Does Russell Wilson Really Believe This Water Prevents Concussions?
The NFL takes concussions more seriously than ever. After a player gets hit hard, he must pass the league’s concussion policy before returning to action. There’s really no treatment for a concussion, as it heals over time. But Russell Wilson thinks he has the solution to recovering from a concussion faster — and it’s as simple as bottled water.
Russell Wilson and Recovery Water
An investor in Reliant Recovery Water, Wilson has made unbelievable claims about the product. In 2015, he tweeted that he believes Recovery Water helped prevent him from developing a concussion following a bad hit.
Wilson faced backlash about his claims, so he later clarified his tweet, telling ESPN that “he didn’t have a concussion” and “it was perceived wrong.” The QB claimed he meant that after consistently drinking the water for more than a month, he felt the drink may have helped him out.
Wilson claimed that he was fine the day after he banged his head during a 2015 playoff game against the Packers. He explained that the reason he was OK “was the water.”
Does Recovery Water do what Wilson claims?
The big question is whether Recovery Water actually does what Wilson claims. You must be careful when making health or medical claims about any product, as Wilson does with the drink. There is no medical or scientific evidence that backs these claims.
Yankee OF Clint Frazier, however, seems to be into the hype. When he experienced concussive symptoms after colliding with a player, he drank six 12-ounce bottles of the water in about an hour. The outfielder’s symptoms quickly diminished, his headache dissipated, and his hunger returned.
Frazier said the water “pumps oxygen to your brain a lot,” so he felt alive after drinking all of the water. Then he seemed to question the water’s effect, saying maybe he “was lacking water, I don’t know. Maybe I just feel good.”
Wilson even backed off the claims. The 31-year-old said he didn’t have a head injury but he thinks the water “helped prevent it,” which could be chalked up to just being generally hydrated.
Wilson’s injury history
Wilson knows firsthand that the water he touts doesn’t completely prevent injuries. While he’s never missed a game since entering the NFL, the quarterback has been hampered by injuries.
In 2016, he dealt with knee and ankle injuries that he suffered early in the season. Wilson’s famous ability to run the ball suffered that season, as he ran for a career-worst 259 yards on 72 rushes. This is about 30% fewer carries than in 2015; his rushing yardage total was less than half of the prior campaign.
The Seahawks managed to go 10-5 that season and win the NFC West, though Wilson carried the ball just nine times in Seattle’s two postseason games. (He ran for 46 yards and no touchdowns.)
So Wilson has been pretty durable during his career, but that doesn’t necessarily relate to drinking Recovery Water.
His ability to stay on the field can be chalked up to good training and his relative youth; he just turned 31 in November. Wilson’s healthy is also a testament to his offensive line throughout the years, which has kept him from being sacked a lot.
