Head injuries: Do they raise questions?I've been thinking a lot about the Savard and Laperriere situations and wondering if they really were "cleared" to come back last year and if they did more harm to their recovery process by playing. This has become a huge issue in the NFL, and it certain is to become one in the NHL, too. It seems strange that guys could come back and play at a pretty high level and now they are having recurrences of the symptoms.
Brian Pothier sat out a year and a half and then took an eye test and found out that he actually had issues with his eyesight that were projecting post-concussion syndrome symptoms. It all makes you wonder what the standards and protocols really are. #Hockey
There are neurolgical tests that can be performed when a player claims to have or not have headaches and nausea. And there are many more symptoms than just that. I have to believe in both cases I referred to there is blame to go around on both sides. Ultimately, if the player signs off on it, it's his decision to live with, but 20 year from now the player's association will be crying foul when there's a bunch of punch-drunk players walking around. It does need to be addressed.
I think the issue is that players can sometimes not show any symptoms and think they are fine only to have a setback after playing the game at high intensity