NFL, players become more vigilant on concussions

TAMPA — Earnest Graham gave his response without hesitation or contemplation.

Asked how he would handle a rash of concussions, the Bucs running back said: "I don't think I'd continue playing. When you have kids, it's really about quality of life."

In a sport in which players are taught to operate as if they are invincible, some are warming to the idea that taking precautions after getting a concussion makes them smart, not soft.

The issue has come up this week in the Bucs' locker room. Return man Clifton Smith was placed on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, two days after sustaining his second concussion since Oct. 18. And around the league, prominent players such as the Redskins' Clinton Portis, the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and the Eagles' Brian Westbrook have had to make judgment calls after sustaining concussions.

Last week, commissioner Roger Goodell circulated a memo establishing guidelines on how teams should deal with players with concussions.

Players who sustain one during a game are prohibited from returning, and they will be sidelined until they are asymptomatic as determined by an independent neurologist. That's a departure from recent strategy, when the league often tried to discredit concussion research.

Much is not known about the effects of concussions. But enough links between them and disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease have been established to grab the attention of even Congress, which is pressuring the NFL to make the game safer.

"I think a lot of players get caught up in the present. Fans get caught up in the present," Bucs center Jeff Faine said. "Someone needs to say something, even if the player won't. Twenty years from now, it'll matter to us. A lot of guys just aren't thinking about that stuff right now."

Portis is thinking about it. The former Miami Hurricanes standout even broached the possibility of retirement after being placed on injured reserve this week with lingering headaches and other effects from concussions. Westbrook told HBO this week he fears for his future mental health because of his concussions. He remains in limbo with concussion-related problems.

The pair, who have had stellar careers and made millions of dollars, have a different perspective from players such as Smith, who is in his second season after emerging undrafted in 2008. Sitting out is gut-wrenching for him. Smith, 24, was unavailable for comment, but the decision to end his season was made despite his wishes to the contrary.

"He's not all right with it," coach Raheem Morris said. "But for his safety and what you think is best for your organization and your team, it's what you have to do."

Added Morris, who said he had a few concussions in high school: "I've coached a lot of guys who get dinged and then don't want to see you. They walk away. You don't know if they're all right or not."

In a league in which nonguaranteed contracts are the norm and players are replaced on a whim, insecurity is bound to influence a player's course of action. The league's new memo encourages "candid reporting" by players, but for some, that's asking a lot.

"There are some guys who might be in a position where they can say, 'I'm going to go on IR so I can get better for next year,' " Bucs receiver Michael Clayton said. "Other guys are not in that position. … I think we need to talk about it, and we need to be fair about it."

Clayton, who said he has re-entered games with headaches, said he has never been diagnosed with a concussion but he will take time to deliberate if he ever is. Running back Cadillac Williams also said he will make an informed decision.

"A guy can play hurt with a sprained ankle or something; things that you know will eventually get well," he said. "But when you're flirting with a concussion, that's about the rest of your life.

"I'm sure (Smith) is disappointed, but I think he'll look back on this and know it was the best thing for him."