If 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had suffered a second concussion on Sunday, six days after the first, the NFL would have been in disarray. But you don’t have a concussion if you don’t get checked for it.
Purdy hit his head on the ground in Sunday’s loss to the Bengals. For some reason, Purdy was not evaluated for a concussion.
On Monday, Shanahan admitted that Purdy was “scared,” “but just after the game and talking to him today, he was completely fine.”
Shanahan said he didn’t notice the hit when it happened because he had other things to do. For some reason, the people accused of such incidents did not notice this.
“I don’t get the TV copy in the game, so from my perspective I don’t see how they’re received, so we don’t see that at all,” Shanahan said. “But I always assume that there are people spotting the stuff and spot checkers, and that everyone will do that if they see it. So that’s not what I’m looking for during the game. I usually watch the defense and look at my call sheet to prepare for the next down.”
After seeing the hit, Shanahan suggested checking Purdy for a concussion, right?
“I didn’t ask,” Shanahan said. “The fact that there is nothing wrong is why I didn’t ask. I also understand your question and I didn’t ask it.”
Shanahan was pressed about whether he would have taken Purdy out of the game to have him checked for a concussion if Shanahan had seen the hit.
“I don’t know,” Shanahan said. “It’s a pretty hypothetical question. If I think one of our players is injured, I always want to take them out of the game.”
It’s hard to blame Shanahan for not being more open than he was, because he was. While he wouldn’t admit that he would have taken Purdy out of the game if Shanahan had seen the hit, his comments underscore the fact that someone who had his hand on the proverbial red button failed to push it when It was clear that Purdy needed him checked.
And yes, it’s very possible that none of the various people authorized to come onto the field to evaluate a concussion wanted to be the one to initiate a process that could have ended with Purdy having one second concussion was diagnosed. The league had a big mess because they let him play just six days after the first.
Which points to a deeper problem with the NFL’s entire concussion protocol.