Argos remaining cautious with Boyd’s concussion

[audio:http://torontoobserver.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Steven_concussions_podcast.mp3|titles=Steven_concussions_podcast]

Perhaps the word concussion should be synonymous with the word uncertainty.

Take the example of Toronto Argonauts running back Cory Boyd.

Boyd suffered his third concussion of the season two weeks ago in an Argos loss to the B.C. Lions that sidelined him from last week’s win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, leaving him unavailable for Sunday’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos in Moncton.

The Argos’ back was originally slated to miss just one game, but it seems that the team is taking pre-cautionary measures by keeping him out of Touchdown Atlantic’s main event.

“We’re not going to err with his head,” Toronto head coach Jim Barker told the Toronto Star. “At this point, he’s probably not going to play.”

Delaying the amount of time an athlete will remain on the shelf isn’t anything new when concussions are involved.

Looking at recent examples in other sports shows that extended time away is turning into the norm with head injuries.

For instance, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has been battling a concussion since July 7 and is not expected to return before the playoffs begin.

The all-star was originally put on the 15-day disabled list, but it would seem his ailment was more serious then originally diagnosed.

Irresolution on when Morneau will be available is frustrating for Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire who told 1500 ESPN radio that he doesn’t “see how it [return to the lineup soon] can possibly happen for him.”

Another example is the case of Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard.

Savard suffered a concussion after falling to a blindside hit from the Pittsburgh Penguin’s Matt Cooke last March.

He returned from the injury in time for the playoffs and was active for the Bruins during that time, however, that may have been too soon.

The Boston playmaker is now experiencing lingering effects of the concussion and there have been questions on whether or not he will miss the entire 2010-11 NHL season.

There are still many unknowns that surround concussions, and it seems that making a proper diagnosis is far less cut and dry than other common sports injuries.

The decision that Argonauts’ doctors made to keep the CFL’s second leading rusher out of the lineup for one more week may not be very popular with Toronto fans, but it is probably in the best interests of the 25-year-old and his future in professional football.

About this article

By: Steve Loung
Posted: Sep 24 2010 9:47 pm
Edition:
Filed under: Football Sports
Topics: