Austin Collie had more than 50 catches and more than 500 yards in each of his first three NFL seasons. And then concussions derailed his career.
Collie, once a very promising player for the Colts, had a series of concussions that caused NFL teams to think it might not be safe for him to play anymore. Now a member of the Canadian Football League’s British Columbia Lions, Collie says it frustrates him that he was labeled concussion-prone and kept out of the NFL as a result.
“The bottom line is, if those didn’t happen when they did, right at the height of the concussion discussion, I’d probably still be playing,” Collie told the Vancouver Sun. “Everybody can comment on it. Everybody has their opinion. But I’m not them. Football is a childhood dream for me. It’s a way to provide for my family and play a game I love. To not be playing, because of a label, is hard. I’ve been labelled.”
Collie doesn’t agree with that label, and he’s determined to keep playing football, where ever he can. Here’s hoping he does so safely.
