THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Based on the information he received from his trips to Pittsburgh and precautions taken by the team, WR Brandin Cooks said he is not worried about the possibility of sustaining another concussion after experiencing two in a month.
"It's one of those things that I'm taking game-by-game, but no, I don't think you should be concerned because I'm not," Cooks said.
Cooks was a full participant in practice Thursday after limited participation since Nov. 10 due to concussion protocol. His Monday Night Football return will mark his first live game action since the Rams' game against the Bengals in London on Oct. 27.
While in concussion protocol, Cooks made those two separate trips to visit with concussion specialists in Pittsburgh earlier this month, accompanied by his wife each time. There, he met with Dr. Micky Collins, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine concussion program. It is the "first and largest research and clinical program focused on the diagnosis, evaluation and management of sports-related mild traumatic brain injury in athletes of all levels," according Collins' bio.
"I think one of the biggest things that I learned, concussions is a case-by-case thing," Cooks said. "To be able to go there and get some information from Dr. Collins in Pittsburgh is extremely helpful."
He credited his wife as the person he leaned on the most while dealing with the setback.
"That's who I go home to," Cooks said. "Seeing her comfortable, going into those meetings with me, feeling at ease, is such a blessing, because when you go home, that's who you're dealing with the most as far as questions asked. To see her comfortable and to see her not as concerned is definitely helpful in getting me through this time, for sure."
Cooks said he never consider stepping away from football and is focusing on what he can do to prevent another concussion, including wearing a new helmet.
"Just thankful for the team putting me in the right position and looking out for my best interest, taking every step I needed to take so I'm comfortable going back out there on the field," he said.