Lions safety Amari Spievey is done for the season because of a concussion, and given Spievey’s history, questions are already being raised about whether his career could be in jeopardy.
The Lions announced today that they have placed Spievey on injured reserve, four weeks after he suffered a concussion against the Bears that doctors still haven’t cleared him to return from. Spievey also suffered a concussion in the Lions’ playoff loss to the Saints last season, a concussion that he reportedly kept playing through. That concussion affected Spievey for so long that he wasn’t cleared to return for the start of Organized Team Activities months later.
John Niyo of the Detroit News writes that Spievey’s career is in jeopardy because of his concussions, making him the second member of the Lions’ 2010 draft class to suffer potentially career-ending concussions. Lions running back Jahvid Best, another 2010 draft pick, has been sidelined for more than a year by concussions.
A third-round draft pick out of Iowa, Spievey had shown promise in his first two seasons, starting nine games as a rookie and 15 games last year, but he’s now dealing with a serious brain injury at the age of 24.
With the roster spot made available by the loss of Spievey, the Lions brought cornerback Drayton Florence back from the short-term injured reserve.