Over the past five years especially, the education surrounding concussions and the treatment players receive for them has improved significantly.
Coaches are basically stripped of any decision-making ability, leaving the player's return to the field up to a team of medical doctors.
Marvin Lewis, though, gave his thoughts Wednesday on the changing landscape.
"I coached defenses and linebackers for a long time and concussions didn't linger," Lewis told reporters on Wednesday. "Now we have found that because of the media and things they seem to linger longer. There's a lot of attention paid to it. I don't know why they linger longer. I don't remember them lingering like they do now."
Lewis was speaking specifically about Vontaze Burfict, who sustained a concussion against the Falcons back in Week 2 and missed a few weeks in recovery. Burfict left the field again amid a 37-37 tie to Carolina on Sunday to go through the concussion protocol but was able to return.
Whatever momentary frustration Lewis experienced in seeing his star linebacker leave the field, though, he should be happy that there's some focus on Burfict's health down the road.
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