The NFL's concussion protocol appeared to fail Sunday when Texans quarterback Tom Savage took a huge hit, looked to have suffered a scary head injury, but was still allowed to re-enter the game. Ultimately, Savage headed back to the locker room where he was diagnosed with a concussion, but not before he returned to the field.
After getting slammed to the turf, Savage didn't get up immediately and his extended arms appeared to twitch for a few seconds. It was horrifying, even though it's impossible to know what exactly happened. The video below is not an easy watch:
If you haven't seen Savage on the hit that appears to give him a concussion - here it is. This was a 3rd down play, he played 1 series after this. Tried to go on field for another series, doctors would not allow him back in the game. #Texans pic.twitter.com/bokXxWvvld
— Adam Wexler (@awexlerKPRC) December 10, 2017
An official stood directly over Savage and saw how he reacted to the hit, but Savage still returned to the game without missing an offensive play after he disappeared into the sideline medical tent for a quick evaluation, according the John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
Savage was injured on the last series. He went into the sideline tent for a quick evaluation but returned without missing a down. Now he's in the locker room. He was evaluated for a concussion at Tennessee last week at halftime but played.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) December 10, 2017
Eventually, he headed to the locker room and handed over the offense to Texans backup quarterback T.J. Yates. The Texans then ruled Savage out with a concussion.
This isn't the first time this season that the NFL's concussion protocol has warranted criticism. In November, Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett appeared to be woozy after a big hit, but still re-entered the game. The Colts placed him in the concussion protocol after the game. The team claimed that Brissett passed all concussion tests during the game and didn't show symptoms of a concussion until he was in the locker room following the game.
The Colts' process was ripped by Dr. Chris Nowinski, the CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, on Twitter.
#NFL #concussion protocol is a fraud. QB Jacoby Brissett goes back in after showing the clearest concussions signs of the season. Helmet-to-helmet hit, holds head, then goes limp, then needs help up. You don't need a protocol to hold this player out for the game. Check the tape: pic.twitter.com/db8sDwVmVl
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) November 12, 2017
Earlier in November, the officials sent Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to the sideline to get tested for a concussion, but Wilson appeared to bypass the test and immediately re-took the field.
Russell Wilson sent off after taking hit to the chin for concussion check, ducked in the tent then sent right back out pic.twitter.com/8HXvKOGNuG
— That Dude (@cjzer0) November 10, 2017
Sunday's incident comes during a time when much of the dialogue surrounding the NFL has been centered around player safety. There was the recent incident of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski's cheap-shotting Bills' cornerback Tre'Davious White.
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a scary back injury on Monday night. And that same game featured a couple of gnarly headshots involving Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bengals safety George Iloka.
In 2015, a study found that 87 out of 91 deceased NFL players tested positive for CTE. In July, another study found that 110 of 111 former NFL players were diagnosed with CTE.
In a study of 111 brains of NFL players, 110 had CTE, the degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head https://t.co/fbNS53VRMe pic.twitter.com/pG3fPF11ct
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 25, 2017
With all of the increased awareness surrounding concussions and head injuries, don't be surprised if the NFL investigates what happened on Sunday.
