Jordan Reed Concussion History Raises Concerns About Him Being Cleared to Play Week 1

A professional athlete's willingness to compete often goes unmatched, but when it becomes a hazard, should the decision be for someone else to make?

After suffering his seventh documented concussion, Redskins tight end Jordan Reed has been cleared to play against the Eagles in Week 1. Simply stunning.

Redskins TE Jordan Reed is expected to be cleared for Week One despite recently being diagnosed with his 7th documented concussion.

He's an adult who is free to make the decisions he wants with his life.

I guess my question is, should it still be his decision at this point?
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) August 28, 2019

An extensive injury history played an integral part in Andrew Luck's shocking NFL retirement, which begs the question: should other injury-riddled athletes consider stepping away as well?

Reed has never played the full 16 games in a single season, his highest mark coming in 2015 with 14 games. The former Florida Gator was a Pro Bowl selection the following year, appearing in 12 games and starting in eight of them.

#Falcons S Keanu Neal was fined $28,075 for unnecessary roughness for a penalty during the Aug. 22 game vs. Washington. This is the play that led to a Jordan Reed concussion.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2019

Though concussion protocol is taken seriously and passing the required tests suggests a player is ready to go, there should be some type of exception made when a player has the same injury multiple times.

In addition to several concussions, Reed has missed time due to a toe injury last year, and hamstring injuries in 2014 and 2017.