Collie is done with football—he retired from the Canadian Football League last week—and is now undergoing treatment at a clinic in Provo, Utah, for the same brain condition that destroyed his once-promising career with the Colts. CognitiveFX bills itself as the world's most sophisticated concussion treatment facility. It specializes in diagnosing and treating patients like Collie who have suffered multiple head injuries.
Austin Collie was born on January 4th, 1992, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was raised by his parents, Terry and Janet Collie, and has two older sisters named Taylor and Tatum. In 2004, the family moved to Indianapolis, where Terry works for Indiana University Health as a computer technician while Janet works for Lilly Pharmaceuticals as a marketing coordinator.
Austin started playing football when he was six years old. He attended elementary school at Southport Elementary before moving on to Bishop Moore High School in Etobicoke, where he played quarterback for the Bishop Moneer Titans football team. During his time there, the team won three consecutive District 15 championships.
As a high school junior, Austin decided to switch positions to wide receiver. He trained during summer vacations and after finishing high school, he committed to play college football at the University of Texas at Austin. However, after being recruited by several other schools, including Indiana University, Ohio State University, and Pittsburgh University, he ended up choosing to go to medical school instead.
Colts of Indianapolis As a result of the incident, Collie received a concussion. Coleman was penalized for unnecessary roughness for the hit on Collie, but neither player was punished because the NFL ultimately concluded that the impact that caused the injury was incidental to Mikell's first hit.
In addition to the penalty, Coleman will also be required to attend sensitivity training. The training is designed to help players understand the effects of their actions upon those who are involved in the sport.
Coleman has been criticized for his role in the incident, but he believes that he was simply trying to keep up with Mikell and prevent him from getting back on the field after being knocked down early in the play. "I wasn't trying to hurt him," Coleman said. "He's a big guy and I was just trying to stop him from getting back on the field."
The NFL determined that the impact that caused Collie's concussion was incidental to Mikell's first hit of the play, so they chose not to fine or suspend Coleman. However, Coleman will be required to attend sensitivity training and may even be suspended by the team if they feel like it can get away with it.
Collie suffered a concussion on the play and remained in the game. He had two catches for 21 yards before leaving the contest.
He agreed to a one-year, veteran-minimum deal worth $715,000 but prorated to $546,765. Due to Collie's past ailments, the deal included an injury waiver, which meant that if he was injured, the Patriots may release him and only owe him a "split" (50 percent) of the contract. If he made it all season without being released by April 1, then the remainder of his salary would have been fully guaranteed.
In other words, if Austin Collie played all 16 games this year, the New England Patriots would have been on the hook for the full amount of his salary ($546,765). However, if he were to be released before playing in any games this year, then his former team would only be on the hook for half of his salary ($273,382).
Collie had surgery last January to repair a herniated disk in his neck, and he hasn't played since. The 30-year-old wideout is expected to make a full recovery from the injury but doesn't appear likely to play again in 2014.
Prior to signing with the Patriots, Collie spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings. With the Steelers, he had 79 catches for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games (12 starts). He spent most of 2012 on Injured Reserve with a knee injury. With the Vikes, he had 43 catches for 549 yards and three scores in 16 games (one start).
The Austin Collie
| No. 17, 10 | |
|---|---|
| NFL Draft: | 2009 / Round: 4 / Pick: 127 |
| Career history | |
| Indianapolis Colts (2009–2012) San Francisco 49ers (2013)* New England Patriots (2013) BC Lions (2015) | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only |
After suffering a concussion in Week 1, he was placed on injured reserve on September 12, 2018. Coyle was released by the 49ers on March 14, 2019, and later announced his retirement from the NFL, citing a fractured bone in his back as the reason. He finished with 45 catches for 559 yards and three touchdowns over 16 games during his two seasons with San Francisco.
Coyle's injury occurred when he attempted to make a catch against Los Angeles Rams' cornerback Marcus Peters. As a result, he suffered a severe sprain/fracture of his L1 vertebrae and was forced to leave the game. The injury required surgery to repair a herniated disk, put him out of action for six months, and ended his season prematurely.
Despite missing most of the 2018 season, Coyle still managed to be named to the Pro Bowl after the 2017 season. He started 13 games for the 49ers in 2018 and recorded 57 receptions for 788 yards and five touchdowns.
Before joining the 49ers, Coyle spent one season with the Cleveland Browns where he made 35 catches for 442 yards and three scores. He also played four seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In 69 career games, Coyle has 289 catches for 3,724 yards and 22 TDs.
The season On May 10, 2019, Watson announced his retirement and joined with the New England Patriots, the team that selected him in 2004. Watson stated on May 27, 2019, that he had failed a performance-enhancing drug test. He was suspended for four months and lost $1 million of his salary during that time.
Watson began his NFL career with the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2004. He spent three seasons with the Redskins, earning All-Pro honors in 2005 before being traded to the New York Giants where he finished out his career. In 79 games over seven seasons, Watson caught 519 passes for 6,846 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Watson's career was derailed by injuries. He suffered two neck surgeries in four years and didn't play another game until 2015. After sitting out all of 2016 due to a hamstring injury, Watson returned in 2017 but missed most of the season with a hip problem. He attempted to come back from the hip injury this year but wasn't able to go full speed until late in the season. Despite the injuries, Watson still managed to catch 105 passes for 1,340 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Watson announced his retirement on May 10, 2019 after one season with the New England Patriots. The Patriots selected Watson with the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft.
Gleason was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease on January 15, 2011, after retiring from the NFL. In 2018, he fought to convince Congress to approve the Steve Gleason Act. Tens of thousands of people suffering from degenerative illnesses now have improved access to communication technologies. The law provided $20 million over five years for research and treatment programs at national institutes of health.
Gleason played football for two years at Florida State University before being drafted by the New York Jets in 1987. He played nine seasons with the Jets, finishing as their all-time leading passer until Brett Favre came along. Gleason also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins.
After his retirement, Gleason worked as a security guard at Harvard University and went to several other schools to teach social distancing techniques before the virus had been identified. He died on April 18, 2019 at the age of 45.
According to the Guardian, Gleason's family said he had no previous symptoms prior to falling ill earlier this year. They added that he was "clearly devastated" by the news of his diagnosis.
Gleason's wife, Jeanette, told reporters that she believes her husband got the disease because he spent so much time working outside while wearing only a T-shirt and shorts.
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