Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler has opened up on the shocking impact of the concussion he sustained in his team’s recent loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Ekeler was returning a kickoff late in the fourth quarter when he was hit by Dallas’ Damone Clark in the head – before he also struck his head hard on the ground as he hit the floor.
The 29-year-old was motionless on the ground as his teammates screamed for medics to make it onto the field. Eventually, looking groggy, Ekeler walked off the field.
Now, speaking to 106.7 The Fan in D.C about his recovery, Ekeler has opened up on the frightening impact of the concussion.
‘I think it’s important to kind of diagnose the magnitude of the situation I didn’t even remember how I got off the field,’ he said. ‘I just remember coming to … as far as remembering stuff, I had short-term memory loss.
‘I remember my wife was sitting in the room, and I’m getting evaluated by our medical staff in the back room. That’s when I started to remember things, and then all of a sudden, OK, we’re getting in the back of the ambulance to go get a CT scan.
Austin Ekeler was left motionless on the field after receiving a huge hit on Sunday
Ekeler was able to walk off the field but needed help to do so and appeared very unsteady
Austin Ekeler #commanders
Scary looking play, appears to get hit in the head while running, then again hits his head hard on the ground.
Hoping for the best ���� pic.twitter.com/1r0t9z9Wzq
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) November 24, 2024
‘I can pretty much remember everything from that point, but it just shows you the severity of things. I was definitely concussed and seeing some major symptoms there.’
It is Ekeler’s second concussion of the season after also getting hurt in the Week 3 against Cincinnati Bengals.
He told the radio station this week that he has battled spells of grogginess since the second incident, as well as neck pain, but is starting to feel better.
‘I’ve been getting back to feeling like myself,’ he said. ‘Definitely went through it there for a little bit, just with the concussion symptoms and trying to just get through the fogginess feeling, but definitely trending in the right direction.
‘It’s week-to-week, man; it’s one of those things I want to continue to learn more about. It’s my second concussion, am I more susceptible for a third one now that I’ve had two and the severity of mine?
‘So it’s a learning process for me, because I’ve never had anything like this this bad, and twice in the same year.
‘It’s one of those things where I’m human and I don’t know everything about my conditions right now; I have some new ones that I’m dealing with, and one of those things where you just got to continue to learn and then try to make the best judgment.’
Ekeler is still going through concussion protocol. The Commanders are on a bye week this weekend and are then on the road to face New Orleans Saints on December 15.
