http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/22/chiefs-say-charles-was-checked-for-concussion/
Chiefs say Charles was checked for concussion
Posted by Michael David Smith on October 22, 2014
AP
Chiefs running back
Jamaal Charles says he tried to avoid having to go through the league’s concussion protocol after a collision on the field Sunday. But the Chiefs say Charles was, in fact, checked out on the sideline before being allowed to go back in the game.
Chiefs head trainer Rick Burkholder said Charles was checked during Sunday’s game and has been checked this week and did not get a concussion in the collision, which did cause a concussion for Chargers cornerback
Brandon Flowers.
“When he got hit, I obviously checked with him,” Burkholder said. “I know coach talked to him a bit there. I came back and consulted with the team physician;
he was absolutely asymptomatic, wasn’t complaining about anything. . . . Obviously, we check on those guys as they come off the field almost every series. I know coach spent time with him on the plane after the game.”
Burkholder’s statement that Charles was “absolutely asymptomatic” contradicts Charles’s statement that he “
was seeing light bulbs, like, light bulbs around my eyes.” Seeing flashing lights is one of the
symptoms of a concussion.
Charles may not have told Burkholder that he was seeing flashing lights, and Charles may not have exhibited any other symptoms of a concussion when he was examined. But Charles has said since that he had a symptom associated with concussions. And whether he actually had a concussion or not, it’s alarming that he indicated he wanted to avoid being diagnosed.