Sometimes the side effects of playing the physically violent game of football at the highest level can be sobering to players around the NFL.
This appears to be the case with Arizona Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson, who suffered a concussion against the Philadelphia Eagles last weekend.
The following report comes from ESPN.
While driving after Sunday’s game, Arizona Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson pulled over for about 30 minutes.
He knew something wasn’t right. He had just played 73 snaps and made 11 tackles in Arizona’s 24-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but he couldn’t recall much, if any, of it.
“I don’t really remember the game,” Jefferson said. “I just remember when I started driving … I just stopped for 30 minutes. I was like, ‘What just happened?’ I don’t remember what happened. It was kinda scary.
I went home and watched the film on the iPad. It was like seeing you on auto pilot. It was pretty weird.
How can someone who spent the last seven hours preparing and playing in a NFL game completely forget about such a long period of time shortly after it took place?
Jefferson was diagnosed with a concussion on Monday and actually passed the league protocal in time to practice on a limited basis Thursday.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles indicated that he hopes to have Jefferson on the field against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but also said “concussions are a funny thing.”
No Mr. Bowles, they are not. Let’s hope that there aren’t any long-term ramifications for Jefferson and that his memory loss doesn’t come back.
Photo: USA Today