Injury report

I can't see him playing if it requires medical clearance from an actual doctor. If so, I think they'll keep saying "no decision yet" right through game time just to keep us guessing and then he doesn't play a down.

 
CBS is reporting that Ball has been cleared to play:

Wisconsin star RB Montee Ball has been cleared to play against No. 22 Nebraska on Saturday in Lincoln.


The Heisman Trophy candidate suffered his second concussion in less than two months in a 37-26 win over UTEP last week. However, Ball has cleared his baseline tests and expects to not only be in shoulder pads and a helmet in three days, but also to be a big part of the game plan.

"Everybody's situation is a little bit different," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema said. "If they are cleared to play and he feels comfortable, that's definitely where we are going to be at."

Ball suffered a concussion in August when he was assaulted in Madison.

He was told by the team's medical staff that waiting longer after passing his baseline does not reduce the likelihood of another concussion.

“What the doctors said is it doesn't really matter how long you wait if you pass the exams,” Ball told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Having two concussions, you are possibly prone to having another one. So, he said basically I have to make sure I stay on top of the symptoms and basically tell the truth."
LINK

 
I'm glad he is okay. And glad he's playing. Seriously. If we whip these clowns without him we'd be hearing second guessing for the next three months.

 
Even if he does play, how effective is he going to be? What's his mentality going to be like? Here's a guy with a certain NFL career ahead of him and now with all the concussion hub bub going around, he's let's face it on the edge of his career ending. One would think now at this point he's more concerned with his future $ than this Wisconsin team, who obviously has a hellava lot more issues than running back.

 
I don't know how well Ball will play with his concussion issues but, I do know when you damage your brain from a concussion it severely harms your decision making process and, your pre-frontal cortex. If his brain isn't running at full capacity then it could severely hurt his performance. Another thing to note is that in a football game many players suffer concussions, it is only the severe ones that usually get reported. I'm sure Wisconsin is very concerned about him taking some shots to the head. With guys like Stafford and Osborne on defense they need to be careful.

 
Back
Top