twenty-eight Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Sellers: only "snitches" report concussion symptoms Posted by Michael David Smith on November 21, 2009 11:08 AM ET NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has suggested that players should inform their teams' medical staffs if they believe a teammate is suffering from the symptoms of a concussion. Washington Redskins fullback Mike Sellers doesn't like that idea. "We ain't no snitches over here," Sellers said of the idea, per the Associated Press. "That is not happening." It's a little startling to hear a player suggest that showing concern for a teammate's health is akin to "snitching," but Sellers' blunt assessment serves as a reminder, once again, that no matter how vigilant teams and the league are about trying to keep injured players off the field, some players want to play hurt. And although Sellers' "snitches" language is questionable, NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah raises a legitimate issue of whether it's really a player's place to assess whether a teammate has a brain injury. "If every player were a medical doctor that could recognize symptoms of concussions, then that would be a great idea," Atallah said. "I hope that that league -- instead of asking players to police each other -- would consider calling on team medical staffs and independent doctors to police the situation as closely." Still, Packers linebacker Aaron Kampman said he has done exactly what Goodell suggests, letting the team doctors know if he thinks a teammate might have a concussion. "Guys are going to naturally look out for each other," Kampman told the Associated Press. "I see that now. I see a guy come off, and he's woozy, I say, 'This guy here.'" Our own Mike Florio pointed out that the league's proposal may have more to do with lawyers than with doctors. "This idea is covered with the fingerprints of a lawyer," Florio mentioned to me over e-mail. "I believe the league wants to be able to say that it created multiple avenues for reporting that players are suffering concussions, and that if the avenues for reporting concussions aren't used, then either there must not be a problem with concussions or the players are largely responsible for the failure of the problem to be properly addressed." http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/11/21/sellers-only-snitches-report-concussion-symptoms/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero21 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Wow. Sellers is an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
703Skins Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 lol, big dumb rock. wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addicted Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Do you blame him? This is a business and players stand to lose a lot of money if they take a game off because of injury. Think again guys, what do you think would happen if Sellers went to the coaches saying he thought Portis had a concussion that cost Portis a game check? It would rip the team apart and destroy the locker room. Players aren't doctors, they shouldn't be asked to rat out each other like that, they aren't qualified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnmenon1 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Sellers is a moron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty-eight Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share Posted November 21, 2009 I'm wondering if maybe he would have made these same type of comments if Portis wasn't the guy who suffered the concussion. Or do you folks think, this is really how Sellers feels about players/teammates suffering concussions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbill1952 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Sellers response was wrong. This is like reporting a loved ones drug or alcohol problem to family. The motivation is to help, not to snitch. Having said that, the NFL should have doctors on the sidelines to see and recognize problems like these. Sellers is a football player, not a doctor, and should not be making a complicated diagnosis just because he watched the last episode of "House". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Ron Landry Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Snitches won't develop dementia at age 45. I’d say it’s worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildbill1952 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 FYI. Players on the 53-man roster get paid their salary whether they play or not, even if on IR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annonymous Source Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 What I think Sellers was trying to say...alibeit poorly...is that it isnt the job of the players to make sure that other players are injury free. It should be the job of the team medical staff as well as the player himself to detirmine that sort of status. He just said it in a really poor way. The simple fact is that it really is the player's decision weither they want to play thru the injury or not (and believe me, if you have ever had a concussion you know that you have had it). Why should a concussion be treated any different than an ankle sprain. Both are relatively minor, and can be recovered from. Players play thru both all the time in games. These worries about concussions causing long term damage are no different than the stories of NFL players that have to use a cane at age 40 because there knees are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 One of the main problems with the individual suffering the concussion is that there can be a diminishing of self awareness. They may understand that they had a concussion,(the several I 've had I knew that I got one),but the symptoms can persist and they are less likely to notice the symptoms that others could notice,(again,this happened to me). Many times the first best source of information to a Doctor,(and/or trainer),on how an individual is doing the individual them-self. That's where the diminished self awareness can work against everyone. While certainly other players may not be experts,they could,(and probably do sometimes),notice "something has changed" with their teammate. Behavior or otherwise. It's not an exact science and could be prone to jumping the gun at times,but it seems a safer route in the long run than just letting a guy walk in to the room 17 time without knowing why and not remembering the times before that and not doing a thing. I'll have to ponder this one some more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polywog999 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I have never had a concussion and I use to box. The thing is though, some people are more prone to experiencing them. If someone has a concussion, they need to stop playing, immediately! The consequences are horrible. My hero, Wilfred Benitez http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/12/sports/too-many-beatings-the-boxer-s-disease-haunts-wilfred-benitez-and-his-family.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsaneBoost Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Sellers surprises me more and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins4Life6388 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 he should do himself a favor and stfu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECU-ALUM Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Interesting...between this and Vinny's "It's mental"...the people at MENSA probably won't be making any trips to Redskins Park for a recruiting drive anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrifNick21 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 He must have a concussion himself because anyone in their right mind wouldn't say that. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addicted Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I'm really surprised by the reaction to this. Would you want the team to implode because you had players running to Doctors so they can get playing time? Imagine M. Kelly going to the Dr's and saying Moss has a concussion? What would Moss think? Imagine Betts doing that to Portis? Imagine Davis doing that to Cooley? Guys your being to naive here. Diagnosing a concussion is not an exact science. The recovery time for a concussion also varies between person to person. And players are not qualified to say who's got a concussion and who doesn't. NFL players are not Doctors. I really don't see why any one would want NFL players running around back stabbing each other like this? I see nothing good coming from this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRUSupposed2Be Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Sellers response was wrong. This is like reporting a loved ones drug or alcohol problem to family. The motivation is to help, not to snitch.Having said that, the NFL should have doctors on the sidelines to see and recognize problems like these. Sellers is a football player, not a doctor, and should not be making a complicated diagnosis just because he watched the last episode of "House". I believe someone had a thread about this in The Stadium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarantula Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 We're all individuals here people, and we should be able to make our own decisions. I think you should definitely confront a teammate with your concerns, but "snitching" on their health is ultimately on them. It's fine to worry about a fellow teammate, but I don't think anyone should take it upon themselves to alert team doctors about their concerns of another person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurent Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 It's easy to say Sellers is an idiot, but guess what happens to a lower tier guy that cannot play because of concussion symptoms? Somebody else takes his spot and he may end up seeing his ass getting cut. Not only that, once players have a reputation in regards to concussions teams are going to be weary to sign them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Zornography Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I'm really surprised by the reaction to this. Would you want the team to implode because you had players running to Doctors so they can get playing time? Imagine M. Kelly going to the Dr's and saying Moss has a concussion? What would Moss think? Imagine Betts doing that to Portis? Imagine Davis doing that to Cooley? Guys your being to naive here. Diagnosing a concussion is not an exact science. The recovery time for a concussion also varies between person to person. And players are not qualified to say who's got a concussion and who doesn't. NFL players are not Doctors. I really don't see why any one would want NFL players running around back stabbing each other like this? I see nothing good coming from this Ding ding. I think Sellers had the right idea, but he could have used a better term than snitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinzNIrishFan Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Do you blame him? This is a business and players stand to lose a lot of money if they take a game off because of injury. Think again guys, what do you think would happen if Sellers went to the coaches saying he thought Portis had a concussion that cost Portis a game check? It would rip the team apart and destroy the locker room. Players aren't doctors, they shouldn't be asked to rat out each other like that, they aren't qualified. I don't believe players lose game checks for injuries, only suspensions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I agree with Sellers. If you're teammate is going to tough it out, then you don't sell him out. Let your teammate make decisions about his health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polywog999 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I agree with Sellers.If you're teammate is going to tough it out, then you don't sell him out. Let your teammate make decisions about his health. This doesn't make any sense. You notice that a teammate is Ill so you don't speak up for fear of being a snitch. I live in the hood and I wouldn't even do that! Your health comes first. This Is not narcing out a bad guy... It is a friend who doesn't notice he is sick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terpskins10 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I agree with Sellers.If you're teammate is going to tough it out, then you don't sell him out. Let your teammate make decisions about his health. Problem is, a concussion is a brain injury that can affect one's judgment. Plus, players aren't making the diagnosis. They're just letting the team officials know that they think the player has a concussion so they can get further treatment. The whole "tough it out", "rub some dirt on it" mentality is what causes these types of players to have a lot of psychological and physiological problems down the road. This is a game that players play for just a few years out of a lifetime. If there's a chance that it can affect their lives down the road, it's the responsibility of a teammate/friend to stick up for them, especially with a concussion that can decrease one's judgment of their own health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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