A risky game: Concussions and college football

Tyler Hegel stood on the line of scrimmage, anticipating the snap.  The ball flew and so did Hegel; racing down the field until he found his target. Then it went dark.

“Next thing I knew, I was getting walked to the sideline by the coaches,” Hegel said.

Hegel suffered a concussion, one of 1,364 reported each year to collegiate officials.

Hegel played in the secondary and on special teams at Dickenson State University. He prided himself on being able to take punishment But after this hit it was different.

“I figured a concussion would hurt,” Hegel said. “But it’s one of those things you don’t know until you have one.”

Hegel thought about going back in after the trainers cleared him, but he decided to sit out the rest of the game. He would end up sitting the next couple games after learning he had actually sustained a mild concussion. 

“After I found out how bad it was to have one and keep playing, I was glad I stayed out,” Hegel said.

NCAA estimates suggest that 1.6 million concussions occur in college sports every year. 

Hegel considers himself lucky, but wonders if the coaches and trainers did enough to keep him from potentially more devastating injuries if he had returned sooner to the game. This is one instance of an alarming trend of coaches inadequately dealing with concussions in college football. According to CBS Sports, three former college football players are suing the NCAA for not sufficiently educating players on the risks and effects associated with concussions.

With the NFL’s recent settlement of a lawsuit over its handling of concussions – to the tune of $765 million with over 4000 former players -- it seemed only a matter of time before the problem emerged in the college ranks.

But how to handle a concussion or other head injury is not always clear cut, said those on the front lines.

“Head injuries are a funny business,” said Troy Bowman, who has worked as a trainer for 15 years.

“There have been times when I’ve got to the kid and he’s ready to get up and get back out there,” Bowman said. “I’ve also seen kids walk away from playing the game after a concussion though.”

Still, Bowman said the seriousness of head injuries aren’t always taken as seriously as they should be.

“The research is out there,” Bowman said. “You look at what happened to Seau and its not just happening at the professional level.”

Junior Seau spent 20 years in the NFL playing linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.  On May 2, 2012, Seau shot himself in the chest at his home.  He was 43.

Prior to his death, Seau suffered from bouts of depression and insomnia.  These symptoms indicated a possibility of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.  The results came back positive.

Kristen Morgan, program director for the Brain Injury Alliance of Montana, said those with CTE deal with a myriad of problems.

“CTE has a degenerative effect on the brain,” Morgan said. “This leads to all sorts of issues.”

Morgan listed a range of long-term effects of repeated head traumas associated with CTE and head injuries: short and long-term memory loss; difficulties multi-tasking; emotional instability; depression; anxiety; bouts with insomnia and chronic fatigue.

Morgan says that head trauma doesn’t have to progress to the level of CTE in order to be debilitating.

“People with the average concussion can have these kinds of symptoms for the rest of their life,” Morgan said. “It takes a lot of courage to realize ‘I’ve got a problem’ and to get help to make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

Dr. Justin Buls has seen what can happen when head trauma is left untreated.

“It’s like Alzheimer’s,” Buls said. “I’ve seen patients in their thirties whose mind is in worse shape than patients with dementia.”

Buls graduated with a degree in sports medicine from the University of North Dakota in 2009. Over the course of his time as a physician, he has seen patients try and brush off the effects of head trauma.  He stressed that sufferers of head injuries stay vigilant in dealing with their injury.

“Many people try to hide their symptoms from friends and family,” Buls said. “It only turns a bad situation worse.”

Hegel quit playing football at Dickinson State after his freshman season.  He moved back to Montana where he studies accounting and finance.

Hegel’s concussion hasn’t caused any lingering symptoms, but Hegel remains cautious when playing sports.

“The last thing I want is another one,” Hegel said. “I don’t want to end up later regretting doing what I love.”