

NFL alum Levens to speak on concussions at Blythedale

Sep. 20, 2011

VALHALLA — I watched portions of three NFL games Sunday and saw three players suffer concussions. The Rangers' Marc Staal has not participated in training-camp scrimmages because of symptoms from a concussion he suffered last February. Three NHL players died this summer, with possible ties to concussion-related depression issues.

The brain injury is the scourge of sports today, and not just at the pro level.

So tonight, former NFL running back Dorsey Levens and the co-directors of Blythedale Children's Hospital's specialized new Traumatic Brain Injury Unit will host an open "Town Hall" on concussions and traumatic brain injuries from 7-8:30 p.m. at the hospital.

Athletes, parents, coaches, trainers, nurses and administrators from many local schools are planning to attend, and the event is open to the public and free of charge, no reservations required.

The "Town Hall" comes just as the new TBI unit at Blythedale prepares for its December opening, and as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that he will sign a bill that legislates minimum standards for high school athletes or gym students returning from concussions, a bill supported by the NFL and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

Levens, who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay and also played for the Giants, is now an analyst for Comcast Sports and runs his own communications company, which is producing a documentary film called "Bell Rung: An Alarming Portrait of Professional Football." He has interviewed many NFL players for the film and heard some horrific stories.

"Dave Duerson, from the Chicago Bears, committing suicide, and the manner he did it — shooting himself in the chest so he left his brain in one piece so they could study it and find out where it went wrong," Levens said. "I think the thing that's most alarming about that is that it got so bad that he didn't want to live anymore. That grabbed my attention, that how bad does it have to be for you to commit suicide, and then leave your brain in one piece so future generations could find out how to prevent this? That to me says it all."

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Then there was John Mackey, a Hall of Famer who died after a bout with early onset dementia — whose only enjoyment at the end of his life was playing catch with his wife. That story broke Levens' heart.

Tonight, Levens will talk about precautions, and about awareness and management and recovery requirements. He knows, as we do, that as long as there are sports, there will be concussions.

"The speed," Levens said, "the way that guys hit each other, I catch myself going, 'Ohhhh,' way more times now than when I played. Like, 'Oh, my God, did you see that hit?' You see it all the time now, and there's no regard for your body at all. It's really mind-numbing to think about what we do and why we do it. ... From a common-sense standpoint, you can't keep banging your head against a wall and think nothing's going to happen. It just doesn't work like that."

But how do coaches, doctors, adult supervisors and administrators take care of those who suffer brain injuries?

Dr. Jay Selman, formerly of Edgemont, now the chief of neurology at Blythedale and one of the co-directors of the TBI unit, said prevention is one area — he can't believe it when he sees helmetless parents biking with their helmeted children, or that Connecticut still allows motorcyclists to ride without helmets.

"One of the things that is mandated with the new state law is that trainers and coaches have a systematic approach, where someone may have been dinged, to check them at the sidelines for orientation, memory, did something happen?" Selman said. "If there is evidence of a head injury, they cannot return to play that day.

"One of the most important things is that when somebody returns to play, be it on an amateur or professional basis, it has to be individualized, because everybody responds differently, and you can't always tell — you usually can't tell — by looking at somebody that they're ready or not ready.

"Second, when someone returns, it is done on a graduated basis. You don't go from resting at home to going back and getting on the ice or on the football field, but first, can you get through a day without being fatigued, without having to take a nap? Can you do light physical activity? Can you do more intense physical activity without symptoms of the concussion or post-concussion coming back? Then can you do light contact; then can you do full contact? And that timeframe for people can and does vary. That's because, by looking at the person, even by doing a neurological exam, we can't see exactly what has happened to the brain."

Concussions have been around forever, but only now are we really seeing how profound the effects are.

"What people are really concerned about is something called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and you really have to very clearly differentiate a high school athlete who has had one or two concussions versus some of the pro players who have gone on and developed this syndrome," Selman said. "The NFL has begun to get very interested in this, and very involved, because some of those people have developed memory loss, dementia, bizarre behavior, suicide — and have really come to a tragic end."

Reach Rick Carpiniello at

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