Retired Soccer Star Twellman Works to Change Concussion Culture |
April 22, 2011 - The 2005 MVP and record-setting former superstar of professional soccer, Taylor Twellman, has new goals in mind. Forced to retire in 2010 after suffering the past two years with post-concussion syndrome, Twellman told Scott Helman of Boston.com:
"'No one, he says, should ever play through a concussion. No one should feel as alone as he did shuttling from doctor to doctor to try to fix his brain. He uses every medium he can – MLS meetings, Twitter, radio interviews, his Facebook page – to get his message out. He has agreed to donate his brain to the BU center. He’s helping develop a smartphone app, called HeadSmart, to give parents, players, and coaches information about how to manage concussions, where to seek treatment locally, and real-time data on concussion rates among college and pro athletes, 'so people understand that they are not alone.'"
In an interview at Boston's Fenway Park before he made the decision to retire, Twellman was emphatic that his injury should have been handled differently. Asked what he would have done differently, he said he should not have finished the season after his injury.
Twellman is a member of the committee that is making changes to MLS' concussion policies. It is not uncommon for professional rules and regulations to be adopted by related youth organizations (see Trickle Down - The Good, The Bad...) which would affect over three million youth soccer players in the United States.
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