Concussion issues force Regina athlete Adam Williams to quit playing college lacrosse

Regina’s Adam Williams received a scholarship to play college lacrosse in the United States at Missouri Valley College, located in Marshall, Mo. but his tenure was cut short due to concussions.

“It was my life, I was 18, I was a kid,” said Williams, whose dream of going pro was shattered by a series of concussions he sustained over his life.

Williams started playing hockey and one day he saw a poster for lacrosse on a bulletin board and thought ” it looked like fun.” Williams gave up hockey for lacrosse and it “became my sport.”

“Concussions are hard to know the severity, it is something you can’t see  and it is hard to know when you are pushing your limit,” said Cassandra Serbu, a fitness coach, who specializes in injury rehabilitation.

Serbu said “athletes need to pay closer attention to what their body is telling them.”

William’s most memorable moment came when he scored 13 goals in his college debut game at Missouri Valley in 2018,  where he broke several records.

“Coach pulled me out and said I was scoring too much, he ripped my chin strap off, put it in his pocket and said I was done for the game,” an moment Williams recalled as being “pretty awesome.”

During his playing career, he suffered numerous injuries like pulled muscles, a broken hand and several concussions.

“I was 10 years old, playing on the monkey bars at recess and hit my head on one of the bars,” said Williams.  During his lacrosse career Williams suffered “alot of concussions,” and ended up only playing in three college games.

From fall to spring during his first year, Williams suffered three concussions.

“It basically got the point every time I got hit, I got another concussion,” said Williams.

In one game he took a accidental cross check to the back of the head, suffering a concussion and suffered another after hitting his head in his first practice back.

“It was pretty clear at that point that I shouldn’t being playing lacrosse anymore,” said Williams, after getting another concussion through whiplash.

“When I was 18, the doctor told me I had to stop playing lacrosse,” said Williams. Williams experienced several complications from the concussions, including periods of depression, light sensitivity and sound sensitivity which forced him to medically withdraw from college.

Even though he quit playing in 2019, Williams still has to “be careful with my head.”

“It’s like a break-up, it’s hard to go back,” said Williams.  Williams has grown to resent the game. Saying it is “hard to watch, I wish I could be out there.”

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is a progressive brain injury associated with repeated head injuries. CTE awareness has increased over time, mainly after many  deceased athletes like Bobby Hull, Mike Webster and Bob Probert were all posthumously diagnosed with it.

“Concussions what were they? You’d sniff some smelling salts and get back out there”, said Cory Lechner, a former high school football coach on concussion protocols of the past.

“Sometimes the player  won’t even tell you, cause they know,”

“I think we learned from CTE that these athletes have to live with their brain  injuries for the  rest of their lives,” said Lechner.