Clinton Portis Played Through Concussions All The Time
By Mike Dyce
Concussions have come underscrutiny in the NFL as we watch players health decline. The NFL has implemented a series of checks to prevent players from playing with concussions.
Clinton Portis said it was common practice for him to play through concussions.
“The truth is I had a lot of concussions,” Portis told Mike Freeman of CBS. “It was just the way things were at the time. I’d get hit hard and be woozy. I’d be dizzy. I’d take a play off and then go back in. Sometimes when I went back into the game, I still couldn’t see straight. This happened all the time. Sometimes once or twice a game.”
Portis couldn’t even accurately tell you how many concussions he’s sustained over his career.
“Numerous,” Portis said.
Five? Ten?
“More than that, I think,” Portis said.
“I can’t put an exact number on it,” he adds. “I just know it was a lot. I stopped counting at some point.”
But Portis doesn’t think he will have issues other players had.
“I have a few aches and pains,” he said, “nothing major. None of the, ‘I can’t stand up or walk’ stuff. I got away from the game at the perfect time. To be 31 and retired and spending time with my kids, I love it.”