Hit in the head during the first defensive play of last Thursday night’s loss to the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt was in and out of the lineup during the first half. Examined by team doctors and the NFL’s UNC, the independent specialist who watches for and evaluations potential concussions each game, Watt returned and finished out the team’s 21-18. When he re-took the field, he sported a dark visor and after the game, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, had a migraine. By Saturday morning, the team announced Watt was joining Alex Highsmith in concussion protocol.
Joining the Pat McAfee Show as he does every week, big brother J.J. Watt was asked how T.J. was feeling. McAfee asked J.J if he immediately knew that T.J. was concussed.
After a long three-second pause, Watt tried to get out an answer.
“I…he…he didn’t have one during the game,” Watt told the show.
Which led A.J. Hawk to quip about the visor Watt wore, seen above, for the rest of the game. J.J. said it was to avoid getting hit in the face again. But given his concussion, it’s plausible he had a sensitivity to light as a result of his head injury.
Watt then quickly attempted to switch topics, asking if Hawk wore a visor when he played. Watching the show live, it was clear everyone knew that Watt had suffered a concussion on that play, was somehow able to get clearance to go back into the game, and then entered protocol afterwards.
As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport Tuesday, the NFL and NFLPA are reviewing how the team and the UNC handled Watt’s situation. Standard procedure, though there’s likely more to investigate here.
Currently, there’s no tangible evidence to suggest the Steelers did anything wrong. Watt spent plenty of time on the sideline and in the blue medical tent being evaluated. According to an in-game Amazon report, he spent at least four minutes inside the tent while being checked by the UNC. And he ostensibly passed whatever tests administered before he was allowed to return to the game. In recent years, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have treated concussions with the seriousness they deserve and there’s no indication they obstructed or fudged Watt’s results.
But the evidence does point to Watt suffering a concussion on that play and finishing the game. If that’s the conclusion, it’s clear the league still has work to do in preventing concussed players from going back into games. Whether that’s better medical evaluation and tests or on a more extreme measure, like ruling out any player even checked for a concussion, the NFL might reexamine its process this offseason, one year after receiving intense criticism for how Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s concussions were handled.
We’ll await word on whether the Steelers or UNC will receive any punishment for their handling of the situation. In Tagovailoa’s case, the UNC who oversaw the protocol was fired by the league.
Later in the show, J.J. joked that T.J. will struggle with the “test” portion of the protocol that involves pen and paper to answer a set of questions.
Based on Watt’s participation in yesterday’s practice along with encouraging comments from DL Cam Heyward and DC Teryl Austin, it’s looking likely that Watt will play Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts. But the saga over his concussion against the Patriots might not be wrapped up by then.
