Brooke Pryor, ESPN Staff Writer December 12, 2023, 6:35 p.m. ET
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- He previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and Oklahoma University for the Oklahoman.
PITTSBURGH – The NFL and NFL Players Association are jointly reviewing TJ Watt's concussion and concussion protocol after the Steelers pass rusher was placed in the protocol a day after suffering a serious hit early in Pittsburgh's loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night , a league source confirmed to ESPN.
Watt entered the league's concussion protocol Friday morning after arriving at the Steelers' practice facility and reporting concussion symptoms following Thursday night's game. Watt was hit in the face by running back Ezekiel Elliott's knee on the first play of the game. He only missed two games before returning to the field.
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The review, which is standard when a player enters protocol, includes a review of video and a medical report, as well as interviews with Watt, the Steelers' medical staff and independent medical personnel.
On Tuesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he assumed Watt was evaluated on the sideline for a concussion but was “unaware” that Watt returned to the game with a darker-tinted visor.
“I assume he was,” Tomlin said when asked if Watt had been evaluated for a concussion. “But here too I control the game. I'll leave that to the medical experts. They essentially tell me if someone is out, if they need to be sent back, or if they are back. I received a report about it.” [Watt] had to return, and then I received a report that he had returned, and that was just my knowledge of the details of what happened to him during the time he was in the game.
Both Watt and starting outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, who was also in the concussion protocol, were limited participants in Tuesday's practice.
The review was first reported by NFL Network.