Neuroscientist Chris Nowinski has said he wants the NFL to investigate the apparent head injury suffered by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during Sunday’s defeat to the Houston Texans.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Monday that Allen “was cleared and he went back in the game” after being examined by medical staff for concussion and chest and ankle injuries.
Allen’s head struck the turf in the fourth quarter after being tackled and lay motionless before being rolled over by his teammates.
The QB came off the field and was directed to the sideline medical tent, where doctors assess players’ injuries. After emerging from the blue tent, Allen appeared to be offered smelling salts, which make players feel more alert before going onto the field.
McDermott added that Allen would not start the week in the concussion protocol.
“The more I watch this video, the more I’m troubled about what happened,” Nowinski, co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, told CNN’s Brianna Keilar and Boris Sanchez.
“As Josh Allen was going down, you see he is raising his left arm to protect his head, which is a very natural movement when you’re falling like that, and then after his head bounces so high off the ground, that arm goes limp and you see his wrist catch against the ground which can break your wrist.
“That’s something that any athlete if they were aware would avoid, so I really do think he was unconscious there for a moment after that hit … Ethically, the idea that he was trying to be a hero and no one told him: ‘Hey dude, you were knocked out, your teammates had to roll you over’ really makes you wonder what happened here and this does need to be investigated.”
Nowinski, a former college football player and WWE wrestler, added that “the optics of being handed smelling salts walking out of that tent is an absolute disaster and should not happen.”
He said: “The idea that it’s anywhere near the blue tent when someone is being evaluated for concussion is terrible so I hope we never see that again and I hope to see a rule change that comes with that.”
CNN reached out to the NFL and the Bills for comment on Monday.
On Friday, the league and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) released a joint statement stating that both entities were satisfied with how the situation was handled and that the concussion protocol process was followed.
“The NFL and NFLPA have reviewed the reports from the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant and Booth Spotters and those reports confirm that the steps required by the concussion protocol were followed in the evaluation and clearance of Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen in last Sunday’s game,” the statement reads.
“The protocol has been jointly developed and is jointly administered by the NFL and NFLPA. Under the program the parties jointly identify, retain and train Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Booth Spotters.”
Allen said in his postgame press conference that he “felt good enough to go back into the game” after the incident.
CNN’s Thomas Schlachter contributed to reporting.
