Browns Receiver Urged to Retire After Latest Injury
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore has been urged to retire after he suffered a scary concussion against the New York Jets.
Moore entered concussion protocol after he slammed his head into the turf in the second quarter against the Jets. Moore appeared to convulse on the ground several times before he was able to get up and leave the field with the Browns training staff.
Dr. Bennet Omalu — who is the inspiration behind the movie “Concussion” — thinks Moore should step away from football.
“That is my recommendation,” Omalu told TMZ Sports. “He was having a seizure. A seizure is a manifestation of brain damage, brain injury. … That is permanent damage.”
Omalu said that if Moore does intend to play football again, he should be out for at least three months.
“Given what I saw in that video, he should be benched for [the] rest of the season,” Omalu said.
Browns Say Elijah Moore is Doing ‘Better’
Moore spent the night in the hospital after the matchup against the Jets. He’s since been released and is back home recovering.
“I don’t have a ton of other information other than say that he’s doing better, he’s home. I’ve been texting with him,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Friday, December 29. “Those are always scary, as we all know. But I will say this about him.”
Moore had one of his better outings of the season against the Jets, despite only playing the first half. He scored a touchdown and gained 61 yards on five receptions. With 640 yards on 59 receptions, he is having a career-year in Cleveland, both of which are career highs.
“I’m very proud of him. He was getting going,” Stefanski said. “I thought the route he ran for that touchdown was outstanding. He’s done a great job for us. And with Amari (Cooper) going down, put him over there in that spot and didn’t miss a beat. I mean, the play he made to break up was almost an interception, break it up, grab it. He was outstanding.”
Browns Unsure if Amari Cooper Will be Ready for Week 18
The Browns played without Moore and Cooper for the majority of the game against the Jets. Cooper was a pregame scratch after testing out his heel injury before the game.
He was coming off a record-setting performance against the Houston Texans. Cooper recorded 265 yards on 11 catches with a pair of touchdowns. He suffered the heel injury on the opening play of the game against the Texans, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
The Browns are unsure if Cooper will be available for their season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 7.
“In Amari’s case, he couldn’t go and he tried like crazy,” Stefanski said. “But I do think rest will be a big deal this weekend and then we’ll see how he’s doing next week.”
Cooper’s availability might not matter in the end—at least not in Week 18. If the Browns miss out on winning the AFC North and securing the top seed in the postseason, they may decide to save their starting lineup for the last week of the regular season.
If the Baltimore Ravens beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Browns will be out of the running and likely locked into the No. 5 seed.
