Julian Edelman reportedly passed concussion protocol
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman reportedly did not sustain a concussion during the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Edelman caught the go-ahead touchdown with just over two minutes left in the game. Prior to that, he appeared a bit wobbly after taking this huge helmet-to-helmet hit from Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor. That led many to wonder if Edelman had been playing with a concussion and was not checked thoroughly enough.
According to The Associated Press, Edelman was checked for a concussion and cleared to return to the game. Some will argue that Bill Belichick overruled his team’s medical staff in order to keep Edelman in the game, but the slot receiver was reportedly cleared by team doctors and an independent neurologist.
“I’m a coach and I had a deal with our trainers and doctors – they’re the medical experts and they don’t call plays, and I’m the coach and I don’t get involved in the medical part,” Belichick said Monday when asked if Edelman had a head injury. “When they clear players to play, then if we want to play them, we play them.”
The NFL is pretty strict when it comes to concussions these days, so I highly doubt Belichick would have been able to overrule the independent doctor. Patriots fans are thankful Edelman was cleared.
