Ex-Packers cornerback Sam Shields recounts concussion battle, says he wouldn't do it over again

Former Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields, an undrafted free agent who became an indispensable part of a Super Bowl champion, appeared Tuesday on "South Beach Sessions," a podcast hosted by Dan Le Batard, and recounted his harrowing issues with concussions, including symptoms that still linger.

Shields, who played for the Packers until 2016, missed all but one game that final season after suffering his fifth documented concussion. The Packers released him in early 2017, and he played for the Rams in his final NFL season in 2018, ending his career in another Super Bowl when the Rams fell to New England 13-3. He documented his medical struggles in 2018 for The Players' Tribune.

Shields represented a great story, playing receiver until converting to the secondary as a senior at the University of Miami, then not only making the Packers as a defensive back but starting six games and finding himself in the midst of an unforgettable playoff run. His interception proved to be the final dagger as the Packers held off the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game after the 2010 season, punching Green Bay's ticket to Super Bowl XLV. He signed a four-year, $39 million extension in 2014, but when Le Batard asked if Shields would do it all over again, he said no.

"No. No. Nah," Shields said. "I'd be going to school, working for home improvement, I'd be trying to learn how to build a house. I'd never take away from (agent) Drew Rosenhaus for helping me and supporting me throughout that, my career, getting me to that point. I'd never take that away from him, from anybody, because it's hard to get there and I was blessed to have the opportunity to get there from those guys. They did their job. I can't take that away from them. But, I went through it, man. I felt like there wasn't no support at the time."

Rosenhaus was an early believer that Shields had NFL-level speed and encouraged Shields to pursue the NFL even after going undrafted. Shields also credited his roommate, Morgan Burnett, and his defensive backs coach (presumably Joe Whitt Jr.) for getting Shields up to speed at a new position, including the introduction of flash cards to help Shields learn the plays.

"I was the only rookie in the DB room at that time, so the DB coach only asked me questions (in meetings)," Shields said. "They (the other veterans) already know (the answers)."

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Burnett, though a year younger than Shields, became a pseudo-mentor, creating on-field hand signals specifically for Shields to help him identify the play.

"(Burnett) was at meetings on time, he was everywhere on time," Shields said. "I'm like a year older, but I'm looking at this dude doing all this and I'm like, damn … this dude is really doing what he's supposed to be doing. I didn't want to be like, my roommate's gone and I'm still in here sleeping. He was really making me get up and go watch film."

Shields expressed disappointment with the Packers organization for their treatment of him once the concussions kept him off the field.

"They didn't put much effort to help me get my head together," Shields said. "'He's not playing, he's not helping us, get rid of him,' instead of helping, let's see if his mind is together first. 'No, we're just going to kick you off and go, and move on.' Damn, they didn't really put too much into like checking to see if this dude was all right."

Shields said he battled headaches, light sensitivity and vertigo, and said he still gets headaches and struggles to sleep on a schedule. He's sought treatment at UCLA and in Colorado.

"You've just got to learn how to cope with it," Shields said. "You've got to find ways to cope and get out of those stressful moments."

He said he'd routinely fail the balance or memory tests within the concussion protocol. After treating the issue by surrounding himself in darkness, Shields said, a UCLA doctor encouraged him to try the opposite approach, including running on a treadmill to "beat the concussion."

He also said he dealt with the disappointment of getting released and seeing his NFL career cut short.

"Once football was over, everyone was over with me," Shields said, adding that he doesn't even speak to some members of his family anymore. "It's a lot, and how are you going to deal with that by yourself? You become a prisoner in your own mind. ... We're not prepared for the life after, we're not. Business-wise, we're not ready for it."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Green Bay Packers DB Sam Shields discusses concussion battle