Chargers Dielman Says His Concussions Would Stop Him
Football has been called a gladiator sport, and it inspires the kind of bravado that San Diego Chargers Kris Dielman recently expressed.
In an interview with the Associated Press Dielman, who was benched for 10 games after he sustained a concussion, said he would be willing to risk his health “in pursuit of a Super Bowl ring.”
Read the story and quotes for yourself.
Here is a guy who has two young sons. And even though he sustained a horrible concussion, and there has been a ton of press about the long-term dangers and impact of head injuries, Dielman is still willing to get on the field for that big win. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The handling of Dielman’s concussion was so appalling that it prompted the National Football League to say that it would give game officials concussion-awareness training so they will be more adept at gauging when a player has sustained a concussion.
Dielman will have to decide if he wants to retire or return to the gridiron. He still longs to win a Super Bowl.
“I would love a ring,” he told AP. “That’s what I’ve been playing for since I got in. That was my goal, my first year, was to make the team, then to make the practice squad, then to get on the 53 (man roster). The Super Bowl ultimately was the end one. And that’s what everybody’s fighting for.”
Dielman’s remarks were the first he has made to the press since his concussion. So maybe he still isn’t thinking straight. Concussions do that to you.
Dielman got a head the injury Oct. 23 early in a game against the New York Jets, but he continued to play. His concussion wasn’t diagnosed until the game ended, and he had a seizure on the flight home. He was hospitalized.
Dielman says he feels good now. Roughly a week after he was hurt, the NFL directed game officials to keep close watch for concussion symptoms in players.
Dielman admitted that a little ol’ thing like a concussion won’t normally hold him back.
“I’ll play through just about anything and I’ve played through this one and it got me,” AP quoted him as saying. “I’ve made my whole career doing dumb (stuff) like that.”
Dielman will huddle with his family and physicians before he takes his next step.
But despite all this guy has been through, he is still tempted by that missing Super Bowl ring.
“No ring. I’ve only got a wedding ring,” he told AP. “I’ve done the Pro Bowls, I’ve done the contract. I want a Super Bowl. I’m no different than anybody else in San Diego that’s (complaining) and moaning about not being in the Super Bowl.”
Yes, you are different, Kris. You had a concussion that benched you for a long period of time. Wise up.
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