Lions RT LaAdrian Waddle (#66) re-entered the game against the Saints for a play after suffering a concussion.
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Detroit Lions RT LaAdrian Waddle returned to the field for the team’s final kneeldown on Sunday against the Saints despite suffering a concussion on his previous play, an extra point that gave the Lions their game-winning point in a 24-23 win.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that Lions head coach Jim Caldwell and GM Martin Mayhew both claimed the Lions follow the NFL concussion protocol “to the letter” even as they acknowledged that Waddle returned to the field with a concussion.
“We knew exactly when it occurred and what happened within the context of it,” Caldwell said. “It was the last play of the game for him. It was actually on a field goal, the PAT at the end. It’s the last play of the game for him.”
But if Waddle got a concussion on the PAT, why did he return to the game for the kneeldown on the Lions’ final possession?
“Well, in terms of they knew exactly what happened to him in terms of he banged his head on the ground after where he gets up,” Caldwell said. “It wasn’t to the point where they thought he was concussed at that time. The final snap of the game, we knew it was only one snap, then the doctors reviewed him, took a look at him, it wasn’t one of those situations where he felt he had to go in the locker room right away. But they did know he banged it when he came off, and that he was good.”
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