Third Time No Charm: Ash Should Call It a Career

Enough is enough. That’s what Texas coach Charlie Strong should tell his junior quarterback when they next meet.

After leading Texas to a 38-7 win over North Texas Saturday night, David Ash reported a return of concussion-related symptoms. Strong immediately ruled out Ash for this weekend’s rematch with Brigham Young, ironically the team Texas played last year when Ash suffered his first concussion.

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Ash’s medical history from that point has been well-documented. He missed Texas’ next game against Ole Miss but returned the following week and played the first half against Kansas State, sustaining several jarring hits in the process. Symptoms returned and Ash missed not only the rest of that game but the rest of the season.

In the best case scenario for Ash, this most recent incident is simply a second recurrence of concussion-like symptoms, which can range from headache to dizziness to anything in between. The worst case makes this Ash’s third concussion in the last year.

Studies everywhere, including at The Concussion Blog, show that people who suffer one concussion are more likely to sustain more.

“Studies show that prior concussions may lower the threshold for subsequent concussion injury and increase severity of symptoms,” the site explains.

If Ash’s situation has proven anything, it’s that this won’t be a problem he can put behind him. While the hits he sustained last season against Kansas State were cringingly violent at first glance, those examining the North Texas game closely didn’t find that type of jarring hit. From the stands it appeared very apparent Ash had been instructed to avoid contact whenever possible. When presented with clear running lanes on at least two plays, Ash instead worked harder to find receivers and threw the ball. Still, it wasn’t enough. Ash told coaches he believed the hit that triggered the recurrence came very early in the game, though he didn’t feel symptoms until much later.

Reporting for the Austin American-Statesman, Brian Davis wrote of several plays that caught his eye when looking for potential concussive hits, the last perhaps the most telling. In addition to two plays on Texas’ second possession where Ash took a hits after bobbling a snap and on a scramble to the sideline, Davis pointed out a second-quarter play.

“One other play in the second quarter looked significant,” Davis wrote. “[Jarrian] Roberts got through the line again and blasted Ash, this time slamming him down for a sack. Ash’s head appeared to bounce off the artificial surface.”

Strong, who in his first year has been seemingly busier getting players to adhere to his moral compass than his football teachings, has yet another moral dilemma to deal with. Through suspensions and dismissals of players who would not adhere to his rules and core values, Strong showed he’s not afraid of doing the right thing, damn the on-field consequences. Ash’s situation is merely the latest, and Strong appears prepared to tell the best quarterback on his roster that it’s time to move on, as Chuck Carlton reported in the Dallas Morning News this week.

“Anytime you have that number of concussions…you have to be concerned,” Strong said. “You’re always concerned about a young man’s health, and we would never jeopardize a young man’s health just for the good of this football team.”

Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls is leading the current charge urging the quarterback to hang up his helmet, and he thinks Strong should make the decision for him. “… Ash’s career could be over and, in this opinion, should be over,” Bohls wrote. “This should be Strong’s decision, not Ash’s. I can’t believe a Texas medical staff will ever clear him, given the current climate about player safety.”

Faced with similar circumstances last year, Ash insisted on returning to the team and preparing for this season. As Carlton reported, he wasn’t ready to walk away.

“I would have been going through my whole life asking, ‘What if?’ I don’t want to live like that,” Ash said.

For better or worse, he got his way… for worse it turned out. Even in Texas, there’s more to life than football, and Ash should begin that life now.

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