Colts CB Greg Toler Sits Out His Second Day Of Training Camp With A Concussion

Colts cornerback Greg Toler sat out his second consecutive day at training camp on Friday, missing the single practice on schedule after sitting out practice on Thursday. Toler suffered a concussion during the Wednesday afternoon practice, a concussion that head coach Chuck Pagano later categorized during his Thursday media session as "not serious."

Of course, whenever I see a coach say that a concussion is "not serious," and then see the player who suffered that concussion miss two consecutive days of training camp, I'm naturally going to call bullsh*t.

For fans who say YOU'RE ALWAYS NEGATIVE BRAD, no. I'm not. I just don't tolerate being bullsh*tted, even if it's by a person I like and respect (such as a coach like Chuck Pagano).

The reality is there is no such thing as a "mild" or "not serious" concussion. All concussions are serious. "Dingers," "stingers," and someone "getting his bell rung" are all soft language euphemisms for "brain injury."

This is not me being negative. This is me sifting through the bull and getting to the truth, which, at the end of the day, is my job.

Pagano's choice of words when describing Toler's concussion were ignorant and poorly communicated. He should know better than that. I'm sure his intention was to downplay the severity of the injury in order to reassure people regarding Toler's status, but he absolutely cannot do that in this case. Downplaying concussions and their terrible side affects are a big reason why over 1,400 former players are suing the NFL for allegedly misleading them regarding concussion-related ailments.

I give Pagano credit for at least admitting Toler had a concussion. If this was 2011, Pagano's predecessor would not have done that. However, it's important to call coaches, general managers, owners, and even some players out on this when they downplay the severity of this sort of injury, regardless of their intentions.

Speaking of concussions and players, former Colts wide receiver Austin Collie signed with the 49ers on Friday. One need only remember how the Colts covered up the concussion he sustained in 2010 against the Patriots to see how important it is to be truthful about brain injuries.

Or, you could just re-live this: