Concussions in football are a red-hot topic today, with the attention given helmet-to-helmet collisions in the NFL, but at the grade school and high school levels, players are more susceptible to repeat concussions and are more apt to continue playing with an undiagnosed concussion than at any other level of football.
The concussion issue was the top point of emphasis in PIAA rules meetings last summer, officials said. Treatment standards for young athletes are law in nine states; legislation passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in late September, but has since stalled in the Senate.
What happened to Brian was just an example of what could happen - and where matters could potentially lead. Autopsies in 40- and 50-year-olds with high school and college football backgrounds have shown the early onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to Dr. Margaret Goodman, former longtime ringside physician for the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and though "the numbers aren't high, the numbers are still there."
It was something McDonough wanted to avoid for Brian, then a grade-school star who seemed destined to play in high school.
"Brian loved football, and I was really depressed to take this away from him," said McDonough, KYW Radio's medical editor. "I remember telling him, 'When you're 25, I'd rather have you say, 'Dad I can't stand you for not letting me play football,' rather than having to feed you your breakfast from a straw.' "
Brian, now a 5-10, 150-pound Malvern Prep junior, gets to display his strong arm - for the Friars' varsity baseball team. He still runs fast - as an all-Inter-Ac cross-country runner.
He acknowledged, however, he still gets the itch to play football.
