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Matt Dunigan thinks Mike Reilly should sit
Amidst the crowd of media figures and other CFL observers opining on Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly's concussion, TSN analyst Matt Dunigan stands out. Dunigan had a Hall of Fame playing career as a quarterback and took plenty of blows over the years, and he's bravely shared his story of the struggles he still faces thanks to the head trauma he sustained as a CFL quarterback. He even convinced his son Dolan to quit football at 14 after the younger Dunigan suffered his third concussion. Thus, when Dunigan says something on concussions, people should listen. On Wednesday night at the Hall of Fame induction dinner in Edmonton (part of the festivities ahead of Saturday's Hall of Fame game against Montreal), Chris O'Leary of The Edmonton Journal asked Dunigan about the Eskimos' plan to play Reilly this week, and Dunigan had some rather interesting responses:
“I’d be surprised if he played this week. Disappointed,” said the former Eskimos quarterback, Canadian Football Hall-of-Famer and TSN analyst on Wednesday night after inducting six new members to the hall in Edmonton.
“He needs more time than that after he suffered a concussion like he did." ...
“He was out. He was sleeping,” said Dunigan, who played through his share of head injuries during his 14-year career. “And it’s a sure tell sign that something wasn’t right.” ...
“It happened what, four days ago?” he said. “I’ll let the Esks' organization handle that, but the protocols are difficult. They take time. The brain needs time to heal.”
Dunigan said that when he speaks at seminars or to organizations about concussions, he talks about the differences between pro and amateur football. There’s leeway at the pro level when it comes to concussions, he said, whereas at the amateur level, kids should be removed from a game instantly.
“There’s a cloudy grey area there oftentimes that gets misconstrued,” he said. “Should there be? In a perfect world, no. But in sports, period, it does get grey when you’re talking about amateur and pro football.
“Talk about Mike Reilly coming back in seven days after the shot he took? It’s pretty quick.”
Interestingly enough, though, this comes after key league officials endorsed the Eskimos' handling of Reilly's concussion. From CFL.ca's Dave Campbell:
CFL President and CEO Michael Copeland says the league did investigate the Reilly incident. The findings by the league according to Copeland are the Eskimos medical staff followed the correct protocols.
“The trainer asked Reilly whether he had any pain in his head and in his neck,” Copeland explained. “They asked him if he had any headaches, or anything of that nature. He responded that he did not. They (medical staff) observed him, which they normally do. And then they made an assessment based on all the factors available to them whether they suspect he had a concussion which they didn’t at that time.”
Concussion symptoms can definitely occur after the fact, but the Eskimos' handling of this both on Saturday and afterwards is still questionable. The team appears to be following the proper protocols, but while their desire to get Reilly back is understandable given both the importance of this game to keeping their playoff hopes alive and the impressive nature of his play this year, it's questionable whether that's really the best move for him and the team in the long run. Reilly is looking like the next franchise quarterback in Edmonton, but rushing him back only to see him suffer another concussion could seriously jeopardize that. Dunigan's quite right that concussions typically require more time than a week for a full recovery, and the Eskimos should pay heed. Not having Reilly this week could be a substantial blow, sure, but not having him at his best over the long term could be even worse.