Troy Aikman says he has no problems related to concussions

Posted by Michael David Smith on January 31, 2014, 6:58 AM EST
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One of the major focal points of the documentary League of Denial was that former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman suffered a concussion so severe in the 1994 NFC Championship Game that he had to be hospitalized, and that he then played in the Super Bowl anyway.

League of Denial didn’t follow up that story with any information about whether Aikman is feeling long-term affects of concussions, but Aikman (who will serve as the color commentator for Super Bowl XLVIII on FOX) told Neil Best of Newsday this week that he’s doing just fine.

“I feel great,” Aikman said. “I’m great.”

Aikman underwent a 3-4 hour neurological exam at the Center for BrainHealth in Dallas last year and was told that his cognitive functioning is perfect.

“They were blown away,” Aikman said. “It was really peace of mind for me. I haven’t had any issues. You hear about the different guys coming out, and it’s a concern.”

But it hasn’t been a problem for Aikman, who’s now been retired for 14 years and feels fine.

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45 responses to “Troy Aikman says he has no problems related to concussions”

  4. I met Troy Aikman when I worked a retail job a decade ago. Nice guy. However, you could tell he was kind of spacey.

  5. This just goes to show how little we actually know about brain trauma in these instances…Steve Young and Troy Aikman are players that you would fully expect to be in the same boat as Jim McMahon and yet somehow they aren’t. Is it staying close to the game thats not triggering side effects? Is it simply nothing and they just don’t have any after effects?

    We want the concussion issue resolved nice, neat and quick but this is not something that is going away any time soon.

  9. I remember that concussion, it was brutal. He was holding his head for the longest time.

    It really is amazing that he’s so sharp.

  10. Even though he’s a Cowboy, I’m glad he’s all good. Brain injuries are a mystery at best, and for all the men who are a mess from the NFL, there’s loads more who are ok. I think the lawsuits are a money-grab for most, but clearly not all…. But the situation begs the question, why isn’t there a special health insurance policy for these guys, and isn’t that an obvious need? Hasn’t this been a glaring issue for decades now-the knees, fingers, spinal issues etc as well as the concussions?

  13. I don’t think it’s staying close to the game that has helped him, I think it’s staying mentally active. He is working, a lot, and working hard. So he is exercising his brain every day. It’s no secret that critical thinking and using your brain help it function better. Steve Young is in the same boat, both guys work very hard in their post playing careers. I’d be willing to bet that this has a major effect on concussion symptoms… and it wouldn’t be that hard to conduct a statistical analysis to find out.

  16. That’s good to hear. He’s probably my favorite color commentator for pro football today. A lot of people seem to have beef with Joe Buck, but I’ve never heard anyone speak ill of Aikman’s work as a broadcaster.

    Keep up the great work Troy!

  17. I don’t know how this disproves the effects of concussions. Aikman retired years before he could have, and as I recall, the number of concussions he was suffering was one of the big reasons, and if it wasn’t, it was a good idea to retire when he did.

    All I think this proves is that if you retire early enough you’ll probably be ok, like what Troy did.

  19. Translation: Troy was smart with his money and doesn’t need to resort to a petty cash grab that will only get an attorney rich

  20. Glad to see Aikman isn’t one of these former players who’s looking to cash in on the concussion settlements claiming ‘ignorance’ that playing football could be bad for your health.

    In a related story, former coal miners are starting class action lawsuit for $100 billion dollars claiming they had no idea working in the coal mines could lead to long term breathing problems.

  23. More proof that emmitt smith’s NFL record is more a product of the Cowboy’s great offensive lines than emmitt smith.

  24. I feel fine. Hey Emmitt, long time no see! What’s up, buddy! Where have you been!

    (20 minutes later)

    I feel fine. Hey Emmitt, long time no see! What’s up, buddy! Where have you been!

    (20 minutes later)

    Hey Deion, have you seen Emmitt? I heard he was here!

    (20 minutes later)

    I feel fine. Hey Emmitt, long time no see! What’s up, buddy! Where have you been!

  25. I don’t believe this for a second as he cannot go 10 seconds without saying “yeah”, “well”, “you know”, or “I mean.” I’m serious. Play a drinking game where you drink every time he says one of those. You won’t be able to walk with 10 minutes left in the first quarter.

  27. Very little is understood about concussions and traumatic brain injury (TBI). A bad concussion does not always lead to TBI, whereas a seemingly benign hit on the head can cause all kinds of issues that can last for years or even life. Repeated concussions, particularly when the brain has not had sufficient time to heal, are especially bad and will almost always lead to (perhaps permanent) brain injury.

    I am 59 years old and played competitive soccer all my life. In that time I’ve suffered multiple concussions, usually as a result of being hit in the head by the ball. About 10 years ago I started having headaches when I woke in the morning. I went to several doctors who couldn’t diagnose the problem. The headaches finally went away after a few months. I now think they were the result of a concussion that occurred at that time, I just never made the connection. Two years ago I was hit in the head by a soccer ball that was driven hard shooting. I saw stars but didn’t think much of it. Four days later I started to have loud ringing in my ears, sensitivity to white noise, headaches, nausea and then depression set in. The depression lasted for a few months. It was so bad I started to think I can’t live the rest of my life this way. Fortunately the depression subsided, but the ringing, headaches and nausea have persisted to this day. I can tell I’m ever so gradually getting better as the ringing is getting softer, and the headaches and nausea are occurring less often. I’m hoping in another year (three years later!) maybe I’ll be back to close to feeling normal. All of this time I haven’t been able to do anything physical, even jog or play with my dog, as *any* kind of jiggling of my head brings all of the symptoms back which can last up to two weeks.

    I actually consider myself lucky. I obviously suffered TBI and seem to be recovering, albeit very slowly. But at least I’m getting better. I can’t imagine what it would be like for someone whose depression doesn’t get better. Given what I’ve experienced, I could definitely see someone eventually taking their own life.

    — Sedna

  30. Because he was successful in business post-NFL.
    NONE of the players or families suing the NFL are doing well financially.

    The court system is their retirement plan.
    Good for you, Troy.

  34. the only people “Cashing in” are the attorneys for both sides. Those filing suit will end up with around $100k each….never go in on a class-action suit.

  36. Listening to him stumble through his on television football telecasts, I’d say this guy is as clueless about his own health as he is about football. He and Phil Simms add no insight into the game they played. Troy Barkman is not particularly intelligent and is arrogant and biased in this coverage. Phil Simms loves himself so much that there isn’t time in the telecasts to cover the game.

  38. Steve Young and Troy Aikman both changed for the worse after they were concussed, both were less sharp and remain that way. they must not realize it, but it was obvious

  39. Did I just read that Troy, in an interview, was hinting to JJ that he, Troy would willingly be able to help the Dallas front office? I believe I did. Troy’ s last comment on the topic was that he had some new ideas on changing the direction of the organization. Think John Elway. So let’s see. Garrett has no contract extension and he is as good as gone next year. Aikman comes in, (super high profile like JJ desires) helps select the new HC and takes a seat as (what’s Elway’s title?) Vice president of Football Operations. The publicity alone would cause JJ to drool (more than usual).

  41. The most overrated player in the modern era. When he stopped having a top 2 rushing attack he was exposed more and played like crap, and every supporter of his would act like concussions cut his career short even though that view isn’t based in reality.

    He has one of the shortest careers for a HOF QB and it wasn’t because of concussions.

    Why are people applauding him for not being in on the concussion lawsuit? If he wasn’t given a cushy broadcasting job you still think he wouldn’t be in it? Why do you think he got tested last year, if the results were different he probably would’ve used it as evidence in the lawsuit. So he possibly would have joined them even though he’s made millions since his NFL days.

  42. But the base function test for him was so low, it really created a big buffer before problems will be detected.

  44. Thanks Sedna, for sharing your story. All concussions and adverse effects are not created equal.

  45. Don’t mind Troy’s commentary so much, as for JoeBuck’s well it seems like he has toned it down quite a bit.

    Would say test T.Bradshaw but apparently he has always been that way. H.Long always is acting contemplative might want to test him he isn’t fooling anyone. J.J effervescence on the set is minus the critical tone he had as a coach. Brown just sits back and chuckles.

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