Austin Collie’s Career In Jeopardy Due To Concussions

Added on Dec 21, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

After suffering his third concussion in the last two months in the win over Jacksonville, Colts wide receiver Austin Collie’s 2010 season might be over. He’s already missed five games thus far and his penchant for taking vicious hits has become a troubling trend for the second-year player. Whether or not he’s cleared to take the field again is obviously important to the Colts playoff and Super Bowl aspirations. However, the more important issue is Collie’s future in the NFL.

Collie’s value to the offense cannot be underestimated. He leads all Colts pass catchers with eight touchdowns and has proven to be Peyton Manning’s go-to slot and red zone playmaker, especially once Pro Bowl tight end Dallas Clark was lost for the season with a wrist injury.

The thing that makes Collie such an effective player is the exact thing that has put his career in jeopardy. Receivers who roam the area between the hashes and up the seams are more susceptible to absorbing concussion-causing hits. Safeties and linebackers that drop into coverage are always ready to pounce when offensive players enter the area they patrol.

Two of Collie’s concussions came when he ducked his head to help shield himself. Both were wrong place at the wrong time type of blows. The November 7th hit versus the Eagles was flagged, but upon further review was deemed to be clean. As bad as the hits were, there have many worse delivered this season that didn’t cause concussions.

It could be that Collie is more prone to brain trauma. If that’s the case, it’s only natural to wonder how much longer he will be able to play without sustaining irreparable damage. Plenty of pro athletes have had their careers shortened by numerous concussions, including running back Merril Hoge and hockey stars Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau. The lingering effects of post-concussion syndrome have also been linked to memory problems and other brain maladies later in life.

Collie is still young. Retirement or how his head could feel when he’s 50 are probably not his top concerns. However, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. A career in the NFL is great, but his health and well-being in the present and future is even greater.