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Maybe he’s on to something.
And this has nothing to do with talent.
It’s a major medical concern.
I’m talking about Josh Rosen, who had two concussions at UCLA last season.
I mentioned at the owner’s meeting a former NFL long-time QB, now in the media, told me he’d stay away from Rosen due to concussions concerns, and the fact that is father is one of the nation’s top doctors.
Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker, now in the media, said something similar on “The Tiki and Tierney Show” on CBS Sports Radio.
“I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about the fact that Josh Rosen had two concussions last year at UCLA,” Tucker said on Tiki and Tierney. “One, he missed a game, and the other one, he missed a whole month.
“I can say this because I went to an Ivy League school,” said Tucker, who went to Princeton. “His mom went to Princeton, his dad went to Penn and is a renowned spine surgeon. If you draft him in the top five picks, he gets a minimum of $24 million fully guaranteed. Let’s be logical about this: how many concussions is he going to play through?
“I’m not suggesting he should. I’m just saying with his background and the fact that he just had two last year, he might be one-and-done. He might get a concussion and be like, ‘Okay, I can get $24 million fully guaranteed in this contract and never pay football again, or I can go back out, get another concussion and maybe another one.’”
People can be dismissive of what the former QB told me, or what Tucker said, but it’s a legit concern.
Granted Josh Rosen is an adult now and doesn’t need to listen to his father.
But don’t you think that if he gets another concussion or two, Josh himself, is going to start to wonder if it’s worth it.
And while he’s an adult and can decide what he wants to do, he will definitely talk to his father, a noted spine surgeon, who was being considered for Surgeon General under former President Barack Obama.
You don’t think that Josh would consider pulling the plug when he gets up to, let’s say, four concussions.
Keep in mind, he’s not particular mobile, so he’s not great at getting out of harm’s way, perhaps increasing his chances of taking the big hits that lead to concussions.
There is no doubt as a talent he can help the Jets. He’s the best pure passer in the draft.
But this concussion concern, especially in this day and age, can be minimized.
Plus he comes from money and has said himself that he doesn’t need football.
“I’m coming from a place where if football doesn’t work out, I don’t have to work at McDonald’s,” Rosen told ESPN. “Other NFL players had the same opportunities. I just haven’t tried to hide it or fool teams into thinking I’m someone I’m not. My passion for this game lies in the game, not my need to play it. Tons of players needed this game, needed the money, played it out of obligation and burned out. I don’t need it and still I give everything to it.”
So that is another reason the concussion factor has to be considered. Somebody who comes from a dire financial situation would might be more apt to push the concussion envelope.
Rosen, if he suffers another one or two . . . I think Tucker is on to something.
April 12, 2018
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