Carson tackles concussion problems in new book
Harry Carson was the immovable object in the middle of Bill Parcells’ defenses. Chiseled out of stone, Carson was the captain of defiance at the point of attack, drawing a Big Blue line in the sand for offensive linemen and running backs who dared to cross it while Lawrence Taylor was unleashing mayhem on quarterbacks. Carson survived some lean years as a Giant before emerging as Parcells’ 53-star general on the field, and his lieutenant in the locker room.
Carson’s Super Bowl XXI ring and Hall of Fame bust in Canton serve as badges of honor and symbols of success for a proud football Giant. Unfortunately, he also has another reminder of his days on the gridiron — Post-Concussion Syndrome. In his book “Captain for Life: My Story as a Hall of Fame Linebacker,” which will be released on Tuesday, Carson details his ongoing neurological battle.
The following is an excerpt of the book:
OVER the years, I realized that the Harry Carson who was smart, confident, and articulate had been lost somewhere along the way. People saw me as they always had but really didn’t know what I had become inside. Long before Dr. Ken Kutner diagnosed my condition, I knew something was wrong. I knew it was unusual for me to feel deeply depressed for no apparent reason. The speech problems and the inability to adequately express myself in the early ’80s should have been a wake-up call but I worked my way through them. Those neurological symptoms were subtle, but the physical indicators were easier to detect and recognize — the blurred vision, the occasional numbness or tremors in my extremities, and the dizziness I felt when I stood up after sitting for a while.
There were days when I felt great and everything was good, but then there were other days when I knew I was off. My short-term memory was sometimes poor, my attention span bad, and finding the right words was tough. And I was hesitant to share these things with others. I knew they would not understand. I knew that people expected
me to be the same successful person I was on the football field. Post-Concussion Syndrome was becoming clearer for me but for a period of time I honestly thought I was going insane.
I realized that Post-Concussion Syndrome was not going to kill me so I had to learn to live with it. I felt a need to share with my immediate family members and very close trusted friends what I was experiencing. I developed a list of family members and friends I considered to be my foundation. Those were the people I knew loved me unconditionally. After compiling the list, I took “From the Ashes,” an invaluable book I had picked up while speaking at the Brain Injury Association’s national conference in Charlotte, N.C., and made copies of all the pages with underlined sections that pertained to my condition. I sent each person their own letter with a note telling them that it was information I felt I needed to share, information that would give them a more definitive understanding of who I was, what I was experiencing, and why.