This is essentially about a player who can't handle tough coaching. Concussions are a part of the game. Just like the bumps and bruises the body sustains over the course of the season, the brain takes some lumps as well. Concussions are getting more press lately, and more players are urged to come forth with theirs. Football conditions the player to be both physically and mentally tough. By about week four of the season, the body is in so much pain that the mind takes over. When you get treatment, you have to sign in with the trainers and list the dings. Your coach takes note of this, and typically during stretching will approach you. He'll ask you if you are ok, and there is no other answer but "Yeah, Coach, I'm a little banged up, but I'm good". You feel loyalty to your team, and to your Coach. You don't want to let them down. So, you pop a few advil or high dosage scrip Naproxin and get on with it like everyone else. You are conditioned to hide injury and play through any pain you may experience. It's just the football way.
Concussions are no different. If you get your bell rung pretty good, the trainers will pull you from the game. Seeing stars is a pretty regular occurance, but you know you have one when you are disoriented once you wake up. Then, the nausea sets in. It's the worst nausea imaginable. You try your hardest to remember the word sequence the trainers give you and lie about the symptoms. It's just the way the game goes. Everyone does it. I can't think of many players who play beyond high school that have never had a concussion. The impacts are just too big to not get them.
Now that the long term effects of concussions are more publicized, the more reluctant players are to hide one. That said, there are soft players on every team that can't handle the body pain. I've seen first hand players fake concussions to get out of practice. These guys are simply taking advantage of medical pressures on the program. The fact of the matter is that as a football player, you owe it to your coaches and most importantly your teamates to play if the trainers clear you (and don't give them anything to think you are as hurt as you really are). It's a badge of honor to play through injuries that would sideline lesser men. Your Coaches will respect you, your teamates will respect you. Leaders need to elevate their toughness in order to create a stronger team. Sometimes this means hiding an injury and dealing with the pain. Your teamates know how bad you're hurt, and if they see you play through it they become more motivated. It's the nature of the game. Faking or exagerating an injury is the most dishonorable thing a player can do.
I don't know the situation first hand, so I can't make an accurate assesment as to who was wrong. What I can say is that a player must never sell his Coach out, save for a Varsity Blues situation. If you earn respect, your Coach will make you a better man. He will go to bat for you in times of adversity, he will guide you through critical developmental years, and will render you a tougher, better man in the long run. A player must have the same loyalty to his Coach. The kid's a coward, period.
