New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman will not reveal whether he played with a concussion in the Super Bowl.
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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman received a hard, helmet to helmet hit courtesy of Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor in the fourth quarter. However, Edelman remained in the game, not going to the sideline to be checked out for concussion symptoms. He seemed dazed directly after the hit, even stumbling.
In an interview with the New York Times, Edelman refused to reveal whether he suffered a concussion on that play.
"Q. Do you think Kam Chancellor should have been penalized for the vicious hit on you during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl?A. I don’t have an opinion on that. Kam Chancellor’s doing his job. Whether it was or wasn’t [a penalty], that’s for the refs to decide.Q. Did you get a concussion on that play?A. Due to our team policy, I can’t discuss that.Q. You stumbled after that play, but you stayed in the game. Does that mean you were not injured?A. Next question.Q. Were you tested for a concussion?A. I went through all the protocols."
The interesting issue at hand, as noted by Pro Football Talk, is that Edelman is still refusing to say whether he was concussed, despite going through the protocols. Note that he says he was tested though, not that he cleared. If he was cleared, then why not say so? Even if it’s part of coach Bill Belichick’s strategy not to reveal injuries before the next game, there is obviously no next game until next season and Edelman’s injury will hardly matter.
Further, if Edelman was cleared to play, then there isn’t an injury to begin with. It’s odd that he refuses to say whether he was cleared or whether he was found to have a concussion. It makes you pretty immediately come to the conclusion that he has something to hide, i.e. a concussion, which further means that the NFL‘s concussion protocols either didn’t work or weren’t followed.
Either way, it’s a disturbing thought considering how the league has gone out of its way to speak of all the things it’s done to reduce concussions, including an end of year report that said the same. It calls into question some of those claims if concussions aren’t being found or are still being ignored.
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