Just like there are millions of armchair quarterbacks watching the NFL each week, there are millions of armchair doctors watching the games ready to make snap assessments of players who appear injured.
And many of those unlicensed doctors did not like what they saw Sunday regarding the Buffalo Bills treatment of quarterback Josh Allen. Midway through the fourth quarter, two Houston Texans defenders knocked Allen down, and replay showed his helmet hitting the ground hard.
Allen was clearly stunned, and after being tended to on the field, headed to the medical tent. He passed a concussion test and quickly returned to the game.
Many media figures questioned the decision to rush Allen back after such a hard hit. That move seemed to abandon the cautious approach we’ve seen more often from NFL teams, given the controversy surrounding Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa’s treatment in a similar situation in 2022. And Tagovailoa suffered another concussion in Week 2 this season, putting that risk back in the spotlight.
Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist, author and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, posted on X, “It’s insane that Josh Allen was put back in after this hit.”
It’s insane that Josh Allen was put back in after this hit. Even if he says he’s fine, why bet the franchise QB that #concussion symptoms aren’t delayed?
Protocol aside, how are we taking risks like this just a few weeks after another Tua concussion?pic.twitter.com/jr6iBbgsAl— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 6, 2024
The Bills obviously know the rules, they know that teams are now under a microscope in these situations, and they cleared him. Allen said after the game he rolled his ankle. Yet for those armchair doctors watching that replay of Allen’s helmet smacking the ground, followed by him being given smelling salts, the optics were bad.
A couple of former NFL players now working as analysts, Emmanuel Acho and Chase Daniel, were not pleased Allen returned.
Still can’t believe The Bills offered Josh Allen smelling salts after he got knocked out and put back in. https://t.co/6tx5hWJK8r pic.twitter.com/9vTtYI2a18
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) October 6, 2024
We all saw Josh Allen seemingly get knocked out, yet they just threw him a smelling salt and right back into the game. As if that was going to undo any head trauma he just suffered. 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/E4VqSghsLv pic.twitter.com/LNydTMPgm2
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) October 6, 2024
On NBC’s Football Night in America, Mike Florio said that Allen went into the medical tent to get his ankle checked, “and while he was in there, they said, ‘Hey, you need a concussion evaluation as well.’ He was cleared. It looked like maybe he shouldn’t have, but he was.”
If you’ve got extra time, why’d you shorten the clip of Josh Allen’s head slamming off the turf with a “chest” or “ankle” injury while Florio was speaking? The clip obscures his head hitting the ground and omits the part where his body is limp and he looks fully knocked out.… https://t.co/md7873TFEj pic.twitter.com/YHNOoXfq6I
— Jennifer Forbush (@JenniferForbush) October 7, 2024
Longtime Dallas Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. used the situation to make a point.
The Josh Allen situation is why the NFLPA needs to focus on player safety and concussion protocols rather than media in the locker room. The media is on your side
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 6, 2024
Curiously, the discussion regarding Allen being put back from the game was largely absent from Monday morning sports shows. But as we’ve recently seen with Tagovailoa, that doesn’t necessarily mean this is the end of the story.
