Jamaal Charles Comments on Avoiding Concussion Tests After Brandon Flowers Hit

Kansas City Chiefs star Jamaal Charles' brutal collision with San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers that resulted in a touchdown in Week 7 may have been worse than it initially seemed for the running back. 

Flowers stayed down after the contact and left the game with a concussion. Charles popped right back up and ran to the sidelines as if nothing was wrong. It turns out that may not have been the case.

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

During an appearance on ESPN radio's The Dan Le Batard Show, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Charles admits that he was seeing flashing bulbs around his eyes later in the game:

"It definitely hurt," Charles said. "It’s like, I woke up—I mean, like, a couple plays later I was seeing light bulbs, like, light bulbs around my eyes, and I was trying to catch them. But I was in the game so I was like, ‘Alright, let’s get the ball and run again.' "

Despite the hit and feeling afterward, Charles stayed in the game and finished with 95 rushing yards on 22 carries. He said he did not want to go through the NFL's concussion protocol on the sidelines after being taken out of January's Wild Card loss at Indianapolis with a head injury.

"I didn’t have a concussion, but it definitely was a hit that shocked me," Charles said. "But I don’t think I had to go through the concussion protocols and all that. I didn’t want to go through that again because of what happened in the playoffs. I was definitely fine; I think I came out pretty good."

Smith's post on Charles' admission also includes a link to the National Library of Medicine noting that "seeing all white, all black, or stars" is a concussion symptom. 

This is where the NFL has run into trouble with the concussion protocol. It's a smart system to have in place for the league, but players can find ways of getting around the test because they don't want to come out of games.

The team said that Charles did go through concussion protocol, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio:

"

The #Chiefs confirmed today that RB Jamaal Charles was checked out during the San Diego game for a concussion. He passed all tests.

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) October 22, 2014"

Adam Belcher of ESPN added more from the team:

"

Kansas City Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder said Wednesday that Charles was placed in the protocol on Tuesday and passed all the tests. Charles will practice Wednesday, but the team will continue to monitor his symptoms.

"We're not classifying him as having a concussion. But as with all of our players, I'll monitor him as he goes and he'll go through practice today," Burkholder said.

Burkholder said Wednesday that he checked Charles after the hit and that the running back showed no signs of a concussion, although Charles said in an ESPN Radio interview Tuesday that he wasn't checked for a concussion Sunday.

"When he got the hit, I obviously checked with him. He was fine. I know coach [Andy Reid] talked to him a good bit there. I came back and checked with him, consulted with our team physician. He was absolutely asymptomatic, wasn't complaining about anything," Burkholder said.

"

In 2011, Alex Marvez of Fox Sports spoke to Dr. Daniel Amen, who has worked with former and current players dealing with post-concussion symptoms. Dr. Amen noted that some players try to sabotage the concussion protocol by tanking their initial baseline tests taken in preseason "to determine clearance for an in-game return."

No one can look at the hit Charles took without thinking there might be something to look at, but because he bounced right back up there was no way of knowing anything was wrong. It's only two days later that he's describing potential symptoms.  

Hopefully Charles doesn't suffer any long-term damage for continuing to play in a game when he was seeing light around his eyes. It just may not be something an athlete wants to think about while on the field. 

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