T.J. Lang visited several neurologists after suffering the sixth documented concussion of his NFL career last month trying to answer one very complicated question: Should he continue to play football.
And while the Pro Bowl guard received conflicting opinions on what impact brain injuries will have on his long-term health, Lang said Thursday he’s comfortable right now returning to the field.
“The biggest question I had was, do you guys feel safe?” the Detroit Lions offensive lineman said. “Do you think I’ll be safe to return once I’m fully back healthy, and I think most of them said yeah. And that gave me a lot of comfort knowing that, hey, when this thing’s all settled and gone then basically hit the reset button and continue to.
Lang, who’s suffered two brain injuries in less than a year, the last coming in the first half of a Sept. 30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, said his wife, Laura, accompanied him on several of the doctor’s visits.
Lang said he did not remember the play happening on the field – he dropped to his knees after the hit and was taken immediately to the Lions locker room – and had a tough time watching video of it a few days later.
“Coming off the field, I didn’t really remember what happened, but the next day or a couple days after that I watched the TV copy and didn’t really want to look at it,” Lang said. “Nobody really, you don’t really want to see yourself in that kind of position, but this is what it is, man. It’s football. There’s a lot of risks in this game. It’s not the first time I’ve been injured. Hopefully it’s the last.”
(USAToday.com)