Tom Savage appears to have a seizure, is somehow allowed to come back in
By Josh Hill
Texans quarterback Tom Savage appeared to have a seizure after taking a hit but was allowed back in the game.
Player safety is something the NFL wants us to think it cares about. What we saw on Sunday in Houston is more proof that it’s all a snake oil sale, and something has to change.
Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage, after taking a brutal hit, seemed to be slow to get up. That’s a regular thing when a guy gets hit, but closer inspection shows that something was very wrong with Savage while he was on the ground.
Savage’s hands were shaking and it appeared as though he was suffering symptoms of a seizure. He was taken out of the game — but allowed to come back in.
It’s not clear if he actually suffered a seizure or not, so we don’t want to jump to conclusions there. That being said, something was very wrong with him and this was absolutely a head injury. The fact that he was allowed back into the game after this is stunning.
This is probably one of the worst examples of coaches and referees mismanaging player safety that we’ve ever seen. Even if Savage didn’t suffer a seizure, the fact that he was that out of it and was allowed to come back in the game is absolutely disgusting. The officials should be held accountable, and if there was ever a fireable offense for negligence by a head coach, it’s this.
He eventually was taken out and replaced by T.J. Yates, but the fact that he was allowed back in needs to be investigated by the league. This isn’t the first time this year a player has skirted around rules supposedly in place to protect from head injuries, and it won’t be the last. At least, not until something is done to make sure the rules are followed. Russell Wilson infamously skipped the medical tent after taking a big hit in a Thursday Night game, but nothing came of it.
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Savage’s injury was much more visceral and scary. The evidence that he should have been taken out of the game was obvious, yet he was allowed back in. That simply cannot happen and until something changes, we should just consider the NFL’s head protection precautions what they are — a joke.