How Times Have Changed Since the Day Greg Lloyd's 'Three Count' Knocked Al Toon out of Game with Concussion

Being a 39 year old man, I think it's probably safe to say that I grew up in an era that was on the tail-end of how people viewed the seriousness of concussions.

As a kid, if I saw one of my heroes get carted off with what looked to be a knee injury, I thought that was catastrophic. However, if a star player seemed to be suffering from a concussion, I breathed a sigh of relief and usually said, "well, you can play with a concussion."

But one of the great things about getting older is you get a little wiser in a lot of areas.

And thanks to many eye-opening stories about the effects of multiple-concussions, I now realize that they are way more serious than just a "ding to the head."

I think one of the first things that really made me more aware was hearing former Steeler Merril Hoge, who suffered multiple concussions during his career, discuss the many struggles he faced with post-concussion syndrome, like not being able to find his way home everyday for months at a time. Can you imagine that?

And if you're currently living in Pittsburgh, or are a Penguins fan, I'm sure you know the struggles that superstar player Sidney Crosby has had as he's missed the better part of a year because of the effects of two concussions he suffered in January. It was a little touch-and-go there for a while as to whether or not Crosby would ever play again. Here's a guy, just 24 years old, already the best player in hockey, and he almost had is career cut short because of concussions; and nobody knows for sure what will happen the first time Crosby takes a hard shot to the head.

If stories like those don't open your eyes, I don't know what will.

Over the past couple of seasons, the NFL has gone to great lengths to try and reduce the number of violent, concussion-inducing head shots in football.

Steeler Nation is well-aware of this, as Steeler players have been subjected to many penalties and fines over the course of the past year or so



http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/11/16/2567358/steelers-history-greg-lloyd-al-toon-concussion-nfl-head-injuries

To say that times have changed is an understatement.