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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;AUSTIN, Texas -- David Ash paused before he answered the question. The Texas quarterback wanted to make sure he was understood because he knew it was a thorny issue. I asked him 13 days ago if he had doubts about whether he\u2019d play again after concussions ended his 2013 season after three games. This is what he said.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CLast year is kind of over and gone,\u201D said Ash, who was cleared by team doctors to play this past spring. \u201CMy family and I are people of faith. So I\u2019m looking to the future. My mentality is to have faith that God is in control, and whatever happens is going to happen. I\u2019m not worried about it. I can\u2019t go living my life in fear.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whatever happens happened on the first play of the Longhorns\u2019 second series Saturday against North Texas. Ash picked up a fumbled snap and got hit in the crown of his helmet by Mean Green defensive end Jarrian Roberts. Ash didn\u2019t linger on the turf. He popped right up and kept on playing. If Ash noticed any ill effects from the hit, he didn\u2019t tell anyone. None of the Longhorns\u2019 coaches noticed anything off about the redshirt junior from Belton, Texas. Ash finished the game, completing 19 of 34 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown in a 38-7 Texas win. \u201CHe was OK when he left here,\u201D Texas coach Charlie Strong said Monday. \u201CWe got a call, and we were able to get him with the trainers.\u201D A few hours after the game, Ash called to tell trainers that he was experiencing dizziness and a headache.&amp;nbsp;Ash told trainers he believed the first-quarter hit caused the injury.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Strong announced Monday that Ash wouldn\u2019t play Saturday against BYU. The coach would not speculate on Ash\u2019s football future beyond that, but given how Texas has handled concussions in recent years, it\u2019s doubtful he plays another snap as a Longhorn. Strong did make one thing clear. \u201CYou have to be concerned any time you have that number of concussions,\u201D Strong said. \u201CYou\u2019re always concerned about the young man\u2019s health. You would never jeopardize the young man\u2019s health just for your football team.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ash\u2019s situation encapsulates the complexity of the concussion issue in football. The game teaches a lot of qualities that serve players well on and off the field. It teaches them to persevere through discomfort, to sacrifice for teammates, to mentally push through physical obstacles. Unfortunately, these same traits work against players when it comes to concussions. A player can see a bone sticking through his skin. He knows to stop trying to get up and play. He can\u2019t see a bruise on his brain. He\u2019s trained to alert coaches and trainers of serious injuries and play through the aches and pains. But if the symptoms don\u2019t show up until hours after the game, how can the player alert the trainer during the game?\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Concussion research has shown some of the most serious damage is done when the brain has an injury that hasn\u2019t healed. That\u2019s one way boxers die in the ring. Ash, who in the weeks after concussion No. 2 last year wasn\u2019t allowed by doctors to stand on the sidelines during games because of the brightness of the lights, took more hits to the head Saturday after the one he believes injured him.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Hopefully, Ash hasn\u2019t suffered any permanent damage. Hopefully, this won\u2019t cause him problems later in life. Hopefully, he decides no game is worth his long-term health.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone who has played football understands Ash\u2019s mentality. You want to play. You don\u2019t want to let down your teammates. You want to be tough. And when the pain comes from nagging muscle soreness from a hit or a tough practice, that\u2019s exactly the correct attitude to have. Learning to push through in football helps players learn to push through the day-to-day difficulties the world throws at them later as working, tax-paying, child-rearing adults. Unfortunately, this is precisely the wrong attitude to have when dealing with a head injury. Pushing through only endangers the player more. Everything he has been taught works against him.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;No player wants to be labeled as soft, and the current research on concussions is so new that we have yet to see a generation of players reared with a healthy fear of brain injuries. So they want to just keep playing, no matter what. For an example, consider a statement from Texas receiver John Harris on Monday. A reporter asked Harris about the offseason suggestions by some that Ash quit football. \u201CIf I had to tell David, I would tell him don\u2019t ever let anybody tell you to quit. Quitting is not an option,\u201D Harris said. \u201CThat\u2019s the easiest thing you can do. Somebody told me one time that if you walk away from it, you\u2019ll walk away from anything else the rest of your life. So he shouldn\u2019t quit. That\u2019s that last thing he should do.\u201D Harris was not being insensitive. He wasn\u2019t disregarding the health of his teammate. He was parroting what he\u2019s been told his entire career. When the subject is almost anything other than brain trauma, it\u2019s great advice.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So I asked Harris this: \u201CWhat if the doctor tells him it might kill him?\u201D Harris\u2019 tone changed immediately. \u201CWell,\u201D Harris said, \u201Che needs to listen to the doctor.\u201D This is football\u2019s dilemma. The mentality that makes the game great entertainment and a great teaching tool for youngsters makes it dangerous in this one critical area. Most players know no game is worth their lives or their long-term mental health, but it\u2019s especially tough to make them understand the risk in the heat of the moment.&amp;nbsp;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Texas will move on without Ash. Sophomore Tyrone Swoopes will start, and freshman Jerrod Heard will be the backup. Strong said Ash, Swoopes and Heard split reps evenly in camp, which suggests Texas coaches were preparing for the likelihood that Ash would miss time. During the offseason, Strong showed Ash a video cut-up of the big hits Ash took his first three years and pleaded with the quarterback to avoid contact whenever possible. \u201CI don\u2019t need to see how tough you are,\u201D Strong said in August.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We know Ash is tough. We know he cares about his teammates. Now we\u2019ll see if he can take his own health into account. During that interview two weeks ago, Ash elaborated more on his choice to return to the field. \u201CI\u2019m not going to live my life going, \u2018Man, I wish I would have tried again,\u2019\u201D he said. \u201CI\u2019m going to live my life going, \u2018Hey, I tried.\u2019 And it either worked out or it didn\u2019t.\u201D\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He tried. Now it\u2019s time to consider the long life ahead.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;STAPLES: College football's unpredictability on full display in Week 1&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/college-football/2014/09/01/david-ash-texas-longhorns-concussion-injury>