In the near future here, we'll be debating whether or not the Minnesota Vikings should bring safety Husain Abdullah back next season. (We in the business call that a "tease," folks.) However, today Abdullah found out that bringing him back is even an option in the first place.
Abdullah, who has suffered four concussions over the course of the past sixteen months. . .and, keep in mind, when we use a number of concussions, that's just documented concussions. . .was medically cleared by doctors in Pittsburgh last week to continue his NFL career. It had been speculated that the concussions would cause Abdullah to have to walk away from the game of football at the age of 26, but apparently that is not going to be the case.
"In a lot of ways, it was like a coin flip," Abdullah said. "I love football and there’s nothing more I wanted than to be told I can continue playing. But, at the same time, if they had given me bad news, I had tried to prepare myself for that as best I could. The last thing I want to do is hang up my cleats, but, when it comes to the health of your brain, you have to ask yourself: What price are you willing to pay to keep playing football? I just tried to stay positive."
Abdullah’s worries were based on his symptoms, which, as an athlete, he had a difficult time understanding. He would get a "foggy" feeling, life in general seemed to move by a littler slower than usual, he was constantly a step behind his typical routine and quick movements were an issue. He said the best advice the doctors gave him was that, while hitting with the helmet is part of playing football, there are other options.
"They told me God gave us two shoulders and one head, so you can do twice as much hitting with yours shoulders than hitting with your head," Abdullah said. "They sent me home with more information than I could have imagined about what concussions do to you. I think I learned more Wednesday than any day of my life. Getting good news on top of it made it a great day for me."
Abdullah has shown some decent skills as a safety for the Vikings over the past couple of seasons. He is an unrestricted free agent this off-season, and the team has a decision to make as to whether to bring him back or not. Whether he comes back to Minnesota or not, however, it's good to see that he's okay after all of the injuries and that he will have the opportunity to make the return to the NFL that he clearly wants to make.