In a year where concussions have been at the forefront of conversations in the NFL due to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s situation, the league let down another player on Monday night.
Former Dolphin DeVante Parker, now with the New England Patriots, caught a crossing route in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals before hitting his head on the ground. When the wideout stood up, he was clearly unstable, even falling into rookie left guard Cole Strange.
While this instance would normally call for the NFL’s concussion spotter to have Parker removed from the game to be evaluated, the 29-year-old was allowed to stay in. New England was about to run a play, with Nelson Agholor trying to get the referee’s attention to stop the game, and if it weren’t for a coach’s challenge they may have continued.
Throughout the game and into Tuesday many platforms were appreciating Agholor’s efforts to help his teammate, but it was a clear failure of the system put in place by the league.
Once the dust settled, Parker took to social media to call out the NFL and thank Agholor for his help.
(The original post did include an expletive.)
If the NFL wants to seem like they’re taking care of their players, mistakes like this can’t happen.
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