Taj Taylor wants to go pro, but a concussion almost sidelined his dream.
“It was just a really scary feeling, definitely very scary,” he said.
No ambulance was there.
“I was out for at least 10 minutes at the time, so the 10 minutes I was out the ambulance could have been there and took me to the hospital,” Taylor said.
An ambulance is at every game now, and former NFL player and high school coach Marcus Paschal says that’s not all.
“The state has mandated certain videos and everything that every player needs to watch so that they’re more educated about the concussions,” Paschal said.
Some schools are trying to cut down on injuries by: teaching new tackling techniques, improving the way equipment fits and limiting contact in practice.
“Even when they teach you to tackle, it’s hard to bring that same concept into the game because the game is very different than practice. The game, everything is going much faster,” Taylor said.
Dr. Greg Savel says the game shouldn’t take all the blame.
“I had a child come in yesterday. He is a senior quarterback in a very prominent high school in this town. A lot of scouts are looking at him. He has a very good chance to get a scholarship to play in college and yet he injured himself with a closed-head injury last weekend and I’m going to keep him out for two weeks. I have everything just short of death threats being given to me right now,” Savel said.
But Paschal says doctor’s orders have to be final.
“Back when I was playing, you know, once you feel good you can get back out. And now it’s a certain protocol where you know day-to-day and then finally you have to see a physician to get completely cleared to get back on the field,” Paschal said.
Taylor is back going full force.
According to the CDC, once athletes suffer one concussion, they’re more at risk of getting another one. And today, student athletes must have sports insurance policies. Taylor says his only safety suggestion is to play hard but play smart.
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