eAndre Hopkins, when asked whether in his mind Johnson is a Hall of Famer, said: In everybodys mind, not just mine.Hopkins, who now is one of the NFLs top receivers, remembered Johnson mentoring him in his first few seasons.It was very big to have a guy of his status and who has played a lot of footba

Sarah Cornett-Ching knew within 48 hours of a vicious crash during an ARCA race in late September that she had suffered an injury unlike any she had experienced in her racing career.It was as though her brain were functioning in a slow stage less than 24 hours after the crash at Kentucky Speedway. She had a constant, aggravating, but not debilitating headache. Then she experienced ringing in her ears and severe nausea. By the second day, the 25-year-old driver couldnt get out of bed. She was tired, had a continuous headache and was nauseous.I felt like crap, Cornett-Ching said.It was then that NASCARs medical liaison reached out to the Denver, North Carolina, resident. Even though her injury occurred in an ARCA race, she competed in five NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events earlier this year. Because she is a NASCAR-licensed driver, it was protocol for the sanctioning bodys medical liaison to check on her.The liaison immediately arranged for Cornett-Ching to visit Dr. Jerry Petty, a Charlotte-based neurosurgeon who is affiliated with the International Council of Motorsports and is an independent neurological consultant for the NFL and NFL Players Association. Petty also treated Dale Earnhardt Jr., who missed most of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season after suffering a concussion in a race in June at Michigan International Speedway. He continued racing through the July 9 Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway (he finished 13th). Earnhardt has not raced since but hopes to be ready for 2017.It was the way Earnhardt handled his much-publicized injury -- by speaking out about it -- that made Cornett-Ching want to tell her story.The first visit when I went to see [Petty], I was pitiful, said Cornett-Ching, who was driven to her appointment by her team owner, Tony Blanchard. I couldnt hardly walk. I had to hold someones arm to get in there. I was so out of it that I dont even remember what was said.A CT scan showed no bleeding on her brain. After her reflexes and balance were checked, she was told to rest until the headache and nausea disappeared. She was told to stay off her cell phone unless it was a necessity and to not watch television. The bright light of the phone and TV only worsened the headaches, she said.The first three or four days, it was pretty easy to do because I felt so bad, the Summerland, British Columbia, native said. It got tougher when I started feeling better because Im pretty ambitious, and I want to get up and do things.That ambition carried Cornett-Ching to a seventh-place finish in last years ARCA point standings. This year, she recorded one top-10 finish in eight ARCA races and placed outside the top 20 only once -- in the Kentucky race that left her injured. She missed the season finale at Kansas, but Petty has told her shell be ready when the 2017 season begins at Daytona in February. Still, she cant finalize next years racing plans until shes cleared to drive.Three weeks after the accident, Cornett-Ching still wasnt allowed to drive a passenger car. Any type of stress or extensive physical activity triggered a headache and nausea. She also had problems with her short-term memory, and her brain wasnt processing things quickly.We went to Martinsville to watch a late model race [in October], and that was really tough on me, she said. We had to walk a long way and go up stairs to get to our seats. When I get my heart rate up and start doing things, I revert back to being nauseous, having headaches and being really dizzy. I really have no balance right now. If I try to walk a long way, I end up staggering. I trip on my feet a lot.[Petty] gets me to do things, like put my thumbs together in front of my face and shake my head back and forth. I cant even do it for three seconds, and I feel like Im going to throw up. Im still a long way from being able to do physical therapy.Still, she tries to be productive. Cornett-Ching, a certified welder, has taken on tasks at her teams race shop, including peeling vinyl off one of the cars. However, when she tried to take lug nuts off a car, watching the circular motion made her sick for two or three hours, she said.Dr. Petty wants me to feel 100 percent, and then he wants me to push myself until I feel sick again, Cornett-Ching said. He wants me to keep doing that until Im good all of the time. At that point, I can start testing a car again and getting pretty much back into everything.Cornett-Ching traveled to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show scheduled for Nov. 1-4, but she had to ride cross-country with four people who were taking a show car for display. She was advised not to fly because of the stress. The event schedule calls for her to attend a press conference for Dickies, her sponsor. She also plans to be at the Dickies booth, sign autographs and make public appearances.The main thing that has me feeling positive is its not permanent. Its temporary, and every day, I feel better than I did the day before, Cornett-Ching said. I would be more scared if I didnt feel like I was getting better.Cornett-Ching initially didnt want to talk about her condition because of the implications it could have for her career. Thats understandable, said former NASCAR driver Ricky Craven, now an ESPN analyst. The first driver to admit he needed some time out of a race car to recover from a concussion, Craven said there were some risks in admitting to being compromised.You work your whole life to make it to the big leagues, said Craven, who suffered three concussions in three weeks in the late 1990s while driving in NASCAR for Hendrick Motorsports. Nobody wants a race horse with a bad ankle. The very early approach in NASCAR was toughen up. Its evolved to Youve reached your limit. You cant have these side effects and race a car, but hundreds did.Every single athlete has to be their own advocate and say, I am in charge of this, much as what you have seen Dale Earnhardt Jr. do this year. Nobody knows how I feel. I can keep it a secret or I can act on it.It happened so often that it was acknowledged, but drivers just plowed through it and strapped in the next week. Before getting hurt really badly, I can remember being in a car when I shouldnt have because I spent two days cross-eyed after I hit ... my head on the steering wheel at Charlotte.Cornett-Ching didnt hit her head on anything. She slammed into the tracks inside wall nearly head-on at 140 mph after brushing the outside wall. She never lost consciousness, but she realized she didnt have a good grasp of where she was on the track once the car stopped.Initially, I didnt want to talk about it, she said. When it comes to an opportunity to drive for a team or for a team owner, you dont want to look weak or have concussions on your résumé. At first, I didnt know what to do, but with Dale Jr. speaking out about it and taking time off ... its better to open up about it. I want people to understand what Im going through, and if they go through similar things, I hope they reach out to me. College Jerseys Outlet . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Wholesale NCAA Jerseys .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. https://www.ncaajerseys2020.com/ . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Fake College Jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Wide receiver Andre Johnson has told the Tennessee Titans he is retiring after 14 seasons, the team announced Monday.Going back to his days at the University of Miami, Andre was one of the most impressive wide receivers Ive scouted, Titans general manager Jon Robinson said in a statement. He had a professional approach to the game both on and off the field and in my opinion is one of the best to have played the game. I enjoyed getting to know and work with him in his time with our team.A seven-time Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans, Johnson had been a backup on the Titans depth chart this season. He had nine receptions for 85 yards and two touchdowns in 2016 but hadnt made a catch since Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins.Johnson made his legacy in Houston, where he is by far the franchise leader in receiving yards, receptions and receiving touchdowns.The 35-year-old steps away 10th in the NFL in career receiving yards (14,185) and ninth in career receptions (1,062).Texans owner Bob McNair told the Houston Chronicle that he would love to see Johnson in the Hall of Fame.That would be terrific. I think he deserves to be there, McNair said. Itd be a reflection on what we have done with our franchise in that weve produced a player who was of that quaality.ddddddddddddTexans linebacker Brian Cushing said Monday he was shocked to hear that his former teammate was retiring.Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, when asked whether in his mind Johnson is a Hall of Famer, said: In everybodys mind, not just mine.Hopkins, who now is one of the NFLs top receivers, remembered Johnson mentoring him in his first few seasons.It was very big to have a guy of his status and who has played a lot of football to teach me a lot of things about the game of football and about life in general. He basically groomed me my first couple years I was here, he said.Running back Arian Foster, Johnsons longtime teammate in Houston, also announced his retirement last week.Johnson led the NFL in receptions in 2006 (103 catches) and 2008 (115). He topped the league with 1,575 receiving yards in 2008 and 1,569 yards in 2009, two of his seven seasons with more than 1,000 yards.He bounced around the AFC South after being released by the Texans after the 2014 season. He played one season for the Indianapolis Colts in 2015 and joined the Titans this offseason.ESPNs Sarah Barshop contributed to this report. ' ' '