In past years, concussions have been described by different labels than concussion. Head injury is the most common alternative. Concussion-like symptoms appear from time to time. “Neck” also has been used.
There’s a chance “neck” is being used again.
Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Jaguars with a “neck” injury. He missed practice all week due to the condition.
But is it really a “neck” injury? Consider the video of Bradshaw after the second play of the second quarter of the game, staggering before falling to his knees like a marionette with a clumsy puppeteer.
It could have been a “stinger,” causing a temporary loss of feeling. It also could have been a concussion. (Or at least concussion-like symptoms.)
So why would the Colts call it a “neck” injury if it wasn’t? Well, Bradshaw returned to the game late in the second quarter, and he continued to play. If it’s a concussion, that means he somehow slipped through the cracks of the team’s in-game concussion protocol.
Even if it wasn’t a concussion but simply a neck injury, it’s alarming that Bradshaw returned. If the injury is bad enough to keep him from practicing all week and playing this Sunday, it should have kept him from playing last Sunday.