Advertisement

Austin Collie shows up in the CFL with B.C.; adding an NFL-experienced Canadian receiver sounds great, but can he avoid concussion problems?

Andrew Bucholtz
Austin Collie made big catches for the Colts, but suffered several concussions as well. How will he do in the CFL? (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Austin Collie made big catches for the Colts, but suffered several concussions as well. How will he do in the CFL? (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The B.C. Lions' decision to sign free-agent receiver Austin Collie Thursday (the same day he refuted Sportsnet's Tuesday report he'd came to terms with Montreal) may represent one of the biggest boom-or-bust moves of this offseason. Collie's upside is incredible; he's a Canadian receiver with substantial NFL experience (1,908 receiving yards) who's still under 30. However, he comes with a substantial concussion history, which is why he hasn't even had a NFL workout since April 2014. That history has Gary Lawless wondering about the risks of the CFL letting Collie play:

The first thing that came to mind when news broke of Austin Collie kicking tires in the CFL was his concussion history and the question, "should he still be playing?" ...Collie’s potential signing in the CFL does raise a number of questions that all professional leagues, including the CFL, must begin to answer.

The CFL has long been a league of last resort. A place for head cases and hardcases to get one last crack at professional football. Some wash out and some bounce back. Hopefully the Collie story ends in joy and not despair. ...

Collie has been concussed at least three times. The scenes on the field have been both violent and horrific. But, as so many have argued, that’s part of the game.

It most certainly is and to deny this or suggest it somehow magically be eliminated is to ignore the nature of football. The game is violent and people are going to get hurt. But when, and in particular while talking about the health of a person’s brain, is it time to say enough? And who should decide when a career should end?

It's an excellent question. Media members certainly can't make that call from the outside (as Lawless also notes), but just leaving it up to a player or a coach is also problematic; players want to play, and coaches want them to play. It's also notable that preexisting conditions and a player's willingness to sign don't necessarily excuse a team from liability if something further happens. In fact, one of the key arguments in Arland Bruce III's ongoing concussion lawsuit against the CFL and its teams is that the Montreal Alouettes signed him while he was still dealing with a concussion sustained while playing with the Lions. Bruce contends that's negligence, and negligence is specifically not covered by the CBA. Collie may not be as litigous as Bruce (in fact, when NFL teams were expressing hesitance to sign him in 2013 thanks to concussions, he told USA Today he'd sign a waiver exempting them from the consequences of further brain trauma, and his last NFL contract, signed with New England later that year, did include some form of injury waiver), but bringing in a player with an extensive concussion history while they're currently being sued over concussions does carry some concerns for the Lions. However, as Cam Tucker notes, Collie's contract won't be finalized until he passes a physical, which will include baseline concussion testing:

And Buono himself seems quite confident Collie can add something positive to the Lions:

If he can stay on the field, that's certainly possible. Collie dazzled when he was healthy in college with BYU and in the NFL with Indianapolis, showing off impressive athleticism and remarkable hands. His Canadian status (Collie was born in Hamilton when his dad Scott was playing for the Tiger-Cats, and under the new CBA, that makes him count as a national player; he didn't spend enough time in Canada growing up to qualify under the old CBA, but the new one is more generous) makes him even more valuable. The question will be first if Collie can pass the baseline tests, and second, if he can pass the test of surviving hits in practices and games. If he can do both and stay healthy, and if he still has the ability he showed off with the Colts, this could be one of the biggest CFL free agent signings in a while. Collie's concussion history is worrying, though, and it certainly means this isn't guaranteed to end well.