Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea says he has suffered "six or seven" concussions in his football career, including two during last summer.
The Breaffy star admits he had concussion after being knocked out in last year’s Connacht final, and during the Westerners’ All-Ireland semi-final replay.
In the latter game (August 30), which took place less than seven weeks after the provincial decider (July 13), O’Shea famously clashed heads with Mayo forward Cillian O'Connor during first-half stoppage time. Both men were replaced at half-time but O'Shea returned to the field midway through the second half.
The damaging effects of concussion are very much a life topic across a number of sports, including Gaelic games.
O'Shea's admission comes at a time when Johnny Sexton has been ruled out of Ireland's Six Nations opener next month, because of rugby's return-to-play protocols for concussion victims
"There probably should be an independent doctor, maybe on the sideline, to kind of dictate what happens,” the 24-year-old told the Irish Examiner. "Maybe a GAA doctor who’s independent of both teams.
“It’s very difficult when you’re in the heat of a game like that and you think you can make a difference, regardless of what state you’re in, to be objective and make a call like that.
“I wanted to get back on the pitch. I came back on the pitch when they just scored a penalty, I think, and I suppose you’re thinking you can make a difference.
“It’s a difficult one to call. I know (then Mayo manager) James (Horan) and myself had a long discussion on the sideline about it at the time, but it’s always very difficult from a player’s point of view."
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