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Vanderbilt has three players dealing with concussions

Jalen Palm, Shelby Moats

Trevecca Nazarene guard Jalen Palm, left, and Vanderbilt forward Shelby Moats (34) reach for a rebound in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Jalen Palm, Shelby Moats

Trevecca Nazarene guard Jalen Palm, left, and Vanderbilt forward Shelby Moats (34) reach for a rebound in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Vanderbilt is dealing with a number of head injuries as three players on the roster currently deal with concussions issues. According to a report from Adam Sparks of The Tennessean, senior Shelby Moats and freshmen Shelton Mitchell and Jeff Roberson all have issues with concussions to varying degrees.

Since Moats is a senior, his career is in jeopardy, according to head coach Kevin Stallings, while Mitchell and Roberson are going through limited practices and could return soon.

“Shelby does not look anywhere close to being back, and he may miss the rest of the season,” Stallings said to Sparks. “Jeff and Shelton are both close at this juncture, provided there are no setbacks. I think there’s a concern, particularly on Shelby’s part. With this being the second one, he is a little bit leery of it happening again.

“Everyone is much more sensitive to the concussion issue right now. As coaches, we joke around and say, ‘We used to call it a headache, and now they call it a concussion.’ But I made a deal a long time ago with the training staff: I don’t try to tell them about injuries, and they don’t try to tell me about basketball.”

Moats is a 6-foot-8 senior forward who has appeared in nine games this season, averaging only 4.2 minutes per game.

Mitchell is a 6-foot-3 guard and has appeared in 22 games and averages 4.6 points and 3.6 assists per game. Roberson is a 6-foot-6 forward averaging 20.5 minutes, 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

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