Chicago Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd showed a lot of promise as a rookie in 2016, but he also suffered two concussions. The second concussion, Floyd told reporters Wednesday, took him two months to recover from after the injury took place the day before Christmas.
Leonard Floyd said it took him two months to fully recover from his second concussion last season. #Bears
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) June 14, 2017
Floyd, just 24 years old, was a first-round pick in 2016 out of Georgia. The fact he’s already suffered two concussions in his first NFL season is scary enough. The fact that his second brain injury took so long to heal is downright terrifying.
Given the growing understanding of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and how it affects people, players who deal with multiple concussions need to think long and hard about continuing to play the game of football.
Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland shocked the league when he decided to retire after his rookie season. But he did his homework during the offseason after suffering concussions in his first NFL season and hasn’t regretted the decision he made.
If Floyd ends up getting concussed again in his second season, it may well be time for him to think long and hard about whether he wants to continue his NFL dream.