Taking head injuries seriously
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers Credit: AP
The Green Bay Packers' victory in Super Bowl XLV was the triumph of a team determined not to lose its head.
The Packers are cool under fire of course, but so are most teams in the National Football League. What we're talking about is the way veteran receiver Donald Driver reacted when quarterback Aaron Rodgers got his brain knocked around inside his skull during a Dec. 12 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Afterwards, when Rodgers came off the field, Driver went around behind him and said, as the receiver would later recall, "This game is just a game. Your life is more important than this game."
In other words, don't be a hero by sacrificing your future. Stay here on the sideline. It's not that important!
At some point it became clear to the Packers that Rodgers probably had sustained a concussion, and they kept him off the field in accordance with new league guidelines. But Driver's comments gave heart to physicians and parents all across the country.
In recent years it's become clear that head injuries are a major problem, with potentially catastrophic long-term consequences. Only recently has the NFL begun to tackle the problem seriously, and what happens on and off the field among the pros has vast influence with younger players.
Congrats to Driver, Rodgers and the Packers - all of whom appear to understand that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
