Browns TE Benjamin Watson Placed on IR, Will Return in 2012
The Cleveland Browns placed Benjamin Watson on injured reserve on Friday, after the tight end suffered his third concussion of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 8. It happened on a play in the first half when Steelers safety Ryan Clark hit him on a short incompletion. Despite feeling better with no additional setbacks, the Browns decided to shut him down.
"“It was pretty bad,” said Watson. “It was the worst concussion I’ve had. My equilibrium was totally thrown off, and I could hardly stand up. But I never lost consciousness. Certain sounds go off in your head, and you hear everything magnified times 10. I was able to answer all the questions, but they took me out of the game because of the dizziness.”"
Despite that, Watson fully expects to return to action for the Browns in 2012. It helps that he’s never experienced any lingering effects due to his concussions and no doctor has ever advised him to stop playing football.
Obviously, there are a lot of things for Watson to consider. With every concussion one becomes more susceptible for another, and that’s not mentioning the potential long-term effects, either.
Watson feels at 100 percent now and was simply shut down as a precautionary measure (which might be the same fate for Colt McCoy), though with three concussions under his belt in this season alone, he’s now going to have to seriously consider his future.