Stamper Experienced with Concussions

Gator defensive captain Ryan Stamper has had his share of hard knocks before. The senior linebacker had two concussions of his own in high school and knows a little about what Gator quarterback Tim Tebow is going through. Questions remain whether Tebow will be able to play this week against No. 4 ranked LSU on the road at Baton Rouge, but Stamper knows Tebow will be alright.

Like everyone, Ryan Stamper was pretty surprised to see Tim Tebow laying on the turf at Commonwealth Stadium minutes after being sacked in the pocket on a play. Once Tebow sat up, the worry went away.

“I was shocked to be honest with you. I have never seen anything like that, especially from him,” Stamper said of what he saw that night. “When he got up it pretty much let me know he was going to be alright, (because) I had a couple of concussions before.”

Back in high school Stamper had a couple of scary moments when the collision he went through was enough to leave him with a concussion and a loss of memory of some of what happened.

“I just remember being out at the game, then waking up and coming back to reality,” Stamper said of both incidences. “I guess I felt fine except not remembering what happened. I came back pretty fast. I don't remember the hit or anything.”

The part that was the most tentative was the lapse in time he lost due to being out. Other than that, it all came back pretty quickly.

“It was real scary because you don't know what happened,” Stamper said. “You don't know the play, you just remember waking up. It just comes back natural to you, it was just part of your life that you don't remember. I don't remember getting to the sideline.”

Stamper played the following week, after both concussions. He thinks the media is going a little far in its coverage of Tebow and his injury.

“I think the media is blowing it out of proportion,” he said. “Then again with the hit and how he was, I have never seen him like that. When we found out it was a concussion...you know everyone gets concussions and stuff like that happens. I think he will be fine.”

He does understand why there is a big deal.

“Everyone considers Tim like Superman and that he can't get hurt,” Stamper said. “When he gets hit everyone always sees him get up. I think it pretty much shocked the country and shocked us.

"It just reminds you that anything can happen on any play. In the game of football anyone can get hurt on any play. We just have to be careful.”

Stamper sees no ill effects with Tebow, so far.

“He looked fine to me...I spoke to him and he looked like Tim pretty much,” Stamper said last week when giving this interview. “...Our medical staff does a real good stuff with injuries, so they will get him back soon.”