Former Colts WR Austin Collie is Still Playing Football

Former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Austin Collie is somehow still playing football. Back in 2010, Collie became the poster child for concussions in the NFL. He suffered two violent hits in a six week period that resulted in concussions and ended his season.

The first hit Collie suffered in 2010 was on November 7 as the Colts faced the Eagles in Philadelphia (and yes, the fans booed as Collie laid unconscious on the field because that’s how classy Philly fans are). After a week off, Collie was hit at New England and suffered “concussion like symptoms.” He was sidelined for nearly a month after that game.

On December 19, Collie suffered another concussion against the Jaguars and be placed on IR. In 2012, Collie would suffer his third official concussion during a preseason game. He would later suffer a knee injury that ended his career with the Colts.

Collie bounced from team to team for the next few years, and played in a number of games with the Patriots, but ultimately couldn’t stick with an NFL team.

In January, Collie signed a contract with the BC Lions in the CFL.

Recently, Collie spoke with the Vancouver Sun about his career and love of football.

"“I just want to play football, man, up in Canada or the NFL,” he said. “Why am I not in the NFL? I don’t know. I would think, I would say, the big part is the injury history that’s right there.”"

Collie blames the attention on head injuries for him not sticking with an NFL team.

"“The bottom line is, if those didn’t happen when they did, right at the height of the concussion discussion, I’d probably still be playing,” Collie said. “Everybody can comment on it. Everybody has their opinion. But I’m not them. Football is a childhood dream for me. It’s a way to provide for my family and play a game I love. To not be playing, because of a label, is hard. I’ve been labelled.”"

Given the violent nature of the hits he took, couple with the knee injuries, its surprising that Collie would even consider playing football again. Its no secret that Collie is a talented receiver. He has great hands and a lot of speed, he made for an exceptional slot receiver. He thrived in the Colts offense and seemed to have a very good connection with Peyton Manning.

The Colts offense struggled when Collie was sidelined (although the entire roster was decimated by injuries in 2010).

We recently spoke with another former Colts player who was forced to retire due to head injuries, Clint Session. Session believes that he suffered from as many as 10 concussions and it was severely affecting his day-to-day life.

Clearly Session’s experiences with concussions were much worse than Collie’s. The idea that Collie isn’t in the league due to his head trauma doesn’t quite match up. If that were the case, the Colts likely would have reached an injury settlement with him, in fact many writers suggested the team should cut him for his own good.

Talent and production will top injuries of any kind in the NFL. The league and teams are not squeamish about signing a troubled player (whether its injuries or off-field behavior) as long as they can produce, and that is a fact.

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