Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher comes clean on pain killer use - NFL News
Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher in an interview on Tuesday admitted to using pain killers and hiding concussions from the medical staff to stay on the field.
The Linebacker who is known by the nickname of “Mr. Chicago” has been an important part of the Bears over a career spanning 12 years with the franchise.
In a candid interview with the Chicago Tribune Urlacher told the reporters that he doesn’t mind taking the pain killers which can result in side effects and complications in the future.
"First of all, we love football," Urlacher said. "We want to be on the field as much as we can be. If we can be out there, it may be stupid, it may be dumb, call me dumb and stupid then, because I want to be on the football field."
The National Football League is recently facing a string of lawsuits by former players over concussions and their impact on the future life of the ex-players beyond the football field with the players blaming the league for not providing enough information
to them during their playing days.
The lawsuits have resulted in the league introducing monitors during games who would convey to the bench the names of players who they believe are experiencing concussion like symptoms.
Urlacher however, does not buy into that and says that he has played through concussions and misled the medical staff about his injuries to remain on the field as long as possible.
"If I have a concussion these days, I'm going to say something happened to my toe or knee just to get my bearings for a few plays," he told HBO, according to the Tribune. "I'm not going to sit in there and say I got a concussion. [Then] I can't go in there
the rest of the game."
The love of the game by the players often outweighs their injury concerns and most players never disclose concussion like symptoms to the medical staff so they can continue playing and help their team in any way possible risking their life and health for
the team.
Urlacher in the interview however, said he did not know about the side effects of the pain killer Toradol that he took 40 to 50 times in his career. Side effects include kidney failure and bleeding in the intestine but the Linebacker did not seem much concerned
about the potential health problems and said that he loves the game more.
The Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs again this season as they ended the 2011 regular season with an 8-8 record as the team’s form dipped considerably in the business end of the season.
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