The Pittsburgh Steelers placed exterior linebacker T.J. Watt within the concussion protocol on Saturday, and the group needs to be going through powerful questions on the way it dealt with his harm. Watt took a knee to the pinnacle from New England Patriots operating Ezekiel Elliott on the primary play from scrimmage within the Steelers’ 21-18 loss, leading to him briefly leaving the sport.
Watt went into the medical tent and was checked for a concussion earlier than returning to the sport. The dealing with of the harm is regarding as a result of Watt re-entered the sport with a tinted visor at one level, maybe indicating that he was coping with mild sensitivity. In accordance with ProFootballTalk, he additionally didn’t participate in an interview with Peter King after the sport because he was dealing with a migraine.
Including all of these elements collectively ought to result in questions on how — and why — Watt was cleared to return to the sport. Different groups have confronted intense scrutiny in latest seasons for comparable therapy relating to concussions. Probably the most notable was the Miami Dolphins throughout the 2022 season with their dealing with of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Steelers are a distinct group with Watt within the lineup and have struggled to win when he has been sidelined all through his profession. He is likely one of the finest defensive gamers in soccer, and there was an apparent want to maintain him on the sphere, particularly given the significance of the sport.
Pittsburgh entered the sport with a 7-5 report and was coming off an unpleasant loss to the 2-10 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Dropping to a different 2-10 group at dwelling inside 4 days put an enormous dent of their playoff possibilities.
Even with all of that, Watt’s long-term well being — for each himself and the group — wanted to take priority over one sport. By sending him again into the lineup when all indicators indicated that he was coping with some type of a difficulty, the Steelers have opened themselves as much as scrutiny.