Westbrook says he was not 'completely healed' after first concussion
The Philadelphia Daily News - Eagletarian
Westbrook says he was not 'completely healed' after first concussion
Daily News staff
Eagles running back Brian Westbrook has been relatively silent since the season ended about his health, the status of Donovan McNabb and other issues.
Westbrook spoke extensively in an interview with his former teammate Blaine Bishop, now a radio talk show host on WGFX in Nashville, Tenn.
Westbrook said he was not "completely healed" after his first concussion suffered against Washington in a Monday night game despite passing all the tests and waiting 3 weeks to return. He suffered a second concussion against San Diego, keeping him out of the lineup and essentially ending his effectiveness for the season.
Westbrook went into great length to talk about what he learned about concussions this season:
"You don’t think about it unless you had one. Unless you get one so they just don’t understand that if you continue to play with a concussion you run the risk of all different brain diseases to an early-on type of Alzheimer’s to early type of dementia and to forgetting things. As we all get older we tend to forget some things sometimes anyway but it gets worse and so forth and quite possibly death on some situations. A lot of people just do not know it, a lot of young kids. I didn’t even know before I even had my concussions all the repercussions of getting concussions. As a player you are always taught get back in there and play. Get back in there and play but the truth is, once I found out that, if you get back in there and play with a concussion even though if you want to play and you are feeling fine that you run the risk of really hurting yourself.
"I had a concussion October 25th. I think it was a Monday night game and I got knocked out and I was laid on the field, asleep on the football field. At that point I woke up and it was very clear I knew what was going on. I knew my surroundings. I knew everything. I had a slight headache. The next couple of days I found out that I had a concussion, a worse concussion than I had previously had thought. At that point you are trying to find out when is the best time to get back into the game. You have to of course wait until you all of your symptoms are gone. All of your headaches are gone when you are resting. All of the headaches are gone when you are having activity. They call it, with exertion… Then you have to pass a test that is called an impact test, which you take on the computer. It tests your reaction time. It tests memories and things like that with shapes and words. Once you are able to pass all of those tests then you have the opportunity to go back out there and play.
"The truth is, I waited three weeks. I passed all of the tests. I waited three weeks to get back out there and after passing all of the tests waiting at the time, just like you said before Blaine, you have a normal hit that kind of just glances off of you or you don’t really feel it all that much that had a normal, average NFL hit, not a great big collision or anything like that and the concussion came right back. What happened to me was that I was not completely healed from the first concussion. Even though I waited that long amount of time and passed all the tests I still wasn’t completely healed from the first concussion and it came back just like that. After that I had to sit out another five or six weeks just for me to be completely sure that I was 100% OK.
"These concussions are very serious man, I don’t think a lot of people are taking them as serious as they should be because really it is a life or death thing. I know that Blaine, you have been out of the league for a few years now that you feel the impact and result of some of the collisions that you had. Some of the injuries that you had at that point. I think that as a player you understand that maybe as a I get older I might not be able to walk as good. I might not be able to play around as much with my kids, but at the same time as you go into the league you still think that you are going to have at least the mental capacity to be able to play with your kids. At least to talk to and have a conversation and remember things and the one thing that people have to know about concussions that if you continue to play with a concussion and you continue to play without being completely healed then you run the risk of not being able to do that. Not being able to walk and talk and communicate and remember and of course early onset of Alzheimer’s like I mentioned early as well as dementia. I don’t think any player that is going into the NFL and believes that is a realistic risk and it really is if you continue to play with concussions.”
Westbrook also said there is no doubt that McNabb will be the Eagles quarterback next season.
“I think there is no question in my mind if Donovan will be back," he said. "After what he was able to do last year which he had a very good year of course. Everybody measures, a lot of fans measure by Super Bowls. Did you win the Super Bowl and you know? Realistically there is only going to be one team out of 32 to win the Super Bowl every year and it is hard to do that. I don’t think that you can measure whether a quarterback can be successful or not whether he was a Super Bowl or not. If you look at this football team with Donovan and without Donovan I think you would be hard-pressed to say that there was better quarterback in the league than Donovan McNabb for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
You can read a transcript of the full interview from sportsradiointerviews.com by clicking here
Don't blame the Eagles for Westbrook's second concussion. The followed the standard procedures with him. They didn't rush him to get back. Players need to take responsibility for themselves and protect themselves.— soulman386
cross off tv and radio commentator from your next job possibilities— daveH- based on that last sentence, westbrook might want to check for brain damage— jazztafari
- based on that last sentence, westbrook might want to check for brain damage— jazztafari
- Does B-West already have dimentia? "you would be hard-pressed to say that there was better quarterback in the league than Donovan McNabb for the Philadelphia Eagles.” Really?— Jamerock
- trade Mcnabb and Cut Westbrook.— eaglesfan1986
- trade Mcnabb and Cut Westbrook.— eaglesfan1986
- The first thing the league should do is make a rule that if a player gets a concussion the are shelved for the season. They should make that a 1 year recovery time for that type of injury. I love the Eagles and think BWest is a really good RB, but at the same time a persons life is more imortant than the Eagles winning the SB. Secondly, the comment about DMac being the best QB this year is obsurd. The only reason DMac has the numbers he has is because he plays for a coach that doesn't respect the run and passes the ball anywhere between 60-75% of the time during the game. I could put up DMac numbers if given that big of a chance. I mean look at the numbers Kolb put up in the few weeks he played last year. Big Red almost had a 50-50 split in run/pass ratio, yet Kolb still passed for over 300 yards. Now they are pretty good numbers for a QB. I'm not saying Kolb is a great QB, just that the numbers he put up last season were pretty good.— engineeringagr8tdrive
- EX-EAGLE. BOTH HE AND MCWADDLE.— JACK V
- Retire Westbrook, trade BOZO to Cincy for Palmer--The 3(BOZO, TO, OCHO CHOCO MOCKO) can market themselves as the NEW 3 Stooges.— jwatson
- daveH this was probably not painstakingly transcribed - otherwise it's quite apparent the man is deteriorating already. I doubt that. It's nice to hear Westbrook speak his mind. Fans have everything NFL-related carved meticulously into their brains, and he doesn't even recall definitively that the first concussion happened on MNF in Washington. "Did you win the Super Bowl and you know?" That probably IS exactly what he said. Unless the Eagles are swept away with an offer that will land them someone they desperately want in the first round, McNabb will stay. Better D and commitment to more balance on offense and this team can compete. We need to be at home in the playoffs.— esloquehay
- I think Andy Reid and Joe Banner need to step down due to dementia. They have recieved enough concussions from the NFC East. Yes The NFC East Super Bowl wins, Dallas 5, Washington 3, Giants 3, Eagles 0 (Zero). Oh! evan New Orleans has one. Fire these guys we want to win the Super Bowl.— Joe Vegas
- Hmmm. I wonder if it's any coincidence that our offense looked stagnant and typical once Westbrook "came back". Thanks for everything 36. Good luck somewhere else next year— duffers
- yes Vegas, Andy and Joe are responsible for the 30 years of ineptititude prior to their arrival. Since 99, the Giants have won 1 SB. Cowboys won 1 playoff game. I am more mad about TB winning one than NO winning one. If the D held the Pats to 17 points, the birds would have won...oh well...— palmyra21
- Obviously, the concussions have had an effect.— psu05
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It sounds like he still has that concussion. Isn't the ability to speak in coherent sentences one of the tests you have to pass to get back on the field? And hallucinations of McNabb being the best QB in the league??? Why did they let this guy back on the field for crying out loud?????!!!!!.- Comment removed.
- +1 to plamyra21, joe vegas makes no sense— GetMeToThePlateBoys
- you people make me embrassed to be a philly fan sometimes... your comments are so ridiculous because you all think you know everything— GetMeToThePlateBoys
- Thanks for the memories B-West! You were a warrior! Its McCoy's show now just like it should be Kubbs. Can we get McNag on the first thing smoking to Arizona??
- Soulman- I dont think anyone would blame the Eagles. The problem is the process of diagnosing and subsequently alleviating concussions. It is obviously flawed. There needs to be better tests so this sort of thing doesnt happen again.— stormcominin
- Excellent thoughts by Brian on concussions. I'm not so sure McNabb will be back, but if he is, the only natural thing for players and fans to do is throw their support behind him. It could be that the missing ingredient in a Philly SB is the lack of a strong 12th man.— tacklinjoe
- Westbrook making the statement that McNabb is rated with the top quartbacks in the league is not a rational statement. Time to regroup and start with trading McNabb and cutting Westbrook.— tulsaphil
- My respect for BWest knows no bounds. But it was obvious last year that he was unable to bring to the table what he had in the past. I wish him the absolute BEST of luck when he tries something different next season after being cut loose here. (I doubt if he would be happy in a back-up's roll, AND we need to find another back to take that roster spot anyway. I just hope it is someone we can actually USE, and not that 150 pound "speedster" Andy's been in love with the last two years. Shhheeesh.)— TBear
- you clowns are dopes. A teammate sticking up for the best QB we have ever had. When will you learn?— montymiller
- Jamerock, B-West doesn't have dementia. His opinion on McNabb is his opinion after all he has played 4 years of college football and 8 years pro football all of which with McNabb. I wonder how much football experience you have beyond high school (if that even).— Nothing but the truth
Great stuff Westbrook….You can already see the culture changing within football across the country. Football is a violent sport, you obviously can’t take away the hitting. But in today’s world, you have to be cognizant of the specific injuries, and the proper way to go about handling those injuries. The long time effects for so many ex-football players have been down-right tragic. The more awareness and preventive ness of these injuries, the better off these players that we root for are.- I love Westy and if he can prove he is healthy, I say we keep him for one more year and let him finish out his contract. $7.5 million is nothing to sneeze at for keeping him on the roster, but since we are almost always well below the salary cap every year and that $7.5 million will most likely not be needed for another player/position, there is no big loss by paying him that money. He is absolutely one of the classiest Eagles we have ever had, and he deserves to finish his career wearing Eagles green, without being forced out!— The Reddgie
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- Wolf, 1- I know you like lists, so here is a list for you 2- Commenting on whether Westy is a "Kolb supporter" is ridiculous, do you work at One NoveCare Way and do you get to see the interactions of the players? If you do, I wonder what they think of your anti-5 posts and of how you spend your time during the day, but since you probably don't work there, please find a credible way of backing your points and stop guessing about who likes who in the locker room. 3- Your "7 second delay" remark is kind of clever, that is until you used it twice. 4- And stop with the signing off, it comes off as a childish combination of insecurity and "ooh, look at me look at me" disease that is usually found in high school girls.— The Reddgie
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- what is really sad.......how many negative posters there are on this thread. Why don't you all find something better to do with your time. Westbrook has been a great performer for the Eagles, speaks his mind and all most of you can say is good riddance or he already has brain damage due to his comments. Most of you would be out cold after one hard NFL hit, so until you have played the game at that level, been an outstanding running back in the league for as long as Westbrook has, SHUT UP with the criticism. Your comments only demonstrate your ignorance, and the fact you can only be negative. I also guarantee all of you if Westbrook was speaking to you face to face you would be, "Brian you are the greatest, we love you, hope you come back next year"....instead you hide behind code names and post negative worthless jibberish. This team with Westbrook and McNabb have taken us to the playoffs 8 out of the last 11 years. Pretty strong record, and whether McNabb, Kolb, or Ron Jaworski is QB next year the offense will be very good. Great if the O-line is healthy.— donaldp
- donaldp - You must be new here - get used to 80% of the comments being written by 7th graders (at least they have an excuse) or morons.— jimmy2x
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- westbrook came back and the eagles got whipped by the cowgirls because he was given the snaps by fat andy. bye westbrook, mcnabb and please take reggie brown with you.— maximus
- All of you brilliant commentators should realize that anyone's transcribed conversation is going to contain both grammatical and typographical errors. Westbrook has been a GREAT back for the Eagles, he gave his all for the team after two concusssions, he gives his honest opinion of McNabb (shared by many others in the NFL) and all you can do is degrade the man. Pathetic.— legalman
- I can`t stand all this degrading of Westbrook. He has given so much to this franchise throughout his career. If we get rid of Westbrook, that leaves us with very little depth at the RB position. If Westbrook retires, which I wouldn`t have a problem with, then we better start looking for a decent backup RB, because you never know if McCoy is going to get hurt or have a sophomore slump. Also, in response to Westbrook`s comment about McNabb, I don`t see anything wrong with supporting teammates. Losing Westbrook this offseason would have a similar effect on the locker room that Dawkins departure had, although it won`t be nearly as severe.— FaithInMcNabb
- Thank god B-West is alright, somewhat anyway. But we need to get rid of Donny and move on. Kevin Kolb is the man and he'll be great. I'd even rather see Vick start. Anyone is better than Donny!— jjoey189
- Westbrook may want to make sure his behind is on the team next year first or any team for that matter!!! His replacement is on deck too!!!! Let these young kids grow together what the worst that could happen a first round playoff loss... or worse not making the playoffs and getting a better draft pick!!! Thanks B WEST for what you have done but, the ship has sailed my friend!!! Time for change!!! Worry about your own job first too!!!— fly4philly
- wHAT HE WAS SAYNG ABOUT mCnABB IS HE WAS THE BEST QB FOR THE EAGLES. You guys really hate this man when all he has done is won. You put Peyton Manning on a pedestal when he has a wors playoff record than mcnabb's I know he has a super bowl ring. He should have at least five the way they kneel to his feet. The eagles need to do four things to win the sb. 1. Use this draft to shore up their defense. 2. Run the ball for christ's sake. 3. Get more physical. 4. Keep mcnabb. For those of you who think Kolb is the answer be careful what you wish for.— gwilli1234
him and McNabb have been drunk off Andy's kool-aid for years. of course he thinks McNabb and Reid are great and will pat him and them on the back for another "great year". 0-5 to playoff teams is a problem. keeping McNabb will not beat dallas next year. you gotta go wth Kolb or Vick..and use the extra pick to get an impact D player. that will give you a chance against Dallas and the good teams. Keeping McNabb means you are just gonna lose again like they do every year. McNab will not win a SB. ever.- this guy went to college ? and villanova at that ?? assuming the transcript is accurate, he can hardly string a coherent sentence together ! you'd better hand up your boots now, mate, as it sounds like your brain is already going.— the_chief
- Hmmmmmmmm....trust the minds of the garbage men and janitors from South Philly or the guy who went to college, made it to the NFL with a successful career to follow and went on to become arguably the best running back Philly ever had????? Think I'll stick with Westbrooks assessment on McNabb...because it is logical and true. Idiots. Trade Klob and Vick for defense, sign Peppers and draft a young QB.— dr.elektrika
- P.S. can you McNabb hating ingrate morons please stop using this "kool aid" thing. It's not funny, it's not clever, it's overused, it's cliche and it's lame. On top of that, did someone just list Randall Cunningham as a QB that was better than McNabb? Do you REALLY need stats??? Should I even say the words "playoff games" to you?? Cunningham. What ungrateful morons we have in this city.— dr.elektrika
