During Sunday night's Texans loss to the 49ers, Texans' quarterback Tom Savage appeared to have sustained a serious head injury that left his arms shaking. The Texans allowed him to throw two more incompletions before taking him out of the game.
The question that everybody is asking is "Why did the Texans allow Savage to play despite showing clear symptoms of a concussion?" Players on the field frequently play through injuries, but concussions are no joke. Despite anything players say to their coaches or medical personnel, they should be taken out of the game and into the locker room if it looks like they suffered a concussion.
This wasn't the first time an NFL team bungled the concussion protocol. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson underwent concussion testing during a game against the Cardinals. He missed one snap before returning to the game. Two plays later, and Wilson found himself under the tent again.
To be fair, only the player in question truly knows whether he has a concussion or not. However, smarter and quicker decisions by NFL staff will prevent players from potentially aggravating head injuries by trying to play "hero."
