After spending his NFL career dishing out some of the hardest hits and tackles, Rodney Harrison is issuing a plea to today’s athletes not to play through a concussion.
“I would get hit, the entire stadium is spinning around, and I would go back into the game. It’s not worth it,” Harrison said during Sunday Night Football on NBC. “And I would implore these young men: Don’t go back on that football field if you get hurt.”
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Speaking with former NFL coach Tony Dungy, the former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots star’s comments followed Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury during the Miami Dolphins’ Week Four loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I don’t want [today’s athletes] to feel like me and so many other former players that had to deal with concussions, whether it’s depression, anxiety, paranoia, broken relationships, not being able to communicate with your spouse, things like that. [Chronic traumatic encephalopathy] takes you to a dark place, and I want these players to know it’s not worth it,” Harrison said, speaking of the degenerative brain disease that can result from repeated concussions. “Please take care of yourself. Don’t depend on the NFL. Don’t depend on anybody. If something’s wrong with your head, report it.”
Dungy agreed, saying better safeguards are needed to ensure players are able to return to the game safely.
An unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who had evaluated Tagovailoa and cleared him to play was reportedly fired Saturday.
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Harrison has said he likely suffered about 20 to 30 concussions over the course of his career.
