Green Bay Packers

Packers' T.J. Lang: Concussions are 'part of the game'

Published Nov. 30, 2015 11:39 a.m. ET

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The NFL has ramped up its concussion protocol lately in an attempt to improve player safety, but some players believe brain injuries will always be part of the game. Green Bay Packers guard T.J. Lang, who suffered a concussion in the preseason, is one of those players.

Lang spoke about his concussion history and his concerns he has about the injury, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

Yeah, I've had my fair share. I think I've had three or four, and they're scary to go through. I went through one in Pittsburgh this preseason. They're scary. It was middle of the game, I was kind of looking around and for about 10, 15 seconds I had no idea where I was. And that kind of scared me.

I've never had something where I've had memory loss like that, but it's something that it's, to me it's part of the game. It is a scary thing, but everybody in this league knows the risk that they have by going out there and playing this game.

Lang went on to describe concussions as the price he and many other players pay in order to do what they love for a living, via the Free Press:

It's something that some guys feel like it's too dangerous that they don't want to do it, or some guys, they feel like that's the price you have to pay sometimes to do the things that you love to do. Obviously, it's a scary thing, but I think the NFL has taken some strides here in the last couple years, especially, by trying to make sure that they're really being aware of the situations with the head injuries and making sure that guys are taking plenty of time before they rush back into it.

Concussions are a growing concern, as awareness continues to swell across the league. The injury is treated much more seriously now, and players should experience fewer long-term effects as a result of the efforts taken to date.