Maybe, Just Maybe
It was late in the third quarter and Penn State was fighting not only to keep its undefeated season alive, but its hopes for a national championship as well. As Penn State quarterback, Daryll Clark scrambled for a seven-yard gain, he collided with two 300-pound defensive linemen. Seven snaps later, Penn State officials diagnosed Clark with having sustained a concussion from the collision and pulled him from the rest of the game. Those watching the game could see that Clark was visibly upset by the decision not to let him return to play.
Not only did Penn State win the game and keep its national championship hopes alive, Penn State demonstrated that the health of its athlete was more important than winning a football game. Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State’s Director of Athletic Medicine, was quoted as saying “We know the stakes are high, but we’re pretty much dedicated to the preservation of an athlete’s well-being. No one questioned it at all. We knew we had to find another way to win. That was it.”
The actions by Penn State’s team doctors and coaches should be a lesson to everyone that players who sustain concussions during sporting events should not be returned to play. Maybe, just maybe, others will follow this example.