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In Tebow's case, even a 'mild' concussion is cause for concern

The Associated Press

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is helped off the field after suffering a concussion at Kentucky on Saturday.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 29, 2009

We tend to take Tim Tebow for granted in this state, only because as Floridians we have seen it all before. By the time his career winds up at the end of this season – possibly with a third national championship in four years – he will have set the "legends" bar so high that it would be foolhardy to think anyone can ever match it.

A measure of his true impact came Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky., though. The Florida Gators were ahead 31-7, well into another comfortable win over Kentucky, when Tebow was flattened by defensive end Taylor Wyndham. Tebow lay motionless on the field at Commonwealth Stadium as Kentucky fans went stone silent.

First off, good for them for showing a lot of class. I can think of a lot of places where the sight of an injured Tebow would have been greeted by mocking and cheering. Between Serena Williams screaming at a linesman in the U.S. Open and a congressman insulting President Barack Obama during a speech, it has been open season on civility. It was good to be reminded it is possible to be passionate about your team and still maintain your dignity.

They waited until Tebow got to his feet before giving him a warm ovation. It's actually a little sad that we have to note that, since you'd like to think fans everywhere would be capable of such perspective. We know differently though, don't we?

Anyway…

The good news is, Florida coach Urban Meyer says he is hopeful Tebow can play in UF's next game, Oct. 10 at LSU.

Translation: Tebow will play.

Florida has been understandably vague about the severity of Tebow's concussion. We can figure it's relatively mild as these things go because he was released from a hospital in Kentucky after staying overnight for observation. But still, a concussion is an injury to the brain, so even a "mild" one is something to worry about.

There are an estimated 3.8 million concussions each year from sports and related activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most aren't severe. Tebow certainly was easy to diagnose – he was disoriented on the field, vomiting on the sideline and generally woozy. Those are classic symptoms of concussions.

Basically, doctors say most concussions go away with rest and time, so we assume Tebow will be fine. We also know concussions are serious business, though – the days are gone when they're dismissed as just a headache. Now that he has had one of these injuries, you worry about what can happen if he gets a second one.

It does happen. Quarterbacks like Troy Aikman and Steve Young had multiple concussions, and a player who throws his body around the way Tebow does is always going to be vulnerable to all sorts of injuries.

Tebow has provided such joy in his four years at Florida that it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget that he is a marked man against every team he plays. I've never seen a player like him in college.

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said Tebow was the quarterback equivalent of Bronco Nagurski, but imagine what the comparisons will be if he comes back from this injury, goes to LSU – maybe the most hostile stadium in the country for visiting teams – and delivers another classic Tebow performance.

If he does that, we really will have seen it all.

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