Coby Fleener still fighting symptoms 7 months after concussion

Coby Fleener's NFL career may be in jeopardy.

The unemployed 29-year-old is still experiencing symptoms of a concussion seven months after being hit in the head in a game versus the Los Angeles Rams.

"It's still there, unfortunately," he told Don Banks of The Athletic. "I'm just hoping it heals and gets better from time, I guess. I'd still like to play, but I have to get healthy first before I can even make that decision, really. That's the frustrating aspect of it. The doctors aren't able to say, 'Oh, in four-to-six weeks, he'll be right as rain.' That's just not the reality with concussions. It's a frustration for every athlete and every doctor who treats them and every coach who has to coach them."

Fleener was released by the New Orleans Saints in early May, two seasons into the five-year, $36-million contract he signed ahead of the 2016 campaign.

The tight end had 22 receptions for 295 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games last year before being hit by Rams safety Blake Countess on Nov. 26. Though he didn't exit the game immediately, Fleener was eventually removed from the field and hasn't played since.

"If you would have asked me the day after my concussion, I would have said, 'Oh, yeah, I imagine I'll be fine in a week,'" said Fleener. "I don't think anyone foresaw this happening."

The former Stanford star added that he hopes to resume his NFL career, but admitted he's uncertain if that will happen.

"That's a really hard question to answer, because, like I said, if you'd asked me a day or two after it happened, I would have said of course. But now I'm kind of taking it, as the cliche goes, one day at a time. Tomorrow if I wake up and there are no symptoms, then we approach things differently."

Fleener piled up 631 yards and three touchdowns for New Orleans in 2016. His most productive season came in 2014, when he posted 774 yards and eight touchdowns for the Indianapolis Colts.

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