After seeing what Tua Tagovailoa went through with what looked like multiple concussions earlier this season, it’s pretty evident that the NFL has some soul-searching to do regarding its concussion protocol.
We got another example on Monday when the Patriots played the Cardinals.
DeVante Parker took a big hit and showed all the signs of a player who might have a concussion. He was slow to get up and was wobbly once he finally did. He got back to the line of scrimmage so play could continue, but not a single official checked on him as they’re supposed to when players display these signs.
Only his teammate, Nelson Agholor, caught that there may have been something wrong. He signaled officials and stopped the play.
Worst & best of #concussions in the #NFL here.
DeVante Parker shows clear "no-go" signs after a head hit. Everyone (spotter, coaches, refs) pretends they didn't see it- EXCEPT teammate Nelson Agholor, who tries to stop the next play. Teammate of the Year! pic.twitter.com/XVAmqE7YRV— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) December 13, 2022
Parker hopped on Instagram the next day absolutely furious. He demanded the officials do their jobs better, and no one can really blame him in this instance. They didn’t catch this.
Warning: There is some NSFW language in this post
Looks like DeVante Parker wanted to receive medical care for his brain injury as if he were an actual human being – rather than an asset for the NFL to exploit & forget about once his health is used up. https://t.co/0oEOgI00fQ pic.twitter.com/RVF8hqWMBK
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) December 13, 2022
Luckily, Agholor caught this and things didn’t end up as badly as they could’ve. But the NFL has some serious work to do when it comes to spotting these head injuries and dealing with them in the moment.
Hopefully, the league does the work moving forward into the future. The safer the game can be, the better it is for everyone across the board.
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