Concussions Reveal Darker Side To Football - Philadelphia News, Weather and Sports from WTXF FOX 29

Tenth grader Andrew McNaney Of North Penn High School suffered a concussion on the very first game of the high school football season.

The quarterback was running with the ball when he says another player came out of nowhere. His shoulder pad hit McNaney in the helmet, forcing his head to hit the ground.

At the time, it seemed innocent enough, but hours later McNaney's condition started going downhill.

McNaney says he couldn't sleep and suffered from severe headaches and vision problems.

His family quickly took him to a doctor, where several tests were conducted to check his memory and balance. McNaney's mom, Liz, says her son couldn't even walk a straight line and couldn't stand on one foot.

McNaney was told to take it easy and rest.

But six weeks later, he's not playing football and still has to avoid physical activity, bright lights and loud noises.

He also cannot go to school and has missed nearly the entire year.

A tutor now comes to his home to help him catch up.

His doctors say he's making progress, but it's still unclear when he might be able to go back to school.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, emergency rooms nationwide treated 173,000 kids last year for concussions from sports and recreation-related activities.

About a third of them, 55,0000, were football players, according to the data.

Despite his concussion, McNaney says he still wants to play football and his mom says she's okay with it. The family has two younger sons who also play the sport.