With star outside linebacker T.J. Watt in concussion protocol and questions regarding if he was checked on the sideline prior to returning to action Thursday night against the New England Patriots, the league and the players association are taking a closer look at what happened.
According to a tweet from NFL Insider Ian Rapoport moments ago, the NFL and the NFLPA are “jointly reviewing the situation surrounding Steelers star T.J. Watt and how and when he entered the NFL’s concussion protocol.”
Watt reported concussion-like symptoms Friday less than 24 hours after the loss to the Patriots and entered the concussion protocol Saturday, according to the Steelers.
Watt was inadvertently hit in the face by New England running back Ezekiel Elliott’s leg on the first play from scrimmage, causing him to lie flat on his back after the play and be attended to by medical personnel. Watt then came out of the game for a few snaps and later returned to the field. Later on in the game, Watt had a dark-tinted visor on his helmet due to light sensitivity, which is a common symptom of a concussion.
After Watt took the big blow to the face from Elliott’s leg, he was seen on the sideline flexing his jaw, having his jaw and mouth checked out by medical personnel.
Amazon sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung reported during the broadcast that Watt spent four minutes with the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) before being cleared to go back into the game. Here’s the full quote of Hartung’s sideline report from early in the second quarter regarding Watt and being evaluated for a concussion.
“Alex Highsmith is still in there. We are told he’s questionable to return because of a neck injury. The unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant is inside the tent with him right now, and it was earlier that we saw TJ Watt in there, also with the UNC for four minutes, but he’s been back in the game and his helmet now has a tinted visor attached to it.”
It was a bit strange to see Watt return to the field so quickly and then wearing a dark-tinted visor to help control the lighting. What wasn’t strange was seeing Watt land in concussion protocol Saturday, especially after the violent shot he took to the face on the first play of the game.
Head coach Mike Tomlin stated Monday that he assumed Watt was checked for a concussion before being cleared to return to play. He also said that he didn’t know Watt changed the tint of his visor to a darker color to help with the lights.
Any time a player returns to action on the field and then winds up in concussion protocol, it leads to an extended look at the circumstances from the league and the players association’s perspective. It seems like the Steelers didn’t do anything wrong in this situation as Watt reported symptoms Friday and was put in protocol.
He was a limited participant in practice Thursday and has a good chance of clearing protocol and returning to the field. For now though, we’ll await the results of the joint review from the NFL and the NFLPA regarding Watt’s situation.
