What a Concussion Really Feels Like for an NFL Player

From seeing double to feeling like you are having an out-of-body-experience, retired NFL player Thomas Jones does not mince words on what a football-related concussion really feels like.

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[scifyry]

I watched a documentary about CTE where Troy Aikman said he didn't remember winning a Super Bowl because of a concussion in the NFC Championship game.

[britiw]

i hope this guy will be ok for the rest of his life

[questadventure]

Black spots, stars, double vision, ears ringing, not comprehending auditory input… soooo many times I can relate.

[rts]

I myself suffered a concussion in 2006 when I got hit on my motorcycle. I was wearing a helmet but my head hit so hard that it was still enough impact to give me a concussion. It was the first concussion or head trauma I had ever got. I can tell you with all truth that a concussion is pure hell. Your emotions change rapidly and the pain in your head makes the top if your head feel like it is going to explode. It lasts for 45 days. In this 45 days you can and will get periods of rage and extreme depression. A single concussion takes 45 days to fully heal. Looking back I can only imagine what these football and NFL players go through with constant concussions that don't even heal. It's gotta be hell !!!

[glennzanotti]

I've had a concussion. A big one. I was unconscious for at least 20 minutes. I regained consciousness as I was being loaded into an ambulance. The EMT asked me questions. I got the first few. The one that got me was, "Who is the president of the United States?" I couldn't answer it. I remember laughing because I couldn't answer it. How could I not be able to answer such an easy question? I got 25 stitches in my forehead, and my fiancee and friends took me home. That night was horrible. My fiancee had to wake me up every hour to ask me questions, per doctor's orders. Her whispers to me felt like explosions in my head. Twenty years later, I still do not remember anything about the accident. I know what these players went through. It is scary stuff.

[eliastuominen]

Watching this when you have a concussion

[jonathandacosta]

Things like this is why NFL players deserve to be paid more than the average NBA player.

[bigpapi]

In high school I played the entire game. Every snap, offense, defense, special teams. One time on a kickoff (us kicking) I hit this guy really hard. I had to ask a teammate if we were offense or defense. He looked at me like an idiot and said we are defense. It took a few plays before I knew what I was doing. We used to call it getting your bell rung. I am 44. I forget common words when talking to people in addition to other memory issues. I avoid people because I struggle with conversation. I love football but I regret playing.

[thewolfrabbi]

in my concussions it wasn't as bad as he said but he's right. you're not really aware of what's going on you're just going through the motions and everything is blurry. nothing's normal but you don't realize it unless you had one vefore

[kristinajensen]

Very personal testimony from Mr. Jones went a long way to explaining concussion to me. Valuable Knowledge Transfer. Thanks for sharing your story.

[Matt-xrty]

I'm glad I found this vid Thomas. Played contact sports from 13-22 years old. My concussions usually consisted of seeing bright colors all over, highlighter green in particular. My 1st serious concussion was from a blind side, for the next few days in pads it was like being in the clouds. (it wasn't a bad feeling at the time, I felt careless.) as I got older I accumulated more concussions, the worst putting me in the hospital. I'm 28 now, i have no idea how many concussions I've had, but I'm suffering. I cannot recall names, I have to write everything down, my mental abilities seem to have halted or regressed. I don't see a bright future for myself but I hope those in their early stages of sports see this and recognize the dangers of concussions. I know there are others out there like me, your not alone. May god watch over each and everyone of you. -matt

[boss]

man everything says is so true its hard to explain a concussion i had every single kind he mentioned...whats really crazy is when he talks about feeling like you can control yourself like a video game ive had one like that before and its almost like you already been there before and you know whats coming it kinda feels like your awareness gets boosted or something its hard to explain its a weird feeling but i just rolled with it and that was one of my best games in football also concussion are strange and there are different magnitudes to them but you do get that out of body feeling and feeling like your in a different world

[claycohen]

I'm a high school football player and I can relate to exactly everything he said. How it feels like your not choosing what you do or say but your body just does it for you. I don't plan on going to play in college and after this experience my entire outlook on football has changed. Instead of seeing big hits I see brain damage and now at this point it's hard for me to look at the game the same way.

[Hockeyfan]

This scares me.  When I played competitive contact hockey, I would get into my zone by playing physical.  I had suffered a major concussion but I never thought about it like this.  I never really remembered the games, and I just attributed it to "being in the zone".

[stephykamzy]

"we are warriors and trained to keep fighting" like gladiators ... sacrifice you for the Entertainment of others etc... well as long as you are aware of the risks your taking ok.. guood luck to all you gladiators..gods speed

[sharpasaneraser]

there's no doubt that the NFL's days are numbered as we know it.

[tjgordon]

I remember back in in about 2004 we had to take a baseline concussion test before we were allowed to practice. Not a single kid was sent to take that test to verify his concussion status. All we heard was “you’ll be alright, you just got your bell rung”.

[akmusicproductions]

I've had 3 concussions where all 3 resulted in loss of consciousness. First one was in high-school football practice. Woke up seeing balck floating specs and I couldn't see what I was looking at... just the periphery. Trainer had me breath into a paper bag. He said I had an oxygen imbalance in the brain!! Next concussion was when I got mugged by 3 guys and after I got sucker-punched from behind and hit the ground and the last thing I saw was a boot coming at my face... the final concussion was in a car accident. In that accident I had broken my hip, arm, knee cap and fractured my skull. I remember waking up in the emergency room... the nurse was about to sit me upright so they could stitch up my scalp and I heard a male voice say "get that pan ready, he's had a concussion and will vomit" and sure enough as I came upward I hurled all over the nurse! Poor nurse... I blacked out and woke up in x-ray where they were x-raying my hip... To this day, I suffer black-outs, dizziness and severe headaches that start at the base of skull and end up in the top or front of my head and have violent mood swings. It's been tough holding onto jobs... when employers just don't know who's going to show up for work today in my body and fellow employees fearing if I'm going to explode in a fit of rage. Lost many jobs because of this. Needless to say... I forbid my son play tackle football. Not worth it.

[kingjahk]

I am suddenly thankful I only had lower level concussions. Couldn't imagine surviving the NFL type. Ironically, my high school backs coach played with Don Strock at VaTech. Praying for Thomas Jones🙏

[RobertSpiller]

Wow I admire you...at least in a way. You're a warrior and you kept playing with a concussion. I have a mild concussion, and I'm going through all types of things...and my will power is shot...at lot of things in me is shot. I need t do things, but I'm constantly feeling the same effects just like the first time this happened to me back on April 21st. I guess it shows how important it is to stay in shape, but for some people, just one TBI...even a mild one can last a long long time.