PLEDGED FOR RESEARCH
Als’ Hebert to donate brain
Kyries Hebert believes it has been two seasons since he last suffered a concussion. And the veteran Alouettes linebacker, remembering the symptoms he experienced, hopes there’s no more head trauma in his future.
“I remember lying in bed and looking one way and the room spinning. Looking the other way and the room’s shaking. Closing my eyes and seeing thunder and lightning bolts. That was crazy and nerve-racking,” Hebert said. “I do a lot of social media on my phone, but I couldn’t look at it without getting extreme headaches. I was placed in a dark room and wasn’t allowed to look at television or computer screens. I couldn’t do physical activity without being dizzy.
“It affects your life.”
The 37-year-old Hebert, the East Division’s outstanding defensive player nominee this season, has suffered two documented concussions — both with the Als in 2015 — in 12 CFL seasons. But Hebert, who began playing professional football in 2002, believes he suffered two more, at least, in the NFL that weren’t properly diagnosed.
“Based on what we know now, seeing stars or blurred vision ... it’s probably happened 50 times in the last 15 years,” said Hebert, who has pledged to donate his brain through the Canadian branch of the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLFC) to support research on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and concussions.
Hebert, who remains under contract to Montreal in 2018 and has vowed he’ll continue playing, suffered a concussion at training camp two years ago when he was blindsided by former teammate Steven Lumbala. Later that season, in an October game against Hamilton, he was concussed again.
Hebert’s birthday is in October and he was also dressed in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month when he was hit. Yet, when questioned by a team doctor in the dressing room after, Hebert said he was unaware of the month.
In the NFL, while playing for Cincinnati, Hebert knows he was concussed after administering a hit at the goal-line on Denver quarterback Tim Tebow during an exhibition game.
“I took a short nap,” Hebert said. With the birth of his third child scheduled for April, and after watching the Will Smith movie Concussion, Hebert’s concerns with CTE began increasing. He has admitted to suffering lapses in memory, but is unsure whether there’s any correlation to the concussions he suffered.
“I wish I had that information as a rookie going into the NFL or my first year of high school. Then you can make a decision. Do I want to put myself at risk for these consequences?” said Hebert, a Louisiana native. “Going into high school, football was as important as religion. Knowing the potential consequences and risks now, I chose to continue to play.
“Football has been good to me and my family. If not for football, I don’t know if I would have had as much of an impact on so many lives. That’s the upside, and it’s worth it. And it provides a living for me. When this kid’s born, I’ll have some bills to pay immediately. This is what I do for work right now.”
The CFL, in conjunction with its players’ association, has announced a number of health and safety initiatives over the last two seasons. In September, the league announced the elimination of regular full-contact padded practices during the regular season. Teams may continue full-contact practices during training camp, and are permitted to have 17 additional sessions throughout the season.
The league will also extend its regular season from 20 to 21 weeks, beginning next season, providing players with more recovery time between games. The initiatives have been endorsed by many players and coaches.
“For me, especially being a veteran player with some miles on his body, to not have to bang around at practice on a daily basis, that’s going to actually be in my favour,” Hebert said. “When you talk about concussion prevention and making the game (safer), to reduce the amount of time and the amount of hits players take lessens the chance of concussions. I believe it’s going to be good for the body. It’s a step in the right direction for sure.”
Hebert is the only active Als player known to have pledged their brain to science. Both Etienne Boulay, a former Montreal safety, and retired defensive-lineman Tim Fleiszer have stated their intentions to do so as well.
Individuals with sports backgrounds are encouraged to pledge their brain to research at ConcussionFoundation.org/pledge.
I remember lying in bed and looking one way and the room spinning. Looking the other way and the room’s shaking.