Concussions have once again sparked debate in the NFL, and now Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has admitted he's had moments of memory loss while playing.
After Tua Tagovailoa was recently stretchered off following a concussion after he was already questionable with a similar injury, the subject of health has been widely discussed. While some believe it's just part of the game, medical experts are issuing worrying updates over player safety.
There are concussion protocols put in place by the NFL to try and aid safety, and the game has changed over the years as a result. But Burrow is the latest star to come out and and admit that his memory is sometimes "a little dizzy" due to the hits.
Burrow has admitted that he's previously blacked out and completely lost memory of parts of games in the past. But he resides in the camp of 'it's part of the game' as he held back on showing Tagovailoa sympathy following the recent uproar.
The quarterback explained: "I've never had any lasting effects from a concussion. I've been hit and forgotten the rest of the game before. That's happened a couple of times. But I've never had one where I've had headaches for like, a week or like I've had concussion symptoms after the game.
"I've had ones where I don't remember the second half, or I don't remember the entire game or I know I got a little dizzy at one point but nothing long lasting."
The big worry with concussions is that it can lead to irreversible damage, and sometimes this doesn't appear until later on in life. Repeated hits can lead to symptoms such as early dementia, brain damage and also extreme depression in some cases.
Of course, in a contact sport it's difficult to eradicate any blows. But health officials are desperate for the league to introduce further protocols and ruling - with one famed neurologist suggesting that Tagovailoa should retire with immediate effect.
Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was portrayed by Will Smith in the 2015 film 'Concussion', said: "If you love your life, if you love your family, you love your kids -- if you have kids -- it's time to gallantly walk away. Go find something else to do.
"Sometimes money is not more valuable than human life. $20billion is not worth more than your brain." But despite suffering from symptoms himself, Burrow believes that they get paid the big money as a result of putting themselves on the line.
Concussions are also a huge talking point in the NHL, with the addition of legal fighting within the ice hockey league only adding to complications. A different stance has already been taken with soccer though, as players are no longer allowed to head the ball before the age of 12 in order to not disrupt the developing brain.
