QB's injury was more serious than just a headache

	Florida coach Urban Meyer said that Chris Leak told him after last Saturday's win over Georgia that he thought he played with a concussion. AP
	RELATED • Leak says he didn't suffer concussion • CNN: Device seeks to detect concussions

By Christopher Nowinski, Special to SI.com

Whether the University of Florida medical staff, coach Urban Meyer, or quarterback Chris Leak wants to admit it or not, Leak did suffer a concussion in the Gators' 21-14 victory over Georgia last Saturday. And the fact that all parties are denying it is alarming.

Since Saturday's game there have been numerous accounts of Leak suffering some type of head injury in the first half, including Meyer's statement that Leak told him after the game that he thought he had suffered a concussion. That was followed by barrage of statements from Leak and Florida officials saying Leak had only suffered a headache.

"UF medical officials did not diagnose Leak with a concussion at any point [over the] weekend," Florida's University Athletic Association (UAA) said in a statement on Monday.

While that may be true, it does not address the question of whether or not Leak should have been have diagnosed with a concussion. Something was obviously wrong with Leak in the second half against Georgia. According to Meyer, Leak had "three or four missed calls" which led to the Gators needlessly burning three timeouts.

"[Leak] came up to me after the game and said he had blurred vision and thought he had a concussion," Meyer said in a statement.

But Meyer emphasized that Leak didn't notify team doctors, trainers or anyone on the coaching staff. The UAA later said that Leak only complained to trainers about a headache during the game.

Nearly 99 percent of concussions go undiagnosed in football, and the number one reason is because players don't tell medical personnel when they are experiencing symptoms. But Leak spoke up about his headache. According to UAA officials, "Chris was being treated for a contusion to his lower leg and mentioned he had a headache. No other symptoms were present. Chris asked for an aspirin and the sports health staff provided him with a Naproxen and the headache resolved."

A headache could be a symptom of a concussion, but by itself does not confirm a concussion, so if Leak was given a comprehensive examination at that time, then a diagnosis may not have been warranted. But the combination of a headache, blurred vision and confusion are sure signs of a concussion.