Wes Welker sustained yet another concussion in a preseason game on August 23. Welker took a hit to the head so savage that teammate Peyton Manning got the first unsportsmanlike/taunting penalty of his long career for talking to the player (D.J. Swearinger) who delivered the hit. Now there’s a big announcement that Welker is back. He practiced over Labor Day weekend and could be ready for the season opener.
The news has Broncos fans cheering. Except for those fans with a rudimentary knowledge of concussions and what they do to the brain. Those people are freaking out–and they want Welker to stay away from football before he exacerbates the damage to his already traumatized brain. Writer Zach Fogg in The Coloradoan even thinks the Broncos should cut Walker, to save him from himself. Last year Welker sustained a concussion on November 17 and came back to play the very next week against his former team, the Patriots. People thought he was tough. A couple of weeks later, Welker sustained another concussion. A year ago the NFL settled a concussion lawsuit filed by former players–the league paid the damaged veterans $765 million.
