Former Dolphins QB Green cleared to play
Career stats: Trent Green
In an exclusive interview with FOXSports.com, Green revealed he was cleared last week to return to football and now wants to sign with a team and play in 2008.
"I'm going to play," Green said Thursday morning.
The Dolphins placed Green on injured reserve in October, then released him after the season ended. Green believed his decision to hang up the cleats had been made because nobody would clear him to return to action. Turns out, his assessment was premature. Dr. Robert Cantu, Chief of Neurosurgery Service and Director of Sports Medicine at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Massachusetts, gave him the clearance.
"I gave (my doctor) all my test results I had taken in the past and took some new tests with him and he passed me on everything," Green said. "He did some cutting edge studies with blood work — studies I never heard of — and those came back positive as well. Dr. Cantu said there is no reason I can't play again and no reason I shouldn't play again. Based on the fact that I don't have any symptoms and he completely cleared me, I would like to continue playing."
According to his bio, Dr. Cantu is also co-director of the Neurologic Sports Injury Center at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Medical Director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, an ongoing registry founded in 1982 to collect and analyze data on spine and head injuries. He is one of the leading experts on concussions in sports and the author of the most widely used concussion grading and return-to-play guidelines.
Still, despite his clearance, there are many who will continue to ask Green: "Why? Why chance it again?"
"I've talked to a number of former players — guys who have been long retired and some recently retired — for help on this," Green said, "and they all said the same thing, 'If you can keep playing and you want to keep going then keep playing. You only have one window for your career and once that window closes, there's no going back. It's over.'
"I love this game too much. I love everything about it. I love playing, I love practicing. Actually, when I got put on IR last year the thing I missed the most was practice. I love to compete every day and I get to do that in this world. If I'm healthy I should play."
As for Green's family, he said they completely support his decision on a topic that is frequently and openly discussed in his household.
"I wasn't looking for a doctor to clear me, I was looking for the right doctor who could be honest with me," said Green, who will enter his 15th season if and when he signs on with another team. "For me, it's hard because I know it's hard for them to watch me carted off with a knee injury and now the concussions. My boys are old enough to understand it too. We've talked about it openly at the house. They feel comfortable with it.
"They trust me in that they know how thorough I am in my decision-making process. They know I will be diligent in seeking the advice of the correct doctors."
Green says he has already had discussions with teams waiting for these tests results to return. Now that he has been cleared, a few teams have discussed signing him as a No. 2 while a couple have talked about him competing for the starting spot in camp.
"I haven't had any symptoms (from the concussion) in a long time," he said. "Even after the Houston hit last year, I was working out the next day. It looked bad but it was nowhere near like the hit I took against Cincinnati. I understand people's rationale when they say I've played enough and made enough but I'm fortunate enough to have a clean bill of health. If that's the case, why wouldn't I keep playing a game I love?"
Green played in just five games for Miami in 2007, completing 85 of 141 passes for 987 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in 2003 and 2005 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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