The NFL is reportedly looking into the way Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker’s concussion was handled Monday night.
Parker was slow to get up and looked unsteady on his feet after being tackled in the first half against the Cardinals last night. Despite this, NFL spotters did not immediately signal to stop the game.
Only after Parker’s teammate Nelson Agholor frantically shouted and gestured for officials to stop play did it actually happen. Parker was removed from the action and put in concussion protocol.
The NFL took plenty of criticism for the spotter’s inaction, and the league and NFLPA are investigating the matter, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
“Good bc it was clear and it was ignored,” one fan responded to Rapoport’s tweet.
“Good. Parker was wobbling standing up and even wobblier lining up and the only people who seemed to noticed were Agholor, who was practically jumping up and down flailing his arms to get the officials attention, and Isaiah Simmons who was pointing at Parker the whole time,” added another.
“Pretty clear that Nelson Agholor was the hero on the play and that’s part of the process,” added Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “As part of the league’s protocols, players are empowered to stop the game when they see signs of a head injury. Question is why nobody else saw it.”
“Honestly it was clear to anyone who was watching, except, you know, the people specifically hired to be watching for that sort of thing,” chimed in another Patriots’ fan.
The NFL and NFLPA made changes to the concussion protocol following some high-profile hits earlier in the season, most notably one suffered by Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
We’ll see if anyone is held accountable for what looked like a clear screwup on Monday.