Austin Ekeler’s first season with the Washington Commanders could be summarized as bittersweet.
While he and the team have experienced success at 8-5, Ekeler’s 2024 season has been marred by two concussions, with the second one leading to him being placed on injured reserve.
Ekeler said Tuesday on 106.7 The Fan that he is still experiencing symptoms following his latest concussion that was sustained back on Nov. 24. He said he doesn’t remember anything starting from when he sustained the injury up until he was in the ambulance en route to the hospital, per The Athletic. Ekeler said that he experienced similar memory loss after sustaining his first concussion this season back in Week 3.
In addition to the ongoing symptoms from his most recent concussion, Ekeler is also dealing with neck pain. He said that he has not cleared concussion protocol but he is hoping to clear that hurdle sometime soon.
In 2011, the NFL adopted the Game Day Concussion Diagnosis and Management Protocol as a way to help ensure that players recover from concussions before returning to the field. The NFL concussion protocol is a five-step process that players must pass before they are medically cleared to play. The NFL has also adopted rules to help reduce concussions, including making significant changes this past year to kickoffs.
In October, the NFL said there was a 24% decrease in concussions during the preseason compared to 2023. The 44 concussions during the preseason was significantly fewer than the 91 concussions that were sustained during the 2017 preseason.
Despite the league’s efforts, concussions continue to be part of the NFL. For Ekeler, he will be eligible to return from IR in Week 18 when the Commanders host the Cowboys in their regular season finale.
