His situation regarding his entering into the concussion protocol last Saturday remains under joint review by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, but Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker T.J. Watt says he feels fine after clearing concussion protocol Wednesday.
Watt also cleared up some confusion Thursday during his weekly media session, stating that he was checked and cleared of a concussion by the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) in the blue medical tent on the sideline during the Thursday Night Football game against the New England Patriots. However, he wouldn’t get into the specifics of why he had a dark visor on after returning to the game.
“I got hit, went into the tent and got cleared, then came in the next day and had stuff going on,” Watt said to reporters, according to video via the Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski on Twitter. “So, as you guys saw with the protocol, yesterday got cleared from the protocol. Today, I feel great.”
Watt was asked to clarify if the was checked for a concussion and then cleared on the sideline.
“Yeah, in the tent,” Watt added.
That lines up with Amazon sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung’s report during the game that Watt spent time in the blue medical tent with the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant for four minutes and then came out of the tent and went back into the game.
Watt left the game against the Patriots last Thursday after the first play from scrimmage defensively. Watt took an errant Ezekiel Elliott knee to the facemask, leaving him very clearly dazed and lying flat on his back for a few moments. He quickly exited the game.
After missing a few snaps, Watt came back into the game but wasn’t sporting the dark visor. Then, later in the game Watt had the dark visor on. Two days later, Watt officially entered into concussion protocol on Saturday, and now the whole situation is under review for how the Steelers, the UNC and Watt handled the reporting of symptoms and how he was cleared to return to action.
As for the visor change though, Watt stayed away from that one.
“I’m not really gonna get into specifics. I’ve worn a visor pre-game, I’ve worn a visor in practice,” Watt said to reporters. “It’s not something that’s new for me, so I’ll leave that at that.”
Watt has worn a visor in pregame warm-ups and in practices. It indeed isn’t something new for him. But wearing it in-game is new, and there was reportedly a reason behind it, that being due to light sensitivity he was having, which is a common symptom of a concussion.
The NFL and the NFLPA are still reviewing the situation, and NFL medical director Allen Sills said that an answer regarding the review is hopefully coming in the days ahead. We’ll see what the NFL and the NFLPA review finds, but for now, Watt is good to go for Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, and on the surface seems no worse for wear after being in the protocol for a few days.
