Belichick made me play with a concussion

[Randall]

Johnson says Pats coach ignored LB's concussion

Associated Press

 

NEW YORK -- Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

 

 

Johnson, who helped the Patriots win three Super Bowl titles before retiring two years ago, told The New York Times that a collision with another player during that 2002 practice led to another concussion. And, after sustaining additional concussions over the next three seasons, he now forgets people's names, misses appointments and suffers from depression and an addiction to amphetamines.

 

"There's something wrong with me," Johnson, 34, told the Times in a story posted on its Web site Thursday night. "There's something wrong with my brain. And I know when it started."

 

The Boston Globe, which is owned by the Times, posted a similar story on its Web site.

 

Johnson, who played 10 years in the NFL, said he began to deteriorate in August 2002 with a concussion during an exhibition game against the New York Giants. He sustained another concussion four days later after Belichick prodded him to participate in a full-contact practice, even though he was supposed to be avoiding hits, Johnson said.

 

The next month, with their relationship already strained, Johnson confronted Belichick about the practice after the coach asked him to meet in his office.

 

"I told him, 'You played God with my health. You knew I shouldn't have been cleared to play,'" Johnson told the Globe.

 

Belichick told the Globe he got no cue from Johnson in practice that day that he was hesitant about participating in the full-contact drill.

 

"If Ted felt so strongly that he didn't feel he was ready to practice with us, he should have told me," Belichick said.

 

The Patriots did not allow Jim Whalen, still their head trainer, to comment for this story, according to the Globe.

 

Patriots spokesman Stacey James told The Associated Press on Thursday night that the team was aware of the report but was not prepared to comment.

 

In a story last month, the Times reported that brain damage caused on the football field ultimately led to the suicide of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters last November, according to a forensic pathologist who studied Waters' brain tissue.

 

"We have been focused on the issue of concussions for years," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the AP. "It remains one of our prime concerns as we continue to do everything possible to protect the health of our players."

 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to answer questions about the issue at his annual state of the NFL news conference Friday.

 

Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, the neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who examined Johnson, wrote in a memo on Aug. 19, 2002, that Johnson sustained a second concussion in that practice, the Times reported.

Schwamm also wrote that, after speaking with Whalen, the trainer "was on the sidelines when he sustained the concussion during the game and assessed him frequently at the sideline" and that "he has kept Mr. Johnson out of contact since that time."

 

Johnson said he spoke with Belichick the next day about the incident, but only briefly, the Times said.

"He was vaguely acknowledging that he was aware of what happened," Johnson said, "and he wanted to just kind of let me know that he knew."

 

Johnson sat out the next two preseason games on the advice of his neurologist but played in the final one. Then, thinking he was still going to be left off the active roster for the season opener against Pittsburgh, he angrily left camp for two days before returning and meeting with Belichick.

"It's as clear as a bell, 'I had to see if you could play,'" Johnson recalled Belichick saying, according to the Times.

 

Moments later, Johnson said, Belichick admitted he had made a mistake by subjecting him to a full-contact drill.

 

"It was a real kind of admittance, but it was only him and I in the room," Johnson told the Times.

After returning to game action, the linebacker sustained more concussions of varying severity over the following three seasons, each of them exacerbating the next, according to his current neurologist, Dr. Robert Cantu.

 

Cantu told the Times he was certain that Johnson's problems "are related to his previous head injuries, as they are all rather classic postconcussion symptoms."

 

He added, "They are most likely permanent."

Cantu, the chief of neurosurgery and director of sports medicine at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., also said Johnson shows signs of early Alzheimer's disease.

 

"The majority of those symptoms relentlessly progress over time," Cantu said. "It could be that at the time he's in his 50s, he could have severe Alzheimer's symptoms."

 

Johnson told the Globe he estimates he had at least six concussions in his last three seasons but reported only one because he already had a reputation as an injury-prone player and he didn't want to make it worse.

"Looking back, it was stupid not to tell anyone," Johnson said. "But I didn't know then that every time you have a concussion, you are four to six times more susceptible the next time. I had no idea the damage I was causing myself."

 

Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Association, spoke in general terms about concussions at a news conference Thursday in Miami, where the Super Bowl will be played Sunday.

"If a coach or anyone else is saying, 'You don't have a concussion, you get back in there,' you don't have to go, and you shouldn't go," Upshaw said, not speaking about Johnson's case specifically. "You know how you feel. That's what we tried to do throughout the years, is take the coach out of the decision-making. It's the medical people that have to decide."

 

Upshaw told the AP that concussions are one of the issues the union is examining this year.

"We've seen a number of concussions in the NFL this year, and as a result of our studies, we've seen a change in the helmet. We're also studying the effects of that on concussions," Upshaw said.

[Trots]

Sounds like he is pretty messed up.

[rhippens]

it's pretty sad what shape these guys are in by the time they turn 35 or 40. on the other hand, it's football and years of it at that level getting hit at that speed is huge punishment.

 

if bill really forced him to play, then it's pretty sad, but i have to believe there is fault on both sides of this. guys try to play hurt all the time because there is always somebody younger than you on the sidelines. there is also an ego factor that comes into play here.

 

it does sound like he's in bad shape, but i'm not sure i'd throw the patriots under the bus yet.

[NAUgrad]

How the hell does he know what or when it happened? He can't even remember what day it is?

[Hat Trick]

Belichick and injuries/reports....two thins that just don't mesh well together.

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

i think ted johnson is just a very frustrated guy right now...the guy likes to drink a bit...the guy has marital problems that hes basically had from day one(culminating in an arrest)...and a failed attempt to break into broadcasting

 

every time ive seen him on tv...hes always had nice things to say about bill

[Menudo]

No way would the great Bill Bellichick do anything wrong.

 

 

[Randall]

And, after sustaining additional concussions over the next three seasons, he now forgets people's names, misses appointments and suffers from depression and an addiction to amphetamines.

 

Amphetamines?

[MojoMan]

 

 

Edited February 2, 2007 by MojoMan

[MojoMan]

it's pretty sad what shape these guys are in by the time they turn 35 or 40. on the other hand, it's football and years of it at that level getting hit at that speed is huge punishment.

 

 

 

 

Kicker or Favre's or P. Manning's backup is the best job in the NFL.

[rhippens]

Kicker or Favre's or P. Manning's backup is the best job in the NFL.

 

 

 

only if you're a kicker who doesn't over-celebrate.

[Menudo]

Kicker or Favre's or P. Manning's backup is the best job in the NFL.

 

 

Kicker's have too much mental pressure. I think I'd rather be a punter.

[Azazello1313]

that bill b. is all class, eh?

 

belichick's (alleged) attitude is pretty universal among football coaches...and i'm actually fine with it when it comes to almost any OTHER injury. but head injuries are different...and pressuring a guy with a concussion to get back on the field so you can decide whether he should make the team or not is reprehensible, IMO.

[Caveman_Nick]

that bill b. is all class, eh?

 

belichick's (alleged) attitude is pretty universal among football coaches...and i'm actually fine with it when it comes to almost any OTHER injury. but head injuries are different...and pressuring a guy with a concussion to get back on the field so you can decide whether he should make the team or not is reprehensible, IMO.

 

 

 

"Looking back, it was stupid not to tell anyone," Johnson said. "But I didn't know then that every time you have a concussion, you are four to six times more susceptible the next time. I had no idea the damage I was causing myself."

 

Maybe I am missing something here...but Belichick asked the guy if he was okay to practice, and the guy said yes instead of saying that his head wasn't right.

 

This is not a defense of Belichick in any way, but he strikes me as a guy that deals with what people tell him. In this case it could be looked on as a fault, and I will not argue that, but I don't think he's going to swami up someone's playing condition. Either they say they are ready, or they say they are not.

[nhoops]

 

if bill really forced him to play, then it's pretty sad, but i have to believe there is fault on both sides of this. guys try to play hurt all the time because there is always somebody younger than you on the sidelines. there is also an ego factor that comes into play here.

 

it does sound like he's in bad shape, but i'm not sure i'd throw the patriots under the bus yet.

 

 

I agree, it was ultimately his decision to put on the practice jersey and there is the ego factor. Plus no one is forcing them to play, but they do it because they love it and the money it pays, despite the punishment.

 

I definitely think that more needs to be done for the players after they retire.

 

And I'm not saying Bill isn't at fault either....I think everyone plays a little part in this (coaches, trainers, doctors and players)

[Sam]

A player is always gonna say they can go in. I can't say I agree with it but I think it's true. As was mentioned it's the ego factor and also a fear of what the other players will think of them if they sit out. I think it's the job of the coaches and mainly the trainers to not allow them to play when they shouldn't be. And I believe it's the trainers job to make sure the coach knows that they shouldn't be playing.

[Azazello1313]

Maybe I am missing something here...but Belichick asked the guy if he was okay to practice, and the guy said yes instead of saying that his head wasn't right.

 

well here's what i think you're missing...

Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

 

Johnson, who played 10 years in the NFL, said he began to deteriorate in August 2002 with a concussion during an exhibition game against the New York Giants. He sustained another concussion four days later after Belichick prodded him to participate in a full-contact practice, even though he was supposed to be avoiding hits, Johnson said.

 

The Patriots did not allow Jim Whalen, still their head trainer, to comment for this story, according to the Globe.

 

Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, the neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who examined Johnson, wrote in a memo on Aug. 19, 2002, that Johnson sustained a second concussion in that practice, the Times reported.

Schwamm also wrote that, after speaking with Whalen, the trainer "was on the sidelines when he sustained the concussion during the game and assessed him frequently at the sideline" and that "he has kept Mr. Johnson out of contact since that time."

 

Johnson said he spoke with Belichick the next day about the incident, but only briefly, the Times said.

"He was vaguely acknowledging that he was aware of what happened," Johnson said, "and he wanted to just kind of let me know that he knew."

 

 

"It's as clear as a bell, 'I had to see if you could play,'" Johnson recalled Belichick saying, according to the Times.

 

Moments later, Johnson said, Belichick admitted he had made a mistake by subjecting him to a full-contact drill.

 

"It was a real kind of admittance, but it was only him and I in the room," Johnson told the Times.

 

 

see, that's EXACTLY what they have trainers and doctors for. the player is ALWAYS going to be like, "yeah i'm fine, put me in coach :D", and the coach is always going to have a vested interest in getting the guy on the field. so they have protocols involving doctors and trainers for exactly that reason. it is the coach's ethical responsibility to listen to the trainers and doctors, especially when it comes to something with the awful long term effects of brain injuries, and it sure sounds like that didn't happen here. i doubt any doctor in their right mind would have cleared johnson to get back on the field in full-contact drills a couple days after a serious concussion, and it doesn't sound like the trainer cleared johnson to return to practice...yet, there he was, back at practice, because belichick had to see if he could play. you're defending that?

[Azazello1313]

I definitely think that more needs to be done for the players after they retire.

 

 

totally different issue with no relevance here. no amount of money after the fact can fix a scrambled brain.

[Bill Swerski]

Given that my freaking high school coach made me PRACTICE on a sprained wrist (which was completely swollen... one of the coaches taped it), I have no doubt that this BS happens all of the time in the pros.

 

That said, Johnson sounds like one messed-up dude with substance abuse issues, so it's difficult to decipher the truth in this case.

Edited February 2, 2007 by Bill Swerski

[charty]

The AP story is pulled from the Boston Globe

 

Check out the opening of the story as written in the globe......

 

By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff | February 2, 2007

 

It has all unraveled; his career, his marriage, his health, his reputation. Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson was once a Super Bowl champion and a fan favorite, admired for his jarring hits and thoughtful approach to a violent game.

 

But now he is a struggling ex-athlete who has become unreliable and unreachable -- making promises and commitments he does not keep -- the subject of steamy tabloid gossip, shunned for an alleged domestic abuse incident involving his wife.

 

Johnson, 34, suffers from such severe depression that some mornings he literally cannot pull himself out of bed. When the crippling malaise overtakes him, he lies in a darkened room, unwilling to communicate with his closest family members.

 

As a radio host in Boston put it today, this opening says it all. It isn't about Belichick, or a red practice jersey or a blue practice jersey, it's about someone that needs help.

 

This is linked in with the Ditka selling his ring story and Upshaw, a former player, turning his back on his former co-workers.

The current HBO piece (Real Sports) said something like a retired NBA player with 10 yrs experience gets maybe $125,000 per year, while the same experience in the NFL gets a quarter of that. And it's even worse when comparing baseball. The type of abuse these guys take in the NFL, and the amount of money the NFL is making these days, they should be setting the standard on pensions.

Edited February 2, 2007 by charty

[Caveman_Nick]

well here's what i think you're missing...

see, that's EXACTLY what they have trainers and doctors for. the player is ALWAYS going to be like, "yeah i'm fine, put me in coach :D", and the coach is always going to have a vested interest in getting the guy on the field. so they have protocols involving doctors and trainers for exactly that reason. it is the coach's ethical responsibility to listen to the trainers and doctors, especially when it comes to something with the awful long term effects of brain injuries, and it sure sounds like that didn't happen here. i doubt any doctor in their right mind would have cleared johnson to get back on the field in full-contact drills a couple days after a serious concussion, and it doesn't sound like the trainer cleared johnson to return to practice...yet, there he was, back at practice, because belichick had to see if he could play. you're defending that?

 

 

No, at this point I am only saying that Ted Johnson's story is wishy-washy outside of his statement that he decided to take the field.

 

Just because Ted says the rest is true, doesn't make it so. And if it is, then BB should face appropriate action. I dunno what appropriate action is...but there you go.

[Caveman_Nick]

Given that my freaking high school coach made me PRACTICE on a sprained wrist (which was completely swollen... one of the coaches taped it), I have no doubt that this BS happens all of the time in the pros.

 

That said, Johnson sounds like one messed-up dude with substance abuse issues, so it's difficult to decipher the truth in this case.

 

 

Agreed. That doesn't make him a liar...but generally men that beat their wives and take drugs aren't the most trustworthy sort of people.

[Bill Swerski]

The current HBO piece (Real Sports) said something like a retired NBA player with 10 yrs experience gets maybe $125,000 per year, while the same experience in the NFL gets a quarter of that. And it's ever worse than baseball. The type of abuse these guys take in the NFL, and the amount of money the NFL is making these days, they should be setting the standard on pensions.

 

 

If they'd save some of those millions that they made while playing, instead of buying three mansions, four $50,000 cars, and having for three or four illegitimate children, they wouldn't have much to complain about. I agree that many of the old-timers got screwed, but today's players have nothing to complain about.

 

Bryant Gumble is a race-baiting, socialist idiot who hates Upshaw. His comments don't surprise me, especially since he's attacked Upshaw over this issue before. Did he whine about their top-notch health insurance as well?

[charty]

Here is a good article on the subject, not written by Bryant Gumble.

Oct. 7, 2006, 11:07PM

Pre-1977 NFL players fight for better pension

 

John P. Lopez

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

 

IT was the NFL's greatest generation, a battered and bloodied assortment of football pioneers from blue-collar cities, Midwest farmhouses, bayou swamplands and every other corner of America.

 

The mantra these players forged: Play hard. Make no excuses. Tape it up and get back out there.

 

Their football souls were like coarse-grit sandpaper. They were proud and tough. And they always played hurt.

 

Today, many former NFL players fighting for better pension benefits and representation on the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Retirement and Disability Plan board are swallowing their pride. They are because they hurt in an assortment of ways.

 

They feel cheated and victimized by an NFL pension plan that pales in comparison to similar plans in the NBA and Major League Baseball for players of their generation.

 

No matter the NFL's stance, to see what this generation of players did for the league, compared to what they get from the league, it is clear they are being cheated and discarded.

 

The sorry pension benefit plan for pre-1977 players is, as former Oakland Raiders great Howie Long said last year, "the deep, dark secret nobody wants to talk about."

 

 

Gone and forgotten

That prideful unspoken mantra, making no excuses, for years kept older-generation players from complaining about the treatment they received since their glory days ended.

 

But as bodies continue to fall apart and medical bills stack higher, with numerous players succumbing to dementia, hip and knee replacement operations and other life-altering conditions, the league's greatest generation wonders why it has been forgotten.

 

"We've been (left out) on every hand," said Deacon Jones, an eight-time Pro Bowl player in 14 NFL seasons for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers and Washington Redskins. "I don't know why we are the victims all the time. We didn't do anything but play hard, play hurt and do whatever was asked of us.

 

"Every event I go to, I see some guys' bodies fading away. By the time something's done, these guys will be gone. It's like they're waiting for our generation to die out, so they don't have to answer these questions anymore."

 

Former Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini, 57, who had a sterling 13-year NFL career, earns just $1,202.32 a month in pension benefits.

 

Having been afforded no health insurance by the NFL in retirement, Pastorini must meet an annual $5,000 deductible because of pre-existing conditions that include back, neck and knee problems.

 

NFL Hall of Fame safety Paul Krause, who played 16 NFL seasons (1964-1979) for the Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, gets $300 a month in pension. Hall of Famer Leroy Kelly, a 10-year star running back for the Cleveland Browns (1964-1973) gets $800 a month.

 

Hall of Famer Joe DeLamielleure, who played 185 consecutive games during his 13 NFL seasons with the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, receives $800 a month. None has received NFL health insurance benefits.

 

The NFL built its $6 billion a year industry on the likes of Ollie Matson, Dick Butkus, Ted Hendricks and some 1,400 other pre-1977 players whose heroics are featured in grainy NFL Films productions. It was 1977 when the NFL was found to be violating antitrust laws, and benefits improved.

 

For those whose careers began before 1977, bits and pieces of their bodies are strewn from New York to Los Angeles to Houston. The NFL Players Association says it won't forget the foundation its predecessors laid.

 

 

Words mean little

In its mission statement, the NFLPA says, "We pay homage to our predecessors for their courage, sacrifice and vision."

 

But hundreds of former players believe that is where the paying stops. Just words.

 

"It's like you walk away in shame," Pastorini said. "I played the game as hard as I could. I was on the picket lines for the players association. Maybe I didn't agree with everything, but I was there for the players and the future players.

 

"It's really amazing how (executive director) Gene Upshaw and the players association turned their backs on the rest of us. In my opinion, Upshaw has been bought off. And if it wasn't for us, he wouldn't have that job he has."

 

Through NFLPA director of communications Carl Francis, Upshaw chose not to respond to questions about the NFL pension plan for pre-1977 players.

 

"We've addressed it so many times. We'll just let it take its course through the collective bargaining agreement," Francis said. "We're addressing the issues in our own ways."

 

In the past, Upshaw, who earns $3 million a year as NFLPA chief and recently received a five-year extension to his contract, has said he does care about former players. But he also has called those calling for better benefits, "misinformed" and "ungrateful."

 

Hendricks, primarily a pass-rushing linebacker who intercepted an astonishing 26 passes in his 14-year career, said former players have confronted Upshaw at Hall of Fame meetings.

 

"He told us he doesn't represent us," Hendricks said. "He talked about how much money he was going to make the next few years. It was like he was pushing our faces in the mud and rubbing it around."

 

For modern-day NFL players, Upshaw has indeed worked wonders. Benefits are improved in large part because of 401(k) plans, annuities and better benefits that came as a result of recent collective bargaining agreement deals.

 

But their benefits still fall short of other leagues. A player retiring after 1998 with 10 years of experience would be eligible for an annual pension of roughly $51,000 at age 55. MLB players with 10 years of service would retire with $175,000 per year in benefits starting at age 62.

 

 

Getting mixed messages

But when the NFLPA upped pension benefits for pre-1977 players after a recent CBA agreement, Upshaw hailed the increase as unprecedented. Players were unimpressed with those benefits, many going from $100 a month to $200 a month for vested players.

 

"Yeah, he's got some window dressing he can put out there, but when you look at it, it's pathetic," said former Colts and Chargers (1972-1983) defensive back Bruce Laird. "Everybody is happy for what the union has done for the active players. They've done some wonderful things. If I played in 1995 and saw Gene Upshaw, I'd kiss his (backside).

 

"But for us? We're not sitting here with a cup in our hand asking for money. We want to be represented in the union. You can't have it both ways. You can't tell us you don't represent us and then say you do when you give us a raise that means nothing."

 

Inevitably, the majority of pre-1977 players voice most of their frustrations with Upshaw. They speak of not having a voice and getting conflicting, often contentious messages from him.

 

And Upshaw has told retired players the NFLPA does not represent them.

 

Labor law dictates that Upshaw must represent only active, dues-paying members of the union. But Upshaw, a Hall of Fame offensive lineman from the same generation of pre-1977 players, also has taken bows for funneling funds to former players.

 

Yet according to Laird, Upshaw also has told retired players, "You didn't hire me, and you can't fire me."

 

Another contradiction: When asked about gaining representation on the NFL's Retirement Board, a six-member committee that rules on benefit protests and disability claims, retired players have been told they indeed do have representation on the board. Their purported voice? Gene Upshaw.

 

"That's a joke," Laird said.

 

The conflicting messages seem endless, like the emotional and physical pain former players are feeling.

 

 

Poor performance

Without question, the Retirement Board's record for being sympathetic to retired players' claims has been less than impressive. Of 3,500 players represented, barely 130 (0.37 percent) have earned full disability, according to a 2005 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette study in the wake of Steelers great Mike Webster's death.

 

With no representative on the board, former players feel abandoned by the game and deceived by Upshaw.

 

"It's an impossibility to have ourselves heard," Pastorini said. "There are a lot of disturbing stories out there. Great players are falling to pieces.

 

"Upshaw makes me sick. He was a teammate of mine (at Oakland in 1980), and I didn't like him as a teammate. I like him less now."

 

Recently, many players have tried to tackle the issue themselves, so to speak. Former Packers great Jerry Kramer has founded the Gridiron Greats Relief Fund, initiating a series of memorabilia auctions at jerrykramer.com in hopes of helping destitute and needy former players.

 

Mike Ditka, a Hall of Famer and legendary Chicago Bears player and coach, has become among the most active advocates for financial relief.

 

Ditka also established a fund, but when Ditka penned letters soliciting each NFL team for a $100,000 donation in order to begin allowing former players "dignity," the response was embarrassing. One team sent a $5,000 check. Another sent $10,000. That's it.

 

 

Not nearly enough

Hendricks and Jones, too, are involved in fundraising efforts, attending dozens of charitable efforts every year, autographing memorabilia for auctions and hosting golf tournaments every November.

 

But considering financial demands, what players are doing for themselves makes a minuscule impact.

 

Matson, perhaps the league's first true superstar tailback and a Hall of Famer, has lived in a full-time nursing facility in Los Angeles the past two years, suffering from symptoms of dementia and other ailments. He receives $1,200 a month from the NFL pension plan, although Matson's investments post-NFL have kept the family from financial straits.

 

"These were the guys who put the NFL on the map and made it the game it is today," said Bruce Matson, Ollie's son and a Houston dentist and cosmetic surgeon. "What dad gets from the NFL, you couldn't even buy groceries with in L.A."

 

And while the past scrapes together money for groceries and prescriptions, the NFL sits atop a mountain of gold. Franchises are valued at an average of nearly $820 million apiece, according to Forbes magazine. The league's television and multimedia deal will bring the NFL $24 billion over the next eight years.

 

Remember football's greatest generation? The NFL apparently stands for Not For Long.

[Bring Back Pat!!!]

Seems odd to me that he can't remember names and appointments now, but that conversation that took place 5 years ago is "clear as a bell"? Not defending anyone, as I don't know what really happened. That comment just struck me as odd.