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When did the Concussion actually occur?

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by thorn058, Dec 15, 2011.

  1. thorn058

    thorn058 Well-Known Member

    16,211
    4,202
    Oct 19, 2011
    I am not going to get into another Harrison thread talking about the suspension, the response, the legality of the hit or so on. However what I did want to talk about and why I started the thread so as not to get buried in those discussions is whether McCoy suffered his concussion as a result of the helmet to helmet hit or the impact with the ground directly after. I ask because as we have seen lately there is evidence to show that many times the initial hit that starts the concussion but it is the often the second hit and subsequent ones that can lead to long term concussion syndrome effects. I am beginning to view the information about McCoy much like the Sidney Crosby concussions of last year. The first hit left him with a slight headache afterwards but no real indicators that it was a concussion however the second hit he took a few days later is the one that is credited with being the one that did the most damage and was pegged as the one that lead to the concussion symptoms. The reason behind this whole thing is that while one of the hits is preventable the other is not. Football players fall to the ground violently all the time and if the two hits did anything positive it did allow the training staff in the days following to monitor McCoy for a concussion and not just assume everything is normal. I'm would be interested to know if Mendenhall is suffering from any concussion like affects after that H@H hit he took on the goal line from Gocong which was much more direct than the McCoy/Harrison hit but didn't have an immediate secondary hit.


    As a secondary discussion question how long should a player be considered a repeat offender? As many have pointed out the length of time between Harrison's late fine was such that it is hard to consider that a repeat offense.While I would consider multiple infractions during one season relevant I can't get behind looking at previous behavior at relevant to current situations. Is this something that will dog some players for the rest of their careers? I mean if Suh plays for 15 years and between year two and year ten he never steps on another player in anger but in year 11 he does will be labeled as a repeat offender even though eight years separate infractions? If Harrison plays all next season without a fine but in week four two years from now he gets a fine for a H2H hit does he get looked at as a first time offense or repeat offender?
     
  2. SteelerD

    SteelerD Well-Known Member

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    Oct 20, 2011
    Regarding the first issue in your post. I wondered the same thing almost immediately. Watched the play over with my DVR during the game to see if McCoy's head hit the ground. His helmet never really impacted the ground after the hit. He didn't land "flat" on his back, so that whiplash effect did not really occur. JH gets to claim full credit for any symptoms McCoy is having.

    As to your second point, the rules state that any infractions from the current season and the previous season would be considered when determining a players status as a repeat offender. However, I have a question regarding this when a player is traded or changes teams between seasons. Will a team have to suffer suspensions of their players that are based on the previous year, where the Coaches etc. had no control or influence over the player in question. I suppose an organization would have to consider a player's repeat offender status when deciding whether to offer a contract to said player.

    This is all BS and crazy. Suspensions should only be for obviously intentional effort to injure another player. (See Suh) Or offenses outside of the game, such as drugs, guns, steroids, arrest and conviction etc. Not for hard hits before the whistle.
     
  3. mdbates2

    mdbates2 Well-Known Member

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    Nov 3, 2011
    Addressing question two, I think that is precisely what is wrong with the league's development of this fine/suspension program to reduce violent hits. By trying to define what is "repeat offender" versus "first timer" and not placing any kind of parameters on things, it leaves every single act up to complete control and interpretation by the almighty Goodell. What about play in college? Does a rookie get branded a repeat offender if there were incidents in college of helmet-to-helmet contact?

    Personally, I think that there is purposeful ambiguity in these policies so that Goodell can do whatever he wants to whomever he wants. Fines are arbitrary with no scale so that he can just decide on a fine in an arbitrary way. What constitutes a $10,000 hit? $20,000? Nobody knows and no one seems to be in a hurry to establish any parameters.
     
  4. bigsteelerfaninky

    bigsteelerfaninky Well-Known Member

    7,154
    326
    Oct 24, 2011
    if the browns don't know when he got the concussion how does GODdell
     

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