Crazy story. Can't believe he was able to play through a stroke. He's lucky. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10821995/russell-allen-former-member-jacksonville-jaguars-suffered-stroke "JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Former Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen suffered a stroke during the team's loss to the Buffalo Bills in December and is unable to play football again.In an interview with TheMMQB.com, Allen said he initially thought he had suffered a concussion after colliding with Bills center Eric Wood early in the second half of the Jaguars' 27-20 loss Dec. 15 at EverBank Field. Later in the half, he began experiencing double vision on the sideline, but he went back onto the field and finished the game.After suffering a headache Sunday night and Monday morning that week, he told Jaguars trainers about the play and that he had experienced double vision on the sideline, according to the report. Allen underwent an MRI and was sent home but received a call on Tuesday morning and was told to meet the Jaguars' team physician at the emergency room.Upon arrival, Allen was told he'd suffered a stroke, and was admitted to the hospital for three days of tests."It was strange because [the hit on Wood] was so routine," Allen told the website. "We hit, I got off the block, no big deal. I felt something flash -- like they say when you get your bell rung. I didn't lose consciousness. I walked back to the huddle and finished the drive."Allen, 27, told TheMMQB.com that he has a dead spot on his cerebellum about the size of a dime, is still having coordination problems, and will be on blood-thinning medication the rest of his life. According to a neurosurgeon from the University of California-San Diego, the injury occurred due to a tear in the layers of the artery wall that supplies oxygen to the brain.According to TheMMQB.com, none of the doctors Allen consulted could find an incident in which a professional football player suffered this kind of stroke, which sometimes occurs in a small percentage of high-speed motor-vehicle accidents."
