FILE - This Sept. 2011 file photo
shows Patriots' Mike Wright on the sideline during the fourth quarter of a
preseason game against the Giants at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.
Wright's season ended prematurely due to a concussion for the second
straight year on Thursday when the Patriots placed the veteran defensive
lineman on injured reserve.
Wright’s emotional message on Friday even traveled right down to the high school and mighty mite level.
Wright, who was placed on season-ending IR (injured reserve list) for his second concussion in less than two years, somberly spoke to the media about the importance of the brain bruise he sustained in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins.
"I was thinking about coming back in the next couple weeks," Wright said. "But based on my concussion history...coaches, doctors and trainers are looking out for my best interest and my health. I did not want to go on the IR. It was the last thing I wanted to do. I was looking forward to being a part of this team. It was just the right decision."
Wright first sustained a concussion in last season’s game against the Colts on Nov. 21 when he collided with then teammate Tully Banta-Cain, who made significant contact with Wright’s helmet.
Throughout his ordeal after the concussion, Wright said it challenging for him. He experienced trouble watching television, being on the computer and reading books.
This year, Wright was excited in training camp and made it back to the field against the Dolphins. But the hopes of a new season quickly evaporated after taking another blow to the head.
"In college, you don’t think about these injuries," Wright said. "It’s not a big deal, having your head a little sore. I have a new found respect for the brain and what it does just based on what I’ve dealt with."
Concussions are now the talk of all sports from elementary school to the professional level.
Dr. Ricardo Komotar, Director of Surgical Neuro-Oncology and neurosurgeon at the University of Miami Hospital spoke about the dangers and signs athletes must understand when sustaining even a minor concussion.
"Most concussions have a loss of consciousness," Komotar said. "But a player doesn’t have to be knocked out cold in order to have a concussion. Athletes develop a loss of short-term memory, severe headache and difficulty concentrating. The person knows something is off.
"When you’re dealing with multiple concussions, you’re putting your long-term mental health at risk, not just short-term. The chance of getting back to 100 percent normal becomes less. My strategy after the third concussion is a wrap. Now the chance of long-term chronic, permanent brain damage is higher. In my perspective, three is the cutoff."
Komotar spoke about former Bengal receiver Chris Henry, who in 2009 died when he fell out of a moving truck in Charlotte N.C.
A year later, the Brain Injury Research Institute of West Virginia released a report stating Henry developed a brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy during his playing career due to multiple hits to the head.
"You look at the type of athlete playing in the sport," Komotar said. "People are bigger, stronger and faster. I think just the evolution of the athlete... the speed, the velocity, the mass and energy on contact. Just the overall size of the athlete. Our recognition of the injury has gone up so much. I think now the general education of physicians, players and the public in general are so much higher."
Wright said concussions are no joke.
"I have a long life to live and a lot of things to look forward to," Wright said. "You have to put things in perspective. You just take a lot of things for granted. You love the game. It’s a process and routine that you get a custom through the years.
"Football is a game of toughness...there’s a lot of things you do push through but there are things that you have to paid attention to that can affect you in a serious way. You can’t even imagine."
Wright has this message for high school football players.
"This game is awesome and I think the best in the world," he said. "Being a tougher sports makes it so special but you have to draw the line somewhere. Kids just need to learn from us to respect their bodies.... don’t be afraid or don’t think you’re not tough to tell somebody about what’s going on. You just have to be in tune with this. You have to respect it. The long term affects are just not worth it."
Wright hopes to convey that message to his teammates each week.
"I’ll be there in the locker room," Wright said. "Hopefully they’ll learn from my situation and helped them to move forward. Also be able to protect themselves."
Wright, 29, is a seven-year veteran who compiled 134 tackles and 15 sacks in 81 games with the Patriots. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive end had been sidelined since collecting a tackle and half-a-sack in New England’s 38-24 win at Miami.
Wright, who was teary eyes throughout, concluded the press conference with this.
"Your brain is extremely important," Wright said. "You don’t even know what your brain has to process to get out of a chair. I think its great what the NFL is trying to do to educate everyone...I think the kids in high school level can learn a lot. When it comes to your brains...it’s very, very serious....its nothing to play with....not only in the NFL but college and high school. Kids can educate themselves and get a little bit hold of these injuries."
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