Vagrant
The Czech Condor
I agree that talk of retirement or any other such measures at this point are likely not even being considered by Jeff. There are a LOT of things we don't know about his medical history and never will. We don't know how much time he has missed in a precautionary capacity and we don't know how much quality of life these injuries have taken from him. I have never heard him talk in a public forum about his experience the way we have with others like Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron. David Tanabe. Chris Pronger. There are certainly more and less severe concussions than others from a quality of life standpoint. If Jeff is having the types of concussions where he basically has to stay in total darkness and isolation for a few months before he starts feeling normal, then it's a serious consideration that he needs to make to ensure his future health. If he's having concussions that are markedly less devastating and are causing minor discomfort and annoyance more than anything that seems neurologically imposing then.... perhaps we're putting this all out of proportion. The only guy who can answer that question is Skinner and he hasn't talked about it.
What I am sure about is that all professional athletes that suffer concussions now are going to treat them seriously and that's a great thing. They have access to the best neurologists in the world and they're utilizing those resources and rehabbing these injuries in the best way possible to moderate the long term impact. I trust that the new protocols put into place, while frustrating for fans and players at times, will drastically improve long term player health. It's a point of emphasis now as it should be.
With that said, there is an assumption of risk in this line of work. In every contact sport where the outcomes are calculated in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions. I'm sure there are exactly zero players in the league that haven't been given a proper education by their family members, the organization, coaches, trainers, and doctors about the risks that they're undertaking when they suffer a brain injury. It's an element of the game that we don't like and if we could wish away we all would, but it's built into the game almost irrevocably. Speed is the primary culprit in my opinion. That's why I feel like MMA fighters are much safer in their relative sport than hockey players. In MMA if you lose consciousness by a blow, it's a more "natural" injury. The whiplash effect isn't as pronounced as it is when a player has blades attached to his feet and is skating however many miles an hour and then basically hits a brick wall. The reason that I don't apply the same logic to boxing is that to a large degree I feel that boxing is more dangerous. Fighters sustain concussions in sparring and hardly give it a second thought. You have these massive gloves that blunt the impact but are so repetitious that a single fight can see a guy take a few hundred impacts. Not quite enough to knock you unconscious, but enough to batter your brain around in your head off all walls. I suspect that a hundred micro-concussions are more dangerous to your long term health than a tremendous blow that knocks you out but only occurs once. There are so many guys who get out of the MMA game and are cogent and well-spoken even compared to their NFL counterparts. Plus, if a fighter is knocked out he is forbidden from fighting by the commissions I believe for three to six months, concussion or no concussion. It's an interesting dimension.
What I am sure about is that all professional athletes that suffer concussions now are going to treat them seriously and that's a great thing. They have access to the best neurologists in the world and they're utilizing those resources and rehabbing these injuries in the best way possible to moderate the long term impact. I trust that the new protocols put into place, while frustrating for fans and players at times, will drastically improve long term player health. It's a point of emphasis now as it should be.
With that said, there is an assumption of risk in this line of work. In every contact sport where the outcomes are calculated in the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions. I'm sure there are exactly zero players in the league that haven't been given a proper education by their family members, the organization, coaches, trainers, and doctors about the risks that they're undertaking when they suffer a brain injury. It's an element of the game that we don't like and if we could wish away we all would, but it's built into the game almost irrevocably. Speed is the primary culprit in my opinion. That's why I feel like MMA fighters are much safer in their relative sport than hockey players. In MMA if you lose consciousness by a blow, it's a more "natural" injury. The whiplash effect isn't as pronounced as it is when a player has blades attached to his feet and is skating however many miles an hour and then basically hits a brick wall. The reason that I don't apply the same logic to boxing is that to a large degree I feel that boxing is more dangerous. Fighters sustain concussions in sparring and hardly give it a second thought. You have these massive gloves that blunt the impact but are so repetitious that a single fight can see a guy take a few hundred impacts. Not quite enough to knock you unconscious, but enough to batter your brain around in your head off all walls. I suspect that a hundred micro-concussions are more dangerous to your long term health than a tremendous blow that knocks you out but only occurs once. There are so many guys who get out of the MMA game and are cogent and well-spoken even compared to their NFL counterparts. Plus, if a fighter is knocked out he is forbidden from fighting by the commissions I believe for three to six months, concussion or no concussion. It's an interesting dimension.
