Darren McFadden: If players can hide concussions, they probably do

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden is no stranger to injuries. The former fourth overall pick is now in his fifth season, and it is going to be the fifth in which he has not been able to play a full 16 games. There are injuries players can battle through and others that they can’t, and McFadden has apparently never had an NFL season without one of the ones you can’t play through.

McFadden’s knees have generally been the issue, but from the sound of it a mild concussion would not keep him out of action. During a recent interview with 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, he touched on the increasingly popular discussion of NFL players playing through head injuries.

“I guess with concussions, most guys look at it, if you can hide it, they probably do,” McFadden said. “But if sometimes it’s those deals where you can’t hide it at all, you have no choice but to tell somebody. I think it’s one of those things that if you can deal with it, a lot of guys will probably do that.”

The more they say it, the more we have no choice but to believe it. While Roger Goodell would like the general public to think the NFL is efficient in dealing with concussions and making sure players are held out if they sustain one, that’s just not the case. Both former players and current NFL stars have admitted that playing through concussions is a part of the game. The NFL is working to change that, but there’s always going to be only so much team doctors can do.

Thanks to Sports Radio Interviews for transcribing the quotes