Redskins cornerback Byron Westbrook had looked forward to the day when he and his brother Brian would compete against each other on the same field.
Now Byron hopes that his brother is healthy enough to live a normal life outside of football.
Brian, a Pro Bowl running back with the Philadelphia Eagles, suffered two concussions in a four-week span, the first on Oct. 26 when he collided with London Fletcher on a tackle.
Byron has stayed in contact with Brian as he undergoes evaluation.
"You have to think about your life after football, first and foremost," Byron said. "You do want to play, but you have to realize that football is not going to be here your whole life. You have life to live after football and you have to be cautious about that. If you suffer another one, that could be it. You never know."
Even so, Byron hopes that Brian's career does not end as a result of a concussion.
"It's concerning, because I'm his No. 1 fan," Byron said. "I've watched him since I was a little kid...I want to see him go out like Barry Sanders did when he was ready to [retire], or Jim Brown when he was ready to [retire].
"My brother, he's a very great competitive guy. I told him, 'Football is just a job right now.' You have things outside of football. He loves riding horses. Why have a concussion problem and not be able to ride horses and do the things you love to do in your offseason?
"So hopefully the doctor gives him some positive results and he makes the right decision."
Concussions have impacted the Redskins, too. Clinton Portis has missed the last two games due to a concussion suffered on Nov. 8. He is not expected to play in Sunday's game at Philadelphia.
-- STILL NO PRACTICE FOR HALL, HAYNESWORTH
For the second day in a row, DeAngelo Hall and Albert Haynesworth both sat out practice on Thursday.
Hall continues to be slowed by a sprained knee and Haynesworth has an ankle injury.
Both are "questionable" for Sunday's game against Philadelphia, according to Jim Zorn.
Even if Haynesworth miss practice on Friday, the last practice day of the week, he still could play against the Eagles.
That may not be the case with Hall, though.
"Albert will i[play] if he is ready," Zorn said. "It will be hard to keep DeAngelo out, too. Both of those guys will want to play. I don't know if DeAngelo will play if he can't practice [Friday]. Albert, we will just have to wait and see. That will be a game time situation. We will probably be a little more cautious with DeAngelo."
H.B. Blades (knee) and Todd Yoder (toe) also sat out practice on Thursday. Zorn referred to their status as "questionable," too.
-- IT'S WITHERSPOON AGAIN
Eagles linebacker Will Witherspoon will play his third game against the Redskins on Sunday.
Witherspoon opened the season with the St. Louis Rams. In Week 2, he led the defense with 10 tackles, but the Rams lost 9-7.
The Eagles acquired linebacker Will Witherspoon in a trade with the St. Louis Rams on Tuesday, Oct. 20, just a few hours before the trading deadline.
In Week 7, in his first game with the Eagles, Witherspoon recorded eight tackles, a sack and forced fumble and returned an interception 9 yards for a touchdown.
