Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren spoke with the media today, and indicated that there was no sideline concussion evaluation performed on Colt McCoy, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Holmgren said that doctors and trainers didn’t see the hit on Colt McCoy, and based on the way McCoy was behaving, didn’t feel that a concussion test was warranted.
After the game, he was put through a concussion test by Dr. Waters.
Representatives from both the NFLPA and the NFL met with the Cleveland Browns medical staff on Tuesday to determine if proper procedures were followed after Steelers linebacker James Harrison knocked quarterback Colt McCoy from the game on Sunday. The results could lead to further changes in the leagues policy on handling head injuries.
McCoy sustained a concussion on the hit, but after a very brief check on the sidelines, he was put back into the game after missing just a few plays. The Browns have been widely criticized for how they handled the review of McCoy.
McCoy’s father Brad, a high school football coach, stated in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “He never should’ve gone back in the game.”
“He was basically out (cold) after the hit. You could tell by the rigidity of his body as he was laying there. There were a lot of easy symptoms that should’ve told them he had a concussion.”
Several players have weighed in on the long debated question of whether there need to be independent neurologists on the sidelines to help evaluate concussions.
“In my time in Cleveland, I believe our training staff has been ahead of the curve on this issue,” said linebacker Scott Fujita, current on IR with a hand injury. “There are league-wide problems in procedure, and that’s what needs to be addressed. You can’t point your finger at any one thing. It’s the process.”
“We need to find a way to standardize everything and make it so there is no gray area, and there’s no question that this has revealed that the system might need to change a little bit — not with the Browns but with the entire league,” tight end Evan Moore said, who has had two concussions in the last two season. “We’ve got to protect players, no question about it.”
Tackle Tony Pashos indicated that McCoy seemed ok when he returned to the field, “He was pretty gung-ho.” But he was quick to highlight the need for a proper evaluation, saying, “I’m not evaluating anybody. I’m not a doctor. I’m the right tackle.”
That gets to the crux of the issue – that there needs to be a trained professional who is focused on looking for and evaluating these kind of injuries. There has been progress made, and the recent addition of an NFL Observer in the booth to look for these types of injuries (implemented after the Kris Dielman incident) was a positive step, but obviously we’ve still got a long way to go to ensure that players are thoroughly evaluated before being put back in the game.
Similar to the Dielman incident – everyone watching on TV was concerned about McCoy following the Harrison hit, and for him to be returned to action so quickly suggests that a thorough evaluation was not completed on the sidelines. More to come on this issue, as the review continues by the Browns, the NFLPA and the NFL.
