Sutton speaks with former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber.

What do warriors and professional football players have in common? Both are susceptible to sustaining concussions – whether in-theater or on the gridiron. And both are sometimes reluctant to seek treatment for fear of being seen as weak or forced to sit out of the action to recover.

Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton and Marine Sgt. Josh Hopper of DCoE’s Real Warriors Campaign traveled to the Super Bowl Media Day last month to promote our newest relationship with pro football. Real Warriors has joined forces with the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI) and the University of Michigan Depression Center to break the stigma among service members and NFL players in seeking treatment for concussions.

Sutton with former quarterback Joe Theismann and Sgt. Josh Hopper of the Real Warriors Campaign.

While at the Super Bowl, Brig. Gen. Sutton, SLI Founder and President Chris Nowinski and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler appeared on more than a half-dozen sports talk radio programs encouraging service members and football players that seeking treatment for concussions is an act of courage and strength – not a sign of weakness.

Stay tuned to our Real Warriors Web site this month for a PSA featuring retired Detroit Lions quarterback Eric Hipple, who is now the outreach coordinator for the University of Michigan Depression Center. This PSA will be the first of a few highlighting our collaboration with former NFL players. Also, be sure to check out our Media Day pre-Super Bowl XLIV photo album on Facebook!

*What is DCoE learning from football players? If you missed it, read our recent article in the Holiday Issue of the DCoE in Action newsletter, “DCoE Collaborates with NFL Sports Medicine Experts.”

*Stay tuned for our March edition of DCoE in Action – we feature important information about traumatic brain injuries and more on what we’re learning about the brain from athletes.