Randall Cobb Describes Memory Loss After Suffering Concussion vs. Bears

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb suffered a concussion against the Chicago Bears on December 16.

On Thursday, Cobb revealed to the media that he had memory loss after the play. "I don't remember anything until I got back to the locker room, so there's like a 10-minute span where I had amnesia," Cobb said. "Yeah, it's pretty scary. Have you ever had a time period where you just don't remember anything? It's pretty scary."

Cobb stayed in the game for three more plays before being placed in the concussion protocol. However, the ex-Kentucky star said he has no memory of those three plays, nor does he recall the drive-ending interception.

Cobb missed his team's December 23 game against the New York Jets. He did not practice Wednesday but was on the field Thursday in a limited capacity.

"I'm practicing to play football," Cobb said. "So, obviously, it's definitely scary, but I do love what I do and I'm going to play until I don't feel like I can play anymore."

Like many veterans, Cobb has suffered serious injuries. Remarkably, Cobb played 13 or more games in six of his first seven seasons after he joined the league in 2011. He's overcome plenty to stay on the field, and this is another example of his resiliency.

Still, Cobb's concussion and ensuing memory loss is a reminder of the significant dangers of football. According to Joe Ward, Josh Williams and Sam Manchester of the New York Times, Dr. Ann McKee (a Boston University neuropathologist) examined the brains of 111 deceased football players, and all but one had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Per the Times trio, that is a "degenerative disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head" that "causes myriad symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, depression and dementia."

The game is being made safer with the introduction of the helmet rule and other directives, but Cobb and his fellow players brave tremendous risks to perform in front of millions of adoring fans every week.

As Cobb implied, it takes a special person to keep going out there:

"I've had a punctured lung. I've had a broken leg. I came back and played and not thought about those things. I would consider this to be another thing that whenever I take the field, I'm worried about that moment. I'm not worried about what's happened in the past. Which is hard to do. That's why we're the men in the arena. That's one of my favorite quotes; LeBron (James) always talks about that quote a lot. There's a reason we do what we do and other people don't, because we're able to overcome those thoughts."

The Packers close their season with a 1 p.m. ET home game on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.