Jamal Lewis placed on IR

[Mr. T]

Jamal has a broken back!

[Guy Fontenot]

Jamal has a flat tire!

Why is this bad... itss like we cut loose of the anchor... now we can move the offense forward!

[ATENEARS]

Concussion ends Jamal Lewis' career, as Cleveland Browns running back goes on injured reserveBy Tony Grossi

December 02, 2009, 8:54PM

UPDATED: 8:09 p.m.

Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer Sidelined with the effects of an apparent concussion, Jamal Lewis may retire as the 21st leading NFL rusher with 10,607 yards in 131 career games. A source on Wednesday said Lewis was “pretty shaken up” when an MRI test showed “brain abnormalities.”

BEREA, Ohio -- Jamal Lewis suffered a serious concussion Sunday in Cincinnati and visited a brain trauma specialist on Wednesday, said a source with knowledge of the situation.

Lewis, who previously announced this would be his last NFL season, has played his last down of football. He will retire as the 21st leading NFL rusher with 10,607 yards in 131 career games.

But Lewis' place on the all-time rushing list is the furthest thing from his mind.

A source said that Lewis was "pretty shaken up" when an MRI test showed "brain abnormalities." They may be the result of excessive trauma triggered by a recent hit. More tests will be done to determine the extent of Lewis' injury, the source said.

Lewis' last carry in Cincinnati was for one yard with 14:02 left in the fourth quarter. He was on the field for the next play for the last time. The Browns threw the ball on their last 19 consecutive plays, as they trailed, 16-7.

The club did not announce that Lewis suffered an injury during Sunday's game. Coach Eric Mangini made no mention of Lewis' injury on Monday or Wednesday.

Thomas Ondrey/The Plain DealerThe reported brain injuries to Jamal Lewis (above) and safety Brodney Pool occur just as the NFL has initiated increased awareness of and treatment for concussion symptoms.The club's regular Wednesday injury report listed Lewis as "out" with a head injury. It wasn't until early evening that the Browns acknowledged the seriousness of Lewis' injury when they announced he was put on injured reserve because of post concussion symptoms.

The Browns did not confirm Lewis was being examined by a specialist.

Safety Brodney Pool also was put on the season-ending list after suffering the fourth concussion of his career in Sunday's game.

"After consulting with our medical team, we felt that this was in the best interests of both Jamal and Brodney at this time," Mangini said in a statement. "As I've said before, organizationally, players' health and safety are paramount in any decision we make with regards to putting them back on the field.

"Jamal has been an integral part of this team and he has exhibited a great work ethic. He worked hard, studied hard and set a good example for the younger running backs.

"I'm disappointed that Jamal and Brodney are not going to be able to finish out the season, and I thank them both for their contributions this year."

Pool could be pondering retirement at the age of 25. His contract with the Browns is up after this season.

Teammate Abram Elam said that he spoke with Pool Wednesday morning and reported, "He's in good spirits, just following doctor's orders."

The injuries to Lewis and Pool really bring home the wave of concussion awareness currently sweeping the NFL. Recent concussion injuries suffered by Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook, Washington running back Clinton Portis, Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger accentuated national attention on the NFL's need to deal better with head injuries.

Last month, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on the subject, which resulted in new guidelines being formulated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL players union.

On Wednesday, the league announced that an expanded, stricter statement on return-to-play for players suffering a concussion will take effect immediately. The statement outlines six symptoms that must be eliminated before a player can return to practice or play.

"Whatever the plan is collectively that is brought up and adopted, we'll adapt to," Mangini said before the new guidelines were announced. "I think that it's important to leave it up to the people that really understand this a lot better than I do."

While the extent of Lewis' injury was not known during the locker room period open to the media on Wednesday, some players recalled their experiences with concussions.

Quarterback Derek Anderson said that he experienced symptoms for four weeks after suffering a concussion in the second preseason game in 2008. He was knocked out on a hit by Giants pass rusher Osi Umenyiora.

"It just messed me up," the Browns quarterback said. "It didn't really feel like that much to me, but I was foggy like I've never been before. And even when I started practicing again it wasn't the same."

It's possible that he was still feeling the effects when he returned to his starting position as the 2008 regular-season kicked off against Dallas.

"It's dangerous," Anderson said. "From what I've read, it takes like 4-6 weeks for the brain to heal from the bruise."

Receiver/safety Mike Furrey, who suffered a concussion with the Detroit Lions last year, said that players can be fooled into thinking that they are ready to play when symptoms subside.

"It's crazy, because you always look normal," Furrey said. "Your pupils might be dilated a little, but that's the weirdest part. You feel normal, but you do an activity, you go out and run, symptoms reoccur and they linger. It's not fun. But you feel good during the day and you feel like you can play."

Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward caused a national stir when he questioned why Roethlisberger did not play in the team's pivotal game against Baltimore on Sunday night after re-experiencing concussion symptoms during the practice week. Ward later apologized. Warner also sat out his game last week after experiencing symptoms.

The NFL and its union are hoping that increased awareness about the long-term effects of the injury will prompt players to self-report symptoms and not feel pressured, internally or externally, to play through them.

"Guys play with things they've got no business playing with," Anderson said. "They're not forced to play, but your job security is not there to sit out for a month."

The topic was discussed two weeks ago when a players union representative met with Browns players.

Lineman Hank Fraley, the team's player rep, admitted that players routinely "push through" symptoms that could be signs of a dangerous injury.

"It's just the mentality of football players and athletes in general," Fraley said. "Even when you get messed up, you say, 'No, I'm fine,' and you push through it.

"I think it's more [about] pride [than job security]. You want to be back on the field, you want to help your team out, you want to be with your teammates. In the back of your mind, you're like, 'If the guys need me, I need to be there.' You play through nicks all the time.

"We're always pushing ourselves to the limit."

[ATENEARS]

I was looking for Jamal to retire, but this is sad news and a horrible way for a great player to end his career.

I wish him well.

[Jibz]

@guy-fontenot said:

Jamal has a flat tire!

Why is this bad... itss like we cut loose of the anchor... now we can move the offense forward!

Comments like yours are just sad, these are humans first and football players second. To be glad whaen someone is hurt is just amazinly sad. Shame on you.

[MrFreeze]

I honestly wish the man success, happiness, and good health throughout his retirement and I tip my hat to him for his years of service as a Cleveland Brown.

In terms of our running game, this is one of the best things that can happen because we can fully assess our talent for the 2010 season. Yes, I think we'll take a back in the early rounds of the draft. It's time for new blood in the backfield.

[steel88]

@jibz said:

Comments like yours are just sad, these are humans first and football players second. To be glad whaen someone is hurt is just amazinly sad. Shame on you.

ah this is prolly one of the same guys that booed when timmy got hurt. you can sall you want about him but you cant tell me he didnt try his hardest.

[Mr. T]

I wish he would of retired after the 2007 season, then he would've gone out on a high note. Amd would've left the Ratbirds second guessing themselves for letting him go so soon.

Also we would've been forced to look to the future at the RB position instead of watching him fall apart so fast.

But in all it was his choice to stay and continue the poundings.

[hoorta]

@mrfreeze said:

I honestly wish the man success, happiness, and good health throughout his retirement and I tip my hat to him for his years of service as a Cleveland Brown.

In terms of our running game, this is one of the best things that can happen because we can fully assess our talent for the 2010 season. Yes, I think we'll take a back in the early rounds of the draft. It's time for new blood in the backfield.

Ditto. Mangooni misused Lewis this season- he should have accepted the role the Steelers used Jerome Bettis the last couple years of his career.

Quote from Cleveland.com- Oh no, now who's going to get 2 yards for us on first and ten? Great playcalling Dumb-bol

Seriously, JL should have retired at the end of '08. All the experts saw he had lost his burst, and I saw it too. I'll even let Sisky off the hook for that preseason bet he made with me that JL would get to 1,000 yards- even if Jamal had stayed healthy, he wouldn't have gotten close.

For the record, I'm undefeated and untied in message board betting- I may have to retire after this one.

[Guy Fontenot]

@jibz said:

Comments like yours are just sad, these are humans first and football players second. To be glad whaen someone is hurt is just amazinly sad. Shame on you.

Wrot it last night when the topic just said he was put on injured reserve... i just figured he tore a muscle...

Anyways F*&$ you Jizb! Get a Life ... Shame on you!

[kshutchins]

I'm glad to hear that there is independent research underway to develop more effective helmets. There are those who think helmets are actually part of the problem. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...1984299454.html

I also hate seeing players who don't use their mouth guards. Many people don't realize they help absorb shocks to the brain.

[ATENEARS]

@hoorta said:

Ditto. Mangooni misused Lewis this season- he should have accepted the role the Steelers used Jerome Bettis the last couple years of his career.

Quote from Cleveland.com- Oh no, now who's going to get 2 yards for us on first and ten? Great playcalling Dumb-bol

Seriously, JL should have retired at the end of '08. All the experts saw he had lost his burst, and I saw it too. I'll even let Sisky off the hook for that preseason bet he made with me that JL would get to 1,000 yards- even if Jamal had stayed healthy, he wouldn't have gotten close.

For the record, I'm undefeated and untied in message board betting- I may have to retire after this one.

Man, talk about Mangini bashing ...

You admit that Jamal should have retired at the conclusion of the 2008 season, yet blame Mangini for mis-using him? What Mangini should have done was cut his ass ... Mangini shows the guy some respect by keeping him around to help show younger players how to be a professional and to take something from Jamal's excellent work-ethic, help bring (draft pick) James Davis along, etc ... and the guy still gets bashed.

Class move by Mangini, and not the sexy move Savage was known for, but the right thing for Jamal and a step toward teaching others how to be a pro.

Shame on you Hoorta.

[ATENEARS]

@guy-fontenot said:

Wrot it last night when the topic just said he was put on injured reserve... i just figured he tore a muscle...

Anyways F*&$ you Jizb! Get a Life ... Shame on you!

I can vouch for Guy Fontenot. I changed the title instead of creating a new thread. Those three or so posts before I pinned the article only knew he was retiring, the injury hadn't been disclosed by then.

Shame on me.

[The Gipper]

Maybe Lewis's "brain abnormality" is congenital. This sort of thing has happened before. A traumatic incident occurs, doctors do tests, then discover that a person has been walking around all his life with some serious medical issue that they had no clue about. I believe that is what happened when Hank Geathers, the basketball player dropped dead. At his autopsy they discovered that he had a congenital heart defect. Don't know if this is true about Lewis. Just speculating.

[flipflop]

Unnamed sources say their was a mixup in the test results........Mangina and Jamals Mri got switched

"brain abnormaliti" has 11 picks in the draft. Heres to 40 special team guys.

[DawgTracker]

Good luck Jamal. It would have been much better for you to have played well in your last game rather than being on IR.

[PlayoffsIN09]

Get well Jamal. Thanks for being a Brown. Love ya!

[Ebenezer]

Now if only the rest of the team can get concussed and retire we might have a shot at being decent next year.

[Kosar_For_President]

@ebenezer said:

Now if only the rest of the team can get concussed and retire we might have a shot at being decent next year.

Please read this again, it no doubt sounds like a 10 year old wrote it.