Mitigating the effects of a violent game
B.C. LIONS TRAINING CAMP: Concussions on the minds of players, coaches and the fans with pair of lawsuits
There’s a lengthy list of qualities that make Andrew Harris endearing to the B.C. Lions, and almost at the top is his attitude toward taking a hit, which to many is what makes football appealing in the first place.
“People have been hitting and playing contact sports for a lot of years and they’re fine,” said the Lions’ starting tailback.
“Any time — especially these younger kids — they get a little bump or they get a little dizzy, that should be noted, but they’re getting pulled out for games and games. You just got to play.”
You sign a contract, you may get hurt. It is a statement with bloodthirsty overtones and can produce outrage, but it is the fundamental premise upon which the game is played.
Yet the other day at Lions training camp Harris and a few teammates were trying out another means to protect themselves during a few drills. To the bemused look of some players, coach Jeff Tedford handed out a soft-shell cover that stretches over the top of their helmets to some of his running backs and linebackers.
The covers, marketed by an Atlanta-based firm, Guardian Caps, retail for around $60 and have been used for a few years at the amateur level but until recently had never been put to use by the Lions in a practice setting.
Coincidentally or otherwise, the caps were given a test drive only days after the Lions became the first team in the league to have a second player make them indirectly the subject of a lawsuit alleging negligence related to concussive blows to the head and long-term brain injury.
Defensive back Korey Banks, who played with the Lions for seven seasons, and former Toronto running back Eric (The Flea) Allen filed a $200 million lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court just prior to training camp, TSN reported. The suit is seeking class-action status filed on behalf of every player who has been retired over the last 62 years. Named in the suit is the CFL, former commissioner Mark Cohon, a leading brain injury expert and Toronto clinic.
Meanwhile, a B.C. Supreme Court judge is soon expected to rule whether a lawsuit brought last year by former Lions receiver Arland Bruce should be heard. Bruce has alleged the Lions allowed him to participate in a 2012 playoff game when injured, while the league is arguing the grievance should be handled through its collective bargaining agreement, the Globe and Mail reported.
None of the allegations in either suit have been proven, but the claims advanced by two of the team’s more outspoken players put the Lions in a unique position at present in threedown football.
In the middle of it all are players in a league where the financial gains are often secondary to their enjoyment of the profession. Safety concerns and the element of risk to injury is understood but players would just as soon let others debate.
“I love this game,” said Lions fullback Rolly Lumbala, one of the team’s representatives with the CFL Players Association.
“You see some guys getting hurt and you think about that, but if you keep thinking about it, you can drive yourself insane.
“You can get hurt stepping out of the house. Concussions are a big issue. Hopefully, we’re trying to help the game be safer.”
It will require a lot more than a few minutes wearing a cap in practice that make players look like videogame ninjas to turn around collective attitudes toward safety, however. Many players are creatures of habit and wouldn’t likely change quickly.
“(Wearing a soft cap) might not make a difference physically but mentally, because you have a certain way of playing the game, it could make a difference,” said Solomon Elimimian, the league’s outstanding player last year, who also gave the cap a try and who has dished out more than his share of punishing hits.
“As science progress, we have to progress along with it.”
Just as there have been advancements in technology there’s also been an increased application of common sense, and whether coincidental or ironic, Tedford on Tuesday amazingly only had two players dealing with medical issues on the 10th day of training camp, other than those already placed on the six-game injured list.
Offensive linemen Cody Husband and Cam Thorn were the only players not participating fully in the morning workout, among those cleared to take part. Both are finishing up seven-day protocol procedures and were wearing Guardian Caps in what was the last scheduled day of twicedaily workout sessions in camp.
“The cap isn’t protocol, but I believe we’ve done the necessary steps once a (medical) issue occurs to make sure that by everything we know we can solve the problem,” general manager Wally Buono said.
Buono had contrasting views during his days as a linebacker.
“When I went to college and it was hot, they didn’t give you water. They’d be lucky if they got a dirty ice cube,” he said. “Now, we just do a better job. I gotta be careful, sometimes we know too much, because we do MRIs and X-rays.”
Luckily he still has a few old-school thinkers in his locker-room who, while sensitive to medical concerns, are still prepared to deal with the effects of a violent game.
“We’ve had (two) concussions and it was one of those freak things,” said Harris. “In camp if guys are getting concussions you’re doing something wrong. You should be learning to practice properly.
“I played hockey at a high level. I play at running back. I’ve never had a concussion, knock on wood. There’s times when you do get a little dazed, but that’s not a concussion. You keep on going. To be completely honest, I think the whole craze is a bit overblown.”