After a crushing blow by Denver Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard to Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor caused the signal caller to eventually leave Monday night's 37-21 Denver victory, the NFL Players Association is looking into whether or not the Raiders followed the NFL's strict protocol on evaluating concussed players after Pryor stayed in for two snaps following the blow to the head.
Head injuries are commonplace in the NFL but are also very scary situations, and when Pryor took to Twitter and said that he didn't remember most of Monday night's game on Tuesday morning, the NFLPA decided to probe the Raiders to make sure they did everything according to the rules of player safety, ESPN reports.
Sorry about the loss RaiderNation. I don't remember much ! Good hit by whoever it was. I heard our team fought well .. We will be back! — Terrelle Pryor (@TerrellePryor) September 24, 2013
After enduring the hit from Woodyard, it was reported that Pryor had suffered a concussion as well, but Oakland left him in the game for two more snaps before he was taken away to the locker room to be evaluated by the medical staff, even though he was facedown on the ground for a little while after the hit.
According to ESPN, the player's union has reviewed the game tape and is questioning whether or not Pryor was checked for symptoms of a concussion before the team made the decision to allow him to stay in the game for the two plays following the hit. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen reportedly said he spoke with Pryor to see if he felt good enough to go back out there, but the union had their doubts and are investigating the tapes to see if that conversation actually occurred or if Allen is trying to save face.
"Football's a tough sport, and there's going to be collisions and you try to do everything you can to make sure that you're taking into account player safety and I think our medical people followed the protocol that's set forth by the NFL," Allen told ESPN.
After tweeting about not remembering much of the game, Pryor also said via the social media site that he felt fine Tuesday morning, but ultimately it will be the NFL that decides his fate for Sunday's game that pits Oakland (1-2) against the struggling Washington Redskins (0-3). If Pryor can't go, it will be back-up Matt Flynn taking the reins to the offense.
I feel great by the way! Thanks for the concern ! Go Raiders! — Terrelle Pryor (@TerrellePryor) September 24, 2013
Flynn took over during Monday's game and completed one pass out of two for 19 yards against Denver. Through his six-year career, Flynn has a completion percentage of 61.5 while throwing for 1,102 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
Allen said they'll be prepared for either scenario once they know more about Pryor's condition.
"He's got to go through the protocol," Allen said of Pryor per NBC Sports. "So, we'll look at how he's doing tomorrow; we'll see whether or not he's able to go or not, and then we'll see as the week goes on and make a determination on what we can do. . . . I think we've got to be prepared for any option. Obviously if Terrelle's not able to go, Matt Flynn will be the guy. So I think we've got to be prepared for either scenario."
Pryor, who was making just his seventh career start, has a completion percentage of 65.4 this season and has gone 53-for-81 for 624 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also rushed for 198 yards on 26 attempts.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.