Chicago Cubs fielder, Jason Heyward: “I wasn’t going to say anything, and then eventually I was glad I did.”
Jason Heyward took the full brunt of his Right Field wall in a brave attempt to snag victory away from the Cardinal’s Dexter Fowler. Heyward bounced, hard, and the ball sailed over the wall.
“I felt it was supposed to be normal to be that sore,” Heyward said. “And then I just kind of noticed I wasn’t feeling right.”
Player access is strictly forbidden under MLB’s concussion protocols, so it is refreshing to see Heyward released from the Disabled List and speak candidly about his experience to reporters.
Heyward went on to say, “I’ve never had a concussion. I guess it just kind of makes a believer out of me. Not that I didn’t believe before, but just to go through it, you feel for anybody that goes through it. This stuff’s scary. Because you don’t feel like yourself, and then you don’t see anything wrong with you physically but there’s something that’s not right.”
Players of all leagues take note: Heyward’s symptoms were not usually indicative of traditional early concussion signs. He experienced extra upper body soreness the next day, followed by a “strange feeling.” After that, he quickly entered the MLB concussion protocols.
Days passed before his energy levels returned to normal.
“I think like day three I woke up and I was, ‘okay, I feel good,’” Heyward said. “And then I got to the field, and I was like, ‘this is not anywhere near okay, and I don’t feel good.’ It was frustrating. There were days where I was sad, down. But it’s just good being around the guys.”
“It was a bunch of everything: fatigue, not feeling like myself, cold, dull headaches. But it passed, thank goodness.”
Word to the wise; if you experience any abnormal symptoms the evening of or the days after banging your head, don’t wait, get yourself checked out by a specialist.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional ball player or a dad who hit his head while trying to finally fix that clogged sink, man up and put your health before your pride.
Glad to have you back, Heyward. Go get ‘em.
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