Ryan Mason: Hull midfielder saved by new Premier League guidance on head injuries brought in after old club Spurs let Hugo Lloris play on after clash
New set of guidelines on how to deal with players with suspected traumas were brought in following Spurs criticism
RYAN MASON does not only have his former club Tottenham to thank for saving his career, he may also have to thank them for saving his life.
The Hull midfielder now appears to be on the mend after undergoing emergency surgery to repair the fractured skull he suffered in an accidental and sickening clash of heads with Gary Cahill.
But the reason Mason was sitting up in his hospital bed chatting to visitors was NOT because he was never in any danger.
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No, it was down to the guidelines laid down by the FA and Premier League following the controversy sparked by the head injury Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris suffered in his side’s clash at Everton on November 3, 2013.
Spurs — and football — were rightly criticised for letting the Frenchman play on after he was knocked unconscious by Toffees striker Romelu Lukaku’s knee.
Tottenham academy product Mason, 25, was on loan at Swindon at the time and could never have foreseen how that incident involving his parent club at Goodison Park would benefit him in the future.
As a result of Spurs’ failure to sub Lloris, clubs received a new set of guidelines on how to deal with players with suspected serious head injuries.
And despite them still not being mandatory or punishable, it is those guidelines which all clubs are following that helped ensure Mason’s serious injury did not become a tragedy.
Chelsea, still haunted by the experience of their former keeper Petr Cech suffering a fractured skull at Reading in 2006, did not need any persuading to implement the new guidelines — which included a third doctor in the tunnel to assess any players with a head injury.
That proved vital at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when the third doctor was able to help the medics of both Chelsea and Hull in their assessments of Mason and Cahill.
Mason 'can play again'
SUNSPORT’S DAVID FRIEL shares his story of returning to play football after a skull fracture.
THE Strathclyde Evangelical Churches Football League is about as far removed from the Premier League as you can get.
But if Ryan Mason ever wants proof that his horrific head injury does not necessarily have to mean the end of his career, he is welcome to take in a game.
September 10, 2006, is etched in my memory forever. A cross held up in the wind, I adjusted my run and BANG. Everything went black for a few seconds. I didn’t know it at the time — but through a clash of heads I had suffered a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
I sensed something was badly wrong as I crawled to the side of the pitch. There was no blood but I was throwing up, my left eyebrow was drooping and I had an urge to fall asleep.
I went straight to hospital — but the next few hours were a blur as I dropped in and out of consciousness.
One craniotomy (they make a trapdoor in your skull to remove the blood) and 32 staples later, I was taken out of theatre.
The doctor told me not to take part in contact sport for a year, but what happens after that? The medical advice was the bone should heal completely — but wearing a Petr Cech-style head guard would remove any risk.
Wearing the protective hat removed any lingering fears and I still pull it on every Saturday morning for my amateur team.
Hull have confirmed Mason is already talking to family and, while football is irrelevant right now, my experience shows there is every chance he can continue.
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It resulted in Mason being diagnosed with a fractured skull, administered initial treatment and taken to hospital much quicker than he may have been in the past.
The Hull man was being treated in the neurological unit at St Mary’s in Paddington within an hour of clashing heads with Cahill.
And any viewers of TV shows like 24 Hours In A&E will know that the “golden hour” is vital to a patient’s recovery.
Equally, the third doctor’s assessment of Cahill, who was incredibly but obviously unhurt in the incident, meant Chelsea were able to keep their defender on the field — which may sound churlish in the scheme of things but was the right call.
Why 60 minutes is so special
SUN DOCTOR - Carol Cooper on the Ryan Mason incident
RYAN MASON was at London’s St Mary’s Hospital trauma unit within an hour of his sickening collision with Gary Cahill on Sunday.
Medics refer to this 60 minutes as the Golden Hour, in which patients must be seen in a specialist unit to dramatically increase chances of a full recovery.
The Golden Hour in medical emergencies goes back to military medicine in World War Two.
It is just common sense, of course. But many experts dispute its exact length.
Is it really 60 minutes? Or can it be even longer if expert help is given on the field?
Do death rates really go through the roof if you delay for longer than an hour?
The answer is they don’t. On-scene intervention can make all the difference, especially with breathing problems or blood loss.
Hospital remains the place where scans and tests can be done, particularly important in serious head injuries.
That is why Chelsea medical staff did so well to get Mason to St Mary’s so quickly.
The Premier League was roundly slammed for the way it dealt with the Lloris incident.
But it showed on Sunday it has learnt from its mistakes of three years ago. Peter McCabe, chief exec of brain injury association Headway, said: “I was actually at the Chelsea-Hull match and, while it was upsetting to witness the incident, it was encouraging to see the exemplary reaction of the medical teams.
“Headway has been critical of the way in which head injuries have been treated in many high-profile football incidents in recent years.
“But it is positive to see that lessons appear to have been learned.”
Mind you, the news Mason was sitting up and chatting just hours after possible life-saving surgery would not have surprised anybody who knows him.
The midfielder is used to defying the odds and winning big battles.
While Lloris was suffering that milestone concussion injury just over three years ago, Mason was being written off as he struggled to get into the Swindon team while on loan at the League One club.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival at Spurs at the end of that season gave Mason the chance to save his career. And he grabbed it with both hands as he forced his way into Tottenham’s Premier League squad for the 2014-15 season.
Mason would later go on to be capped by England and may have still been at Spurs had injuries not stifled his progress.
To Mason’s credit, he was not prepared to sit at Spurs picking up his wages and he joined Hull in August.
But he may have to be grateful to his old club for inadvertently prompting the changes in the way clubs deal with head injuries.
Six who grabbed headlines
Petr Cech, October 2006 The keeper, who was then at Chelsea, suffered a fractured skull in the collision with Reading’s Stephen Hunt. Cech returned in January 2007 and has worn his trademark head protector ever since.
Cristian Chivu, January 2010 Inter Milan’s defender clashed heads with Chievo’s Sergio Pellissier and was rushed to hospital for surgery on a fractured skull. After two months out, he was back in action with a head guard.
Hugo Lloris, November 2013 Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas was slated for letting his keeper play the last 12 minutes after being caught by the knee of Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and briefly KO’d. Lloris missed the next two games.
Thibaut Courtois, October 2014 Chelsea’s keeper had a collision with Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. After a 60-second assessment, he was cleared to play but 20 minutes later complained of dizziness. Hospital tests later found no damage.
Moussa Sissoko, September 2016 Midfielder clashed heads during Spurs’ win at Middlesbrough and fell to the floor before struggling back to his feet. Docs ruled he was concussed and he was ordered off and replaced.
Anthony Martial, September 2016 Manchester United’s striker clashed heads with Watford’s Daryl Janmaat but was allowed to play on, despite being visibly dazed. He then hit his head again in the build-up to the Hornets’ opener, and was subbed.
By JORDAN DAVIES
Cahill played on following a clash of heads with Ryan Mason only after being cleared by doctors.
Chelsea have been asked why they allowed their defender to continue playing after the accidental collision on Sunday while Hull star Mason was taken to hospital with a fractured skull.
But Cahill was assessed on the pitch at the time of the incident.
The centre-back then passed a number of stringent tests when he was checked by a doctor again at half-time.
Both checks diagnosed that Cahill had suffered no damage — which seemed to be borne out by him heading the second goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory.