Network or in any media should profit from big hits by selling videos or other merchandise of them. Self-explanatory. A league can't preach about safety while profiting from unsafe hits. The league is doing this, but must make sure there is no relapse.

10. A more comprehensive and publicized whistleblower line. The union has one, but it's mostly utilized for players to complain when teams violate NFL practice rules. There could be something more comprehensive, which could address almost any infraction, including what happened with bounties and the New Orleans Saints.

Interestingly, the league already has a concussion hotline, but it's believed few players, if any, use it. Or even know about it.

New York Giants player Osi Umenyiora said recently he might be in a wheelchair by his mid-40s. Who knows what will happen to Umenyiora or thousands of other players decades from now. What's certain is the game can be made safer and these are 10 ways to do it.

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Latest NFL concussion suit cites Saints' bounties scandal

ATLANTA -- The four former NFL players who sued the league on Monday in a state court in Atlanta could be leading a wave of new lawsuits that cite the New Orleans Saints' bounty system for hard hits as evidence that pro football didn't properly protect its players from concussions.

Legal experts and trial attorneys say they expect more complaints against the NFL to point to the Saints' scandal after the ex-players filed suit contending the bounty system was another example that the league "explicitly relied on violence" and neglected to educate players on the dangers of concussions.

The claims give the new lawsuit an "added vitality" if attorneys can use it to bolster the idea that there's activity in the sport that goes beyond the typical violence associated with pro football, said Paul Haagen, co-director of the Center for Sports Law and Policy at Duke University.

"It adds color" to the complaint, Haagen added. "And by raising it you hope to raise a general buzz in the public that this is an issue."

The NFL's investigation found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams offered thousands of dollars in cash payouts for violent hits over the past three seasons, including when the team won the Super Bowl. And while the four players named in the lawsuit don't claim to be victims of the scheme, they say it is indicative of a culture that has left them and other ex-players with debilitating conditions.

"There is nothing new or unique about what Gregg Williams said. Although the NFL has now punished Williams and the Saints, for almost its entire history the NFL glorified violent hits," said the complaint. "It encouraged its players to think of themselves as gladiators. But, along the way, the NFL failed to educate its players about the consequences of such a win-at-all costs mentality."

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said any allegation that the league intentionally sought to mislead players is without merit.

"It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions," he said.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Myron Guyton, who played for the New York Giants and New England Patriots in the 1980s and 1990s; Lomas Brown, who played for five teams over a 17-year career that ended in 2002; Jessie Small, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Phoenix Cardinals and the Houston Oilers between 1989 and 1993; and Willie Whitehead, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints from 1995 to 2006.

Atlanta attorney and NFL agent Von DuBose filed the lawsuit on behalf of the four players and their wives. He said the men suffer from memory loss, headaches, depression and other symptoms characteristic of those with traumatic brain injuries. They are among more than 1,000 former NFL players suing the league, according to lawyers involved. The cases say not enough was done to inform players about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is done to take care of them today.

"I've been hearing this stuff for years. And it instantly made sense when this concussion information started to come out," said DuBose. "The dots started to connect."

Gabe Feldman, a sports law professor at Tulane University, said the reference to the bounty system could help plaintiffs paint a picture of the sport as "not only violent but unnecessarily violent." Although he doubts the new claim will be a "game changer," he expects more lawsuits to cite the scandal.

"It certainly could be persuasive in the eyes of a jury," he said.

The complaint filed Monday goes far beyond targeting the bounty system. It also says the league encouraged players to view themselves as warriors and sold films that lionized the most brutal hits, such as the 1992 NFL Films production, The Best of Thunder and Destruction. And it seeks to force the league to better educate players on the dangers of traumatic head injuries during the crucial period immediately after the draft.

The league's investigation found that Williams offered off-the-books cash payments of $1,500 for "knockouts," in which an opposing player was knocked out of a game, or $1,000 for "cart-offs," in which an opponent needed help off the field. The league has said the bounty pool grew as large as $50,000, and that as many as 27 Saints defenders may have taken part.

The investigation led to the indefinite suspension of Williams, who had taken a position with the St. Louis Rams and has since apologized for running the system, and the season-long suspension of Saints coach Sean Payton, who was found to have initially lied about the existence of a bounty program and instructed his defensive assistants to do the same.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week rejected an appeal of Payton's season-long suspension.

Some legal analysts said claims from players who weren't involved in the bounty system may not survive a challenge from defense attorneys.

"Everyone knows, including anyone who's played in the NFL, that it's a violent game, said Matthew Mitten, the director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University. "You didn't need the unfortunate circumstances of bounty-gate to tell us that."

But Bruce Hagen, an Atlanta attorney who has filed two lawsuits involving 33 different players, said the bounty system could play an important part in the lawsuits working their way through the courts.

"It shows that it's an institutionalized effort by management to go outside the bounds of the game as a way to motivate players even if it means intentionally having them injured," he said. "And that's wrong."

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McCoy not upset with way Browns handled his concussion

BEREA, Ohio -- Colt McCoy didn't want to relive any of what happened to him three weeks ago.

It's not clear if he remembers that night in Pittsburgh.

The Browns' young quarterback wants to move on from a concussion that ended his season, spawned a controversy and prompted the NFL to do more to treat injured players.

Sporting a newly grown beard, McCoy said Thursday that he's "feeling better" and making progress from the concussion he sustained on Dec. 8 from a helmet-to-helmet hit delivered by Steelers linebacker James Harrison. McCoy, who has not been medically cleared to practice since he was blasted by Harrison, refused to answer questions about what he recalls from the hit or what transpired in its aftermath.

McCoy, though, did praise Cleveland's medical staff for its handling of his concussion despite the team not testing him for a head injury on the sideline and sending him back in the game after sitting out just two plays.

"Our medical staff does an outstanding job and that should never be in question," said McCoy, speaking for the first time since he was diagnosed with the concussion.

McCoy didn't want to talk about the vicious hit by Harrison, who lowered his head and delivered a crushing blow to the QB's facemask, knocking his feet out from under him and sprawling him on his back. McCoy also declined to reveal any of his symptoms or why he hasn't been allowed to return to the field.

"I just don't want to go there guys," McCoy said. "I really don't want to recreate anything. I don't even want to think about it. I can tell you that I'm feeling a lot better, especially of late. I really feel like I'm coming out of this, and I hope to at least be able to be out there this weekend and help my team."

McCoy was asked if he thought Harrison's hit was a cheap shot.

"No," he said. "I really have no opinion. I think the league has handled that, and I'm doing the best that I can to move forward and do the best I can to get healthy and get back and help our team."

McCoy was equally vague when asked if Harrison deserved more than the one-game suspension he received.

"I really have no opinion on that," he said. "That's a league matter. That's completely out of my control."

Wearing a flannel overcoat and jeans, McCoy stood in front of his locker for nearly 10 minutes. He was typically polite and alert while addressing his injury, which has overshadowed the final month of Cleveland's season. Other than driving away from the team's facility, McCoy had not been seen since that fateful night at Heinz Field.

McCoy would not say if he has sought any outside medical opinions on his injury, and took the chance to again compliment the Browns' medical personnel.

"I don't want to go there, but our staff here has really been first class through all this and they are doing a great job and again I really am making really good progress," he said. "They've said the same thing to me and I'm telling you the same thing. I'm feeling much better."

McCoy can't practice and it's obvious he won't play Sunday against the Steelers. Backup Seneca Wallace will make his third start in a row in place of McCoy, who won't get a final chance to prove to the Browns that he should be their long-term starter.

McCoy had an inconsistent second pro season, his first running coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense. McCoy expects to be evaluated in the offseason by Shurmur, general manager Tom Heckert and president Mike Holmgren like any other player.

"There's two things I can control: One, I can control how hard I work, how hard I prepare; and the second one is I can control how I feel," he said. "I want to be here. I love this city. I love my teammates. I'll do anything. I want to be here, so after that ... speculation has never gotten me anywhere. I'm a factual guy. That's all I've got."

The Browns were criticized in many corners for their handling of McCoy's concussion. In the days that followed, the NFL sent a medical team to Cleveland to meet with the Browns and representative of the Players Association also took part in discussions to see what more could have been done.

Holmgren said the team did not test McCoy for a concussion during the game because trainers and doctors were busy treating other players and did not see Harrison's hit.

Those meetings led to the league instituting a change in its game-day policy on injuries. Teams must have a certified athletic trainer in the press box to monitor play and provide medical staffs with information to help them assist injured players.

Also, in the hours after McCoy was injured, his father condemned the Browns for not checking McCoy more thoroughly and sending him back into the game. Brad McCoy made his comments to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

McCoy was asked if his father's remarks have done damage to his standing with the club.

"No," he said. "But I will say I have talked to my dad and I have addressed some things with my dad and what we talk about I'm going to keep private."

The Browns have had nine players sustain 12 concussions, with McCoy's appearing to be the most serious. Tight end Benjamin Watson also missed three games, but the team placed him on injured reserve after he suffered his third concussion since July.

It's been frustrating for McCoy to be away from his teammates. He said he's watched the past two games from home and doesn't know if he'll be allowed to be on the sideline for the Browns' season finale. Still, it won't be the same as playing.

"The hardest part is not being able to travel or be with your team or be out there at practice with them or be in games," he said. "You work so hard all year long to be able to just be out there and contribute, so that's been the hardest part."

Notes

Browns starting RT Tony Pashos has a stomach virus and didn't practice for the second day in a row. Artis Hicks and Oneil Cousins split reps with the starters. ... Shurmur said he planned to watch Baylor QB Robert Griffin III in the Alamo Bowl. "Tremendous talent, good player," said Shurmur, who was asked if the Heisman Trophy winner fit the West Coast offense. "Good players at all positions fit every offense," he said. ... Shurmur would not say if the Browns plan to re-sign RB Peyton Hillis, who will be a free agent. Hillis, whose season was slowed by injuries and drama, hopes to stay in Cleveland. "I'm a Cleveland Brown at heart," he said. "I fell in love with the fans and the city. We'll see what happens."

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Cards' Kolb still dealing with lingering concussion symptoms

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Kevin Kolb still has lingering concussion symptoms but the Arizona quarterback is resisting the idea that his injury-plagued first season with the Cardinals is over with one game to go.

Kolb says he didn't do much when his teammates practiced on Wednesday after a test he had a day earlier confirmed the symptoms.

"I had a full psych exam," he said. "It showed that I'm a little slow with reaction stuff and some processing stuff from my baseline that I had earlier in the year. It basically just validates what we have been saying as far as the symptoms."

The quarterback has not played since he took a knee to the head on Arizona's third offensive play against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 11. Kolb missed four games earlier in the season with a right turf-toe injury.

He would not rule out returning for the season finale, rather than just calling it quits and regrouping for work in the offseason.

"That's not the way this league works," he said. "That's not the way a competitor works. I've gone through all the film, still trying to get my mind in it. You never know when you can help out. That's very important for us to go 8-8. That's a big thing in our locker room. We felt that we had a great thing going this last half of the season and we want to continue that for next year."

But wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald hinted that Kolb might be better off waiting until next season to return to the brutal game action.

"I think he'll be OK," Fitzgerald said. "It's just at this point we're not playing for a playoff position. Why take the risk of doing any further damage? Get a whole offseason in and get him back ready and pick it up for next year."

Kolb was the starter for Philadelphia in the season opener a year ago. A concussion knocked him out of that game and Michael Vick replaced him. This concussion is different, Kolb said.

"The lingering symptoms are the biggest kicker," he said. "That is something I didn't deal with last time. I felt like once I got to that Friday or Saturday of the next week I felt pretty good. Obviously this one seems to linger a little bit further. Not ideal, but you roll with the punches."

Kolb said he has "talked to a number of veteran quarterbacks that went through" concussions.

"One thing I've collected is that every one of them is different with every single player. My first one was a lot different than this one was," he said. "You can't anticipate it, and I think this is a thing where you have to be smart, especially in our situation. No one wants to be out there worse than I do. I'm not happy about it, but it's something I have to deal with."

John Skelton is 4-2 as a starter in Kolb's absence, 5-2 counting the 49ers game. The Cardinals wrap up their season at home Sunday against Seattle.

Coach KIen Whisenhunt said he understands Kolb's reluctance to say he's done for the year.

"I think that, in order to play at this level, you have to have a competitive fire that burns in you to some degree," Whisenhunt said. "Maybe there are some guys that are just talented enough that it doesn't matter. For the most part, I think that everybody wants to play and that's important."

Whisenhunt said the injuries that have plagued Kolb are simply the nature of the game.

"I think that we all know that, especially at that position, the chances of guys getting through a whole season without an injury doesn't happen that much," Whisenhunt said. "It doesn't really matter how I feel about it. That's the way it is."

The coach said he doesn't believe concussions will be a long-term problem for Kolb.

"I don't think you can say that," Whisenhunt said. "I don't think there are any kinds of studies or anything that says that's the case. I personally haven't thought along those lines. I don't know that we have and I don't think there is any information that would be the case."

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Jags' MJD: Suits fuel NFL's effort to change concussion policies

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew wonders how much of the NFL's efforts to prevent or properly treat concussions have to do with lawsuits brought by former players against the league and its teams.

The NFL's leading rusher spoke out about the issue again Wednesday, nearly a week after telling the Associated Press he would hide a possible head injury so he could stay in a game.

"I've had concussions before, and it wasn't this big deal about concussions," Jones-Drew said. "The only reason they're making a big deal about concussions right now is because the league is getting sued over it. Before this, you never heard about it. A couple of years ago, you didn't hear anything about it."

After NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was grilled about his sport's concussion policies at a congressional hearing in October 2009, the league made several significant changes. Those moves have continued, including this month's addition of certified athletic trainers sitting in booths during games to keep an eye out for possible head injuries and alert teams' medical staffs.

Starting this summer, at least eight lawsuits have been filed against the NFL by dozens of retired players who say they have medical problems related to brain injuries from their time in professional football. The NFL's stance, in part, is that players knew there were risks of injury, and there was no misconduct or liability on the league's part.

Jones-Drew called the possibility of serious injury in football an "occupational hazard."

He was one of 44 players the AP interviewed recently about concussions. Slightly more than half -- 23 -- said they would try to hide a concussion and stay in a game rather than pull themselves out.

Players generally indicated they are more aware now of the possible long-term effects of jarring hits to the helmet. Five said that while they would have tried to conceal a concussion during a game in 2009, now they would seek help.

Players also said they should be better protected from their own instincts: More than two-thirds of the group the AP talked to would like to have independent neurologists on sidelines during games.

"You know playing football you're going to get hurt, right?" Jones-Drew said Wednesday. "In the back of your mind, you've got to know that the worst that can happen is you can break your neck and be paralyzed for the rest of your life, right? You have to go into every game knowing that could be what happens. Any given play that could happen to you, right? So there it is. When you sign these deals, you know in the back of your mind, that's what can happen.

"Now basketball, on the other hand, it's a different sport. Race car driving, you know that when you get in that car, there can be an opportunity for that thing to flip over and catch on fire. You see what I'm saying? It's an occupational hazard, simple as that, and you have to be willing to accept it, and I am."

Jones-Drew reiterated that he takes the risk because of his family and said he strongly believes NFL teams would be hesitant to sign players with a history of concussions. So he would hide a concussion to stay in a game, even if it meant increased potential for long-term health issues.

"I would do anything for my kids," he said. "If they're happy, I'm happy. I think they would appreciate it. As long as my kids' kids would be happy with what I did, that's what this life is about: sacrifice. It's not about you anymore, you know?"

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