FHS Holds Second Annual Sports Night, Taylor Twellman Attends

In what can be described as an effort to literally save the brains of the student-athletes of FHS, Foxborough High School Athletics Director Craig Najarian held the second annual Sports Night at the Ahern Middle School. Unlike last year that saw multiple issues discussed, this year’s lone topic was concussions.

The evening featured two speakers with two different perspectives. Brigham & Women's/Mass General Health Care Center Wellness Coordinator Gayle Olson gave the medical background on concussions and treatment while former New England Revolution player Taylor Twellman told a filled Ahern Auditorium the story that has been his struggle to live a normal life since his seventh and final concussion in 2008.

Olson was the first to speak. She emphasized early on that concussions could happen in other ways besides a blow to the head.

“You don’t have to get hit in the head. You can get hit elsewhere and it can cause a concussion,” said Olson.

Olson emphasized that while there is no solution that can completely take the risks of concussions in athletics away, there are steps that can be taken to lower the risk such as wearing proper head gear, reporting head injuries and keeping activity to a minimum after experiencing a concussion.

With a new state law that bans anyone who received a concussion from participating in sports on the same day, Olson implored the student-athletes in the crowd to work with the law and report any concussions. Not only that, Olson expressed the importance of keeping in eye out for teammates that may be showing signs of a concussion but is not taking the actions towards proper care.

The segment ended with a simple plead for those who may not be sure if they received a concussion.

“When it doubt, sit them out,” said Olson.

Noting the amount of students in the crowd who didn’t find Olson’s presentation exactly stirring, Twellman began his portion of the night by asking the crowd if they thought Olson's segment was boring. After a brief moment of laughter, agreement and even encouragement from Olson for honesty, Twellman’s point about the seriousness of concussion was quickly made when he admitted that if he saw the preceding presentation in 2008 he would still be playing on the US Men’s National Team and for the Revolution. The laugher soon died down with that statement.

Those in attendance were given a look into the life of an athlete who saw his playing days end because of a concussion.

Twellman told the audience the story of his final concussion that he received when he collided with a goalkeeper in a game in 2008 game against the LA Galaxy. Going for the ball near the net, Twellman attempted to head the ball into the net while Galaxy goalkeeper Steve Cronin tried to punch the ball away. Twellman was able to score on a header but Cronin’s fist unintentionally found it’s way to Twellman’s head.

After the hit, Twellman felt the symptoms of a concussions but played for two more months after passing a test used for concussion detection known as the ImPACT Test 71 times. Twellman was forced to stop playing in late October, 2008 and spent the next three months sitting inside a dark room due to the symptoms of the hit.

“I couldn’t look at my cell phone for more than 40 seconds without seeing three of them. I couldn’t walk my dogs. I couldn’t read the newspapers,” said Twellman to a shocked audience.

Twellman played two more games in 2009. In his final game on June 7th, 2009 against the New York Red Bulls, he scored his 100th and 101st goals of his career but there were other concerns beyond the goals.

“That ball kind of made my head feel like a sponge. I haven’t played since,” said Twellman.

What followed was the tragic story of what a concussion can do to a person. Twellman mentioned that he has not worked out since 2009 and now has permanent brain damage among other issues.

“I’ve had a headache for 3 years. I’ve had nausea. I had nausea walking in here,” said Twellman.

Twellman ended his talk by informing the audience of his non-profit known as Think Taylor. The foundation was set up by Twellman to educate others of the importance of properly taking care of a concussion.

Since retiring from soccer, Twellman has joined the MLS Concussion Committee where he has help make sure what happened to him does not happen to anyone else.

"The New England Revolution has handled their concussions very well and MLS is following the direction of really where the NHL is,”  said Twellman afterwards.

With Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski admitting that he would hide a concussion in an appearance on ESPN after a game against the Chiefs, it is evident that there is still work to be done on changing the attitude of the importance of properly taking care of a concussion. For those who think that getting a hit to the head is no big deal, it is best if they remember these words from Twellman.

“If you’re worried about not playing because you got a concussion, well good luck with the rest of you life as I will tell you the last three years have been the worst three years of my life in the sense that I can’t do anything.”

For more information on Think Taylor, click here.