CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As students start a new season of high school sports, school records show that football players aren't the only ones at risk for concussions.
While football players make up about one-third of those injuries within Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, just about every sport is represented, according to the district's most recent concussion data from the 2016-17 school year.
CMS reported 98 football-related concussions, followed by 42 concussions related to boys and girls soccer, 19 for basketball, 17 for lacrosse, 15 for girls volleyball, 14 for wrestling and 12 for cheerleading. Rugby, baseball, softball, field hockey, tennis, swimming and diving, and even running and dance were on the CMS concussion list. Almost one-third of the diagnosed concussions were girls, according to the records.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says concussions can cause short- and long-term effects impacting thinking, sensation, language and emotion.
Retired NFL player and Charlotte Today host Eugene Robinson experienced multiple concussions and is still living with short-term memory loss as a result. The longtime high school wrestling, track, and football coach says he's constantly watching his players for the warning signs.
"I can remember getting kicked in the head and I would see stars and what I would do is I would try to grab the stars," Robinson shared. "This is not the time to tough it out. If you're hurt and you feel like something's wrong, I need to know.
"You've got to recognize that very, very quickly because you don't want to misdiagnose that. You misdiagnose that, you're talking about somebody's life."