Concussions, NFL Playoffs, Veterans, and Science

Washington, DC
16 January 2026

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: The NFL, DoD and the VA should immediately treat brain-wounded Service Members and concussed athletes with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). We can return players to action and stop the suicide and opioid overdose epidemics and bolster readiness imperiled by untreated brain wounds. The evidence of safety and efficacy is backed by over 28 clinical trials. Oversight of Veteran suicides seems to be left to family members, friends, some not-for-profits, and the media since Congress, the VA and DoD allow the carnage to continue.

Let the record of suicides above, and this chart serve as a down payment on a conversation about how to treat and help heal brain wounds/concussions/TBI and to end the suicide epidemic. The chart is also a springboard to understand why Concussions and TBI/PTSD are still viewed as untreatable.

We’re in playoffs for the Super Bowl, At last count, seven players on the eight finalists are in the Concussion Protocol. And what is that? We’ll save you the time. We’ve looked at virtually every main line Concussion Protocol in the world.

The major concussion protocols are largely based on the consensus guidelines developed by the Concussion in Sport Group (CISG), which advocate for immediate removal from play, a brief period of relative rest, and a gradual, staged return to activity. These guidelines have been adopted and adapted by major sports organizations (NFL, FIFA, World Rugby) and national health bodies (CDC, UK, Australia, New Zealand). 

The core tenets of these protocols are centered around the “11 Rs” of concussion management: Recognize, Reduce, Remove, Refer, Re-evaluate, Rest, Rehabilitate, Recover, Return-to-learn/Return-to-sport, Reconsider, and Residual Effects.

Notice the word “management.” Not heal, or treat. Manage symptoms. Manage expectations and administrative vulnerability. Keep both the athlete and the league safe. Wait a while and hope the athlete gets better. But nothing about healing the wound to the brain.

Understand that the last decade has seen stunning advances in how we can “see” the wound and explain how the brain is damaged and functions deteriorate. It’s too expensive to image every Concussion, but we’re pretty good at knowing when someone’s bell is rung. Consider some of the evidence. Christian Gonzalez (CB, New England Patriots); Nico Collins (WR, Houston Texans); Justin Watson (WR, Houston Texans); Terrell Jennings (RB, New England Patriots); and Chicago Bears Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, and Defensive Lineman Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. It’s painful to watch their pain. The blue tent can’t hide it all.

Now consider “Invisible Wounds” of war. It’s hard to ignore what Veterans know. 159,000 service member suicides since 9/11 “probably” have some connection to brain wounds. Correlation is not causation, but combat Veterans know what BLAST and IEDs and breeching and danger-close and friendly fire can do to physical and mental and moral health. How the accumulation of head-hits lead to the well known symptoms: fatigue, memory, headaches, sleeplessness, anger, pain, depression, and the myriad other felt effects of Operator Syndrome and polytrauma.

TreatNOW estimates 877,000+ brain wounds since 9/11 across all services. Those lucky enough to heal on their own know the toll it takes and how they wish they’d known about other ways to speed that healing up. And we all know some who couldn’t take it any longer. And how many of us continue, either inside or outside the VA care, to wish for a cure, at least some way to get back to a more normal routine.

There is a way. Let’s listen to some who have found that way back. Their stories and many more from EOD, SWCC, Marauders, Delta, National Guard can be found here.

SMMC Simon LeMay: “I came back broken. I went through suicidal times. We had tried everything [before HBOT]: inpatient, drugs. I didn’t realize how for so many years what I was doing to my family. I’d like to say that I made a complete change in the direction of my life toward the good.”

SEAL Norman Moser: “I trained a guy. He won two best in Navy awards. Came back, stacked a bunch of books in his basement about brain injury and killed himself. He’s just like so many hundreds of thousands out there who aren’t getting diagnosed or treated properly. … i went fruitbat crazy, woke up wanting to kill myself one night. I went to NICoE. There was no treatment. I fought suicidality. After HBOT at AVIV, I’m tremendously powerful again, better than I’ve been in 35 years.”

Ranger Scotty Roessler: “Listen to a guy who has played Army since as far back as I can remember. 38 good friends of mine are dead….some are suicide. I wish those guys were still here. They’d go through this therapy and they’d still be alive for their families.

MOH Sammy “Forrest Gump” Davis: [SGT Davis had gone decades without help and was slipping downhill before HBOT]”It’s amazing that it’s repaired my mind, my body, by just lying in a chamber. At the very least I would like to have every Veteran able to do this.” His wife, Dixie: “They called mild dementia, and they said there was no treatment. His kidneys and liver improved. They could save so much money putting the injured through HBOT.”

Joe Namath: “I had a minimum of five concussions. A teammate of mine was so scared of what he was going through. His mind, he was losing it. I decided to see for myself. My SPECT scan showed that the whole side of my brain was not getting blood. I took 120 dives, and my brain is healthy. The dark spots are gone. Don’t ell me it doesn’t work.”

SFC Wren Murray: “After the combat, I was a shell of who I wanted to be. After HBOT, I was feeling guilty. I knew there were other people like me hurting. Got a plan together, we’re stepping in where others have failed.

BG Patt Maney: “I spent almost 20 months at Walter Reed. I was broken. My life was over. After about 20 dives, people started telling me about the major differences. I couldn’t read, concentrate, sleep. HBOT made my wife’s life better.” [BG Maney is now an elected Florida state legislator and assists with Veterans Courts nationwide.

Dr Joe Maroon: “HBOT heals brain wounds. Physiologically there is strong evidence that HBOT heals TBI. Legislators need to learn about the Renaissance in healing using HBOT. The mechanisms of action: it enhances stem cell growth, new blood vessels, new brain cells, makes new mitochondria, helps with neuroplasticity. HBOT should have, does have utility in healing TBI/PTSD/post concussive syndrome in Veterans.”

But don’t just trust in the words of the thousands of success stories told on the 175+ TreatNOW Coalition clinic websites. Trust the science. Over two dozen peer-reviewed clinical studies attest to the safety and effectiveness of HBOT for TBI/PTSD/PCS. Then call for a referral. Here are a few examples of a first step to getting back to normal:

America’s Mighty Warriors:  https://americasmightywarriors.org/

The 22 Project: https://support22project.org/

HBOT Clinical Trial in Tampa, FL:  https://hbot.usf.edu/

The Aurelius Brain Health and Human Performance Protocol:  https://myaurelius.org/about-us/ The Aurelius Brain Health and Human Performance clinic in Harrisburg, PA [ https://myaurelius.org/ ] offers a one-of-a-kind Program for SOF suffering polytrauma: TBI+PTSD+Depression. Aurelius integrates Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and Physical Training and life-style modalities in a daily protocol that is unique in the United States. Data are being collected with scientific rigor for publication. The treatments for qualifying SOF Veterans are 100% free including free lodging over the course of treatment. Full details at: https://myaurelius.org/contact-us/

Funded Programs in Kentucky and North Carolina 

Eric Koleda, HBOT4KYVETS:  https://hbot4kyvets.com/

HBOT for Heroes, EXTIVITA, Durham, NC:  https://hbot4heroes.org/

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The TreatNOW Mission is ending service member suicides. Along the way, we have learned that we can end suicidal ideation, help end symptoms of PTSD, get patients off most of their drugs, and heal brain wounds to end the effects of Concussion, BLAST injury, mild TBI, Persistent Post Concussive Syndrome, and polytrauma from AHI, Burn Pits, and COVID. No Veteran or civilian has ever been killed while undergoing HBOT treatment for TBI/PTSD.

Information provided by TreatNOW.org does not constitute a medical recommendation. It is intended for informational purposes only, and no claims, either real or implied, are being made.