Late in the third quarter of Sunday night’s game, Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice took a huge (and legal) hit from Texans safety Jalen Pitre.
Everything about the play raised the commonsense question of whether Rice should be checked for a concussion, from the violent manner in which his body hit the ground to the way his arms moved (possibility indicating the fencing posture) to the placement of his hands on his facemask after he came to a rest.
Rice, however, apparently was not evaluated for a brain injury during the game.
Per the Chiefs, Rice did not enter the sideline medical tent and it was not reported that Rice was placed into the concussion protocol during the game. The NFL has not responded to an inquiry regarding whether a concussion evaluation was ordered for Rice, or whether one was performed.
It’s the kind of hit that make it reasonable to at least give him a sideline evaluation. The player rarely will say or do anything that takes him off the field. It’s for the doctors and the spotters to protect the player from himself.
Again, it’s one thing to say the league cares about health and safety. It’s another thing to prove it, with a clear commitment to identifying all situations that cry out for an evaluation.
In Rice’s case, it looked like the kind of thing that should have resulted in a concussion exam. As best we can tell, it did not happen during the game.
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