Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher has a reputation as an "old school" player who powers through injuries. In fact, when he makes his expected start in the season opener, he'll become the active leader in consecutive regular-season games played (241).
Fletcher, 38, showed just how much he has ignored injuries Thursday when he admitted to the media that he played through a concussion last season, The Washington Post reported. The news originated in this week's edition of Sports Illustrated, which reported that Fletcher suffered from "balance issues" because the a concussion, which caused him to miss a preseason game.
Fletcher discussed the events before and after his injury, and he said he regretted not bringing his post-concussion symptoms to the team's attention earlier.
CSN Washington reported that Fletcher suffered through ankle sprains and hamstring pulls last season, some of which might have been attributed to his "balance issues."
Now, Fletcher said he wishes he had told the team about the balance issues sooner than he did, especially because they might have contributed to his other injuries.
The news came as the Redskins organization still is facing questions about its handling of quarterback Robert Griffin III's torn ACL in an NFC wild-card playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Critics have questioned if Griffin should have been allowed to play earlier in the game when he appeared to sustain a knee injury.
The Post reported that Shanahan was evasive last year about Fletcher's concussion, which was not made public until Thursday.
-- Bill Bradley, contributing editor