Head injuries in football are always scary, but the one suffered by Cleveland Browns receiver Elijah Moore on Thursday night goes well beyond that.
Just before halftime against the New York Jets, his former team, Moore appeared to lose consciousness after his head hit the turf hard on a tackle. As if that wasn't scary enough, he then proceeded to involuntary convulse several times due to an apparent seizure.
Moore reportedly spent the night in the hospital, although he is home now as he enters the NFL's concussion protocol.
While Moore is thankfully home now, the focus now shifts to any lingering effects the injury may have. Dr. Bennett Omalu, who was the first to publish findings on CTE in football players and is the basis for the 2015 film Concussion, suggested that Moore should retire due to the severity of his injury.
"He was having a seizure," Omalu told TMZ. "A seizure is a manifestation of brain damage, brain injury. That is permanent damage."
At the very least, Omalu urged the Browns to sit Moore for the rest of the season, even if that means missing the playoffs.
"Given what I saw in that video, he should be benched for rest of the season," Omalu said. "For at least three months."
After arriving in Cleveland this offseason, Moore has had the best season of his young career with 59 receptions for 640 yards and two touchdowns. He currently ranks third on the team in receiving yards behind Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku.
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