On the surface, it might come as a surprise that NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed nearly 200 Western Pennsylvania high school football coaches and athletic trainers Thursday morning at Heinz Field.
Dig a bit deeper though, and an important connection materializes: a shared history of dealing with concussions.
Earnhardt’s nearly 30-minute speech headlined Thursday’s symposium, co-organized by UMPC Sports Medicine and the Steelers. The event was free and open to middle and high school coaches of all sports, athletic trainers and athletic directors from the area for a second consecutive year.
Earnhardt candidly described his 2012 and 2016 crash-induced concussions and praised the treatment he received from UPMC while categorizing concussions as “treatable injuries.