New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is on just his third concussion evaluation in four games. That goes for his entire body of work, even accounting for his time in the preseason. During the game, as Dart took a big shot in the third quarter, he immediately reached for his head. That incident fueled the most recent review of those regulations. Even with these worrisome factors, he was deemed cleared to return to the field. Connors, however, ended up not playing the last two plays of that drive.
The situation surrounding Dart’s concussion protocol is now under review, prompting potential disciplinary actions against Brian Daboll, the Giants’ head coach, depending on the findings. In response to growing public pressure, the league recently announced a joint review of its practices with the NFL Players Association. They’re doing this because it’s required by their new collective bargaining agreement.
John Mara, the owner of the Giants, reiterated that he had discussed the incident with Daboll. In his response, he promised to “cooperate fully” with the review that will take place and admitted the high level of egregiousness involved.
Dr. Allen Sills, NFL chief medical officer, reiterated that the medical tent should only be used for concussion evaluations and corroborated reinforcing strict guidelines. Authorized personnel only beyond this point. Sills explains that it’s accessible to only a chosen few. This team consists of the player, team physician, independent specialist, and on occasion, team athletic trainer.
Daboll later clarified he had no plan to remained unsigned. He needed to know the status of Dart and if he should use a timeout and likely go for it on fourth down if Dart were good to go. I have the utmost respect for that process.” He added, “I would never want a player back until they’re 100 percent ready to play.
Dart remembered that evaluation process and how it “felt like forever. As he indicated yesterday, he knows that the stakes couldn’t be higher. Teammate and fellow running back Cam Skattebo helped bring some levity with a lighthearted quip. He jokingly added that he was “just checking to make sure that Jaxson wasn’t killing anybody in the injury tent.”
The scrutiny surrounding Dart’s evaluation has raised questions about adherence to the league’s concussion protocols. Mara acknowledged that he doesn’t believe that Daboll intended to influence the evaluation process. He admits that it just looks bad to have to send somebody to the tent.
In a recent press conference, Daboll showed us how quickly he can run the game of football by clarifying his actions. He replied, Yeah, I haven’t, but I’ll say this—you know, last night, I stuck my head in just to see how our quarterback was doing. Just asked him, ‘How you doing?’
The NFL has made it clear that player safety remains paramount, and any infractions regarding concussion evaluations will be taken seriously. This scathing review has potential to be devastating to the Giants franchise. If in fact it is true that they failed to follow the proper protocols then the consequences should be severe.
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