Sports Legacy Institute Blog

Question:

What can I do if I'm in the game and I see one of my teammates get hit and he doesn't look right?
Alex, Boston MA

Answer: This is a really good question Alex because this happens all the time. You don't have to know what a concussion is to realize that something isn't right with a teammate. It's up to each member of the team to watch out for each other because concussions have the potential to do some serious damage if the player doesn't get out of the game. If the player has a concussion he has to sit out right away so it's up to you to tell your coach or trainer. Don't wait to second guess if you should interfere.

As athletes, we all know that the hardest thing to do is to take yourself out of the game and that's why it's your responsibility to say, "Hey Coach, Johnny doesn't look so good you should take him out." While all this is going on make sure someone is with your teammate so he doesn't go back in the game before the trainer checks him out.

It's important to understand what a concussion has done to the brain and the last thing he needs to hear is "toughen up". If you do all that for him he's lucky. When I was hit there was a teammate that stayed with me after I took myself out but he didn't have a clue what to do for me. Neither did I because I didn't know what was wrong.