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Concussions obviously are a big deal in the NFL, for a good reason, and it’s one of those things you have to just kind of feel out how your recovery is going,” Ekeler said. “Mine’s still coming along but hopefully be back in a few days or so. Monday, I was definitely disoriented, had a ton of different symptoms going on, so I’ve made major progress since then. Feeling more like myself.”', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm1leb8y3000h357kcv8hr1lb@published'}, {'data': {'text': 'Which is good, because as he admitted, when he took the hit that caused the concussion, his bell was rung pretty hard.', '_version': 2, 'componentVariation': 'paragraph'}, 'original_ref': 'www.audacy.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm1leefhp002t357kwmg69lti@published'}, {'data': {'text': "“I got hit, and I honestly didn't know what the heck was going on, so I knew I was done immediately once I got to the tent,” Ekeler said. “When I was in the tent, I didn't even remember how I even got in the tent. They were asking me questions and I'm like trying to think like, ‘did I walk over here?’ So that was what I was dealing with, and any time you have that scenario, you're not going back in the game. 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Austin Ekeler updates Grant & Danny on his concussion recovery and timeline

By Lou DiPietro,

Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is the Senior Content Producer for WFAN.com. Throughout his career, Lou has been part of coverage teams for the Stanley Cup Finals,…

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Grant & Danny

Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier are streaming live every weekday on Audacy. We talk Washington Football Team, Nationals, Capitals and Wizards, as…

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Sep 28, 2024

Austin Ekeler joined Grant & Danny on Friday, a couple days later than usual, because of the concussion he suffered during Monday night’s win in Cincinnati – and while he won’t play for the Commanders Sunday in Arizona, he did tell G&D he’s on the mend.

“I’m getting there. Concussions obviously are a big deal in the NFL, for a good reason, and it’s one of those things you have to just kind of feel out how your recovery is going,” Ekeler said. “Mine’s still coming along but hopefully be back in a few days or so. Monday, I was definitely disoriented, had a ton of different symptoms going on, so I’ve made major progress since then. Feeling more like myself.”

Which is good, because as he admitted, when he took the hit that caused the concussion, his bell was rung pretty hard.

“I got hit, and I honestly didn't know what the heck was going on, so I knew I was done immediately once I got to the tent,” Ekeler said. “When I was in the tent, I didn't even remember how I even got in the tent. They were asking me questions and I'm like trying to think like, ‘did I walk over here?’ So that was what I was dealing with, and any time you have that scenario, you're not going back in the game. And then you kind of just go through the protocol, go in the tent, go in the back room and then at that point, you’re done.”

A scary moment for him, and for his family and friends at the game who were watching as Ekeler was led off the field.

“One thing I really appreciate about Washington out here, they do such a good job with just family and everything like that, so they were the ones contacting them,” Ekeler said. “Dylan, our player director out here, was contacting my family, my mom, my wife to let them know, hey, he's alert, this is what's going on, just keeping them up to date. Really just a great family oriented organization over here, so they definitely did their job there in keeping my family up to date.”

Concussion protocol is similar around the league but all concussions aren’t the same, so what does it mean for Ekeler this week and going forward for a return to play?

“Any time you have a concussion in the NFL, you go into the protocol, which is a very step-by-step built out process where you have to pass certain tests before you're able to move on to the next one, and you have to go through all these different tests until you're able to return to play,” Ekeler said. “Then you do a few more tests and if you pass all those, then you're finally cleared to actually go back to contact. All concussions are different and have kind of a life of their own, so that's what the steps are there for; they start out very simple, and they want to see dissension of symptoms first, and then maybe start doing some slow activity, stuff like that. So it's just a gradual comeback to play process that everyone has to go through any time you have a concussion.”

GRAPH

“Last year, first game of the year I had a high ankle sprain, I come back, ankle sprain on the other side! So, I'm dealing with these flipping ankles the whole year and everyone's like, oh, Austin's done,” he said. “So now I'm finally healthy and feel like my old self again, back when I was running for 1600 yards and 20 touchdowns, so this is what you're getting when I'm healthy, and this is what you’ve seen for the first three games here, and then this.”

Take a listen above to Ekeler’s entire visit, which also re-lived a lot of what happened Monday night, looks at how the Commanders will move forward on Sunday, and more!

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