Few would be as aware of both game day and the medical implications of football as Dr. Jeremy Towns, MD. The Samford grad once had NFL aspirations that included a summer stint with the Buffalo Bills, but a knee injury has since propelled him into the world of football medicine.
dr Towns is currently completing his final year of residency at the University of Alabama in Birmingham after earning his MD from the University of South Alabama. He has been constantly reminded of his Gridiron background over the past week – plus during the week the scary situation surrounding the current safety of Bill’s Damar Hamlin, as he has been asked frequently about the incident which saw the defender on the field due to cardiac arrest a Monday Night Football game collapsed.
as dr Towns began his studies, concussion injuries were further analyzed after several football players were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In an interview with Alabama.com, he hinted that the study of concussions, an undisputed long-term problem, may have created a false sense of security on the field.
“I never thought that my heart would stop. I really never thought about passing out on the field,” said Dr. Towns. “I never thought about being paralyzed or anything like that. You know when I thought about these injuries I endure they would catch up with me later but never think about the possibility that I would lose my life on the field.
In discussing Hamlin’s injury, Dr. Towns most concerned about “the neurological recovery … was the brain getting blood fast enough or fast enough while they were down?” Thanks to the efforts of the Bills’ medical staff and first responders at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, Hamlin is on the way convalescent and was discharged from hospital earlier this week shortly after watching his teammates win the AFC’s second playoff spot on Sunday.
“I’ve always hoped for the best, but the medical side of me has always speculated. But the other side of that is that this is a young, healthy, elite athlete,” said Dr. Towns on Hamlin’s condition. “They think if anyone could have a positive result it would be a guy like Damar Hamlin.”
dr Towns spent parts of the 2015 training camp process with the Bills, winning three tackles in a single preseason game. He acknowledged that the situation in Hamlin might cause some to wonder whether future generations, especially the younger crowd, should take part in the sports to which he offered both a physical and mental compromise.
“I would argue that playing flag football is probably best for a kid at a young age,” said Dr. Towns. “I like how sport can bring people from all classes, religions and ethnicities together to achieve a goal and cheer on their teams. I love that aspect. So I’ll always like those positive aspects of the sport, but it’s like we have to recognize when we’re putting too much weight on the sport? Because what I’ve also seen is that a lot of people don’t get a chance to play NFL and that’s why sometimes they feel like it was all a waste.
“But sport should teach us character. It should teach us work ethic. It should teach us not to give up and perseverance and things like that. So there’s a lot of other intangibles that sport provides that you really can’t get by not playing organized team sports.”
Buffalo (13-3) returns to the action Sunday afternoon as they begin their playoff trek against the seventh-seeded Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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