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Former Gophers tight end Ben Utecht won't be returning to the Metrodome as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Lori and Jeff, his mom and dad, won't be in the stands jumping up and down. His wife, Karyn, the former Miss Minnesota, and their first child, 9-month-old Bella Grace, won't be leaning over a railing for one of those cute postgame embraces. And Ben's old buddies from Hastings High School are on their own if they want tickets.
Utecht won't be playing anywhere Sunday. At the still-tender age of 28, he might never play again.
His story is but one of the many troubling tales that come hand in hand with the popularity of the NFL, particularly this season as the dangers of concussions have taken center stage.
On Aug. 5, Utecht collided with a teammate during a basic blocking drill and suffered his fifth concussion since his redshirt freshman season at the University of Minnesota. Three weeks later, while struggling with short-term memory loss, dizziness, headaches and other post-concussion symptoms that would continue through November, Utecht was placed on injured reserve. His season was over.
In November, the Bengals' neurologist cleared him to play. On Nov. 17, Utecht was released with an injury settlement.
The Bengals have gone 9-3 a year after starting 1-10-1. Utecht has done little but put his Cincinnati home on the market and seek a second medical opinion from Robert Cantu, a concussion expert based in Boston, who has yet to determine whether he thinks the Bengals' decision to clear Utecht was the right move.
Utecht declined an interview request for this story, but he explained his reasoning for seeking a second opinion during an interview with USA Today last week.
"I asked the [first] doctor, 'Who's paying you to come work with me?'" Utecht said. "He said, 'Well, the Bengals are.'"
Utecht wants to play again, but only if he's cleared medically by the doctor of his choice, Cantu.
Utecht is being extra cautious. He had two concussions as a member of the Colts from 2004-07 and two as a Gopher. He told USA Today that he played the week after being knocked out cold as a redshirt freshman.
Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said Wednesday that he stands by the team's decision to medically clear and release Utecht for the good of the team. The Bengals drafted tight end Chase Coffman in the third round this year.
"Unfortunately, it's part of the business, and he was cleared by the medical people here and the specialists that deal with head injuries and so forth, and we really gave him an opportunity to sign with another football team," Lewis said. "For that it is difficult, but the good thing is he has the opportunity, whether he wants to continue to play football or continue with his life. That is all in front of him."
Lewis also called Utecht a "great person and a good man" and hinted he should consider retiring.
"To see him barely get touched [and suffer a concussion], it tears you apart to see something like that happen to a guy like that," Lewis said. "Unfortunately, it is what it is and there's got to be things beyond football."
The NFL recently announced a plan requiring independent neurological experts to make decisions on concussions. Teams also have been directed not to return players to the field during the same game in which they've suffered a concussion.
Thursday night, a 30-second public service announcement concerning concussions was scheduled to air on the NFL Network's telecast of the Browns-Steelers game. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the announcement, which will continue to run during NFL games this weekend, urges coaches to educate themselves on concussions, and tells players not to try and hide them.
It seems concussions finally are being taken seriously. The fact Utecht is only 28, already out of the league and unable to make his first return to the Metrodome's playing surface is another reminder that they should be taken seriously.
Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com
