'I need my brain' — Penn-Trafford, Grove City QB Brett Laffoon quits after concussions
From what he remembers, Brett Laffoon ran the football and dove forward for extra yardage early in the fourth quarter. He was being tackled and about to hit the ground when a defensive lineman came crashing down on him.
The brunt of the pressure-packed hit “drove my head into the ground,” Laffoon said.
The Grove City sophomore quarterback got up and headed for the sidelines, wobbly and woozy, and “I couldn't see straight.”
It was at that foggy moment when clarity stepped in: This would be his final football game.
Saturday's 42-31 loss at Juniata in the season opener was the last straw for Laffoon, a Penn-Trafford grad who was diagnosed with another concussion. He threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a little more than three quarters, but another jarring hit to his head abruptly closed the book on a great career just one game into his second college season.
He announced to his teammates Tuesday — and on Twitter on Wednesday — that he is done playing the game he loves and began playing when he was 5. He has grown tired of the concussions, the exact number of which he is unsure.
He knows he played through some and could not deal with others. He can't remember extended periods of time from some games. The throbbing headaches come and go.
Ultimately, the head trauma colored his perceptions, and reality called an audible.
“I have a history of them,” Laffoon said. “I had a really bad one last year, and I talked it over with my parents. One more, and that would be it for me. I love football, but there are more important things. You never know when that next hit could (lead to) another (concussion). You need your head later in life.”
Laffoon does not want to be some ambassador leading a mass exodus of concussion-damaged players out the door. He considers his case severe.
“I just want to give my teammates some perspective,” he said. “I have been playing this sport since I was 5, and to say I'm done really stings. But I am a mechanical engineering major, and I need my brain. There's a lot of information out there already; they made a movie about (concussions). I still love football, and I'd want my kids to play because of the life lessons it taught me. I was just unlucky getting hit in the head so many times.”
Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane called Laffoon's decision “heartbreaking.”
“Brett is a really smart kid and as loyal as anyone.” Ruane said. “It's tough to take for all of us because we love watching his success and leadership. He knows what he is doing and did what is best for his future. It's sad because he's such a phenomenal player and person — hate to see it end that way. He's one of the best players ever at P-T and certainly one of the highest-quality people I know.”
Laffoon, who broke freshman passing records last season (158 completions, 1,694 yards) and earned All-Presidents' Athletic Conference honors, said he turned to social media to spread the news so people didn't find out blindly.
“We love and support Brett,” Grove City coach Andrew DiDonato said. “I'm very thankful for the amazing relationship I have with him and his family.”
At Penn-Trafford, he led the Warriors to the WPIAL Class 4A title game as a senior, throwing for 2,471 yards and 32 touchdowns. He broke Tony Zimmerman's mark for career passing touchdowns and finished with 71.
Laffoon finished with 5,906 passing yards in three seasons, just the 18th quarterback in WPIAL history to top 5,000 yards.
He said he still plans to be with the Grove City team on the sidelines, maybe even calling signals to the quarterback. Perhaps the most repeated one will be, “Keep your head up.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.
