NFL Fans Concerned Steelers’ T.J. Watt Might’ve Played With Concussion

NFL fans are worried about Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt. 

Watt was placed in concussion protocol Saturday morning, two days after the Steelers’ 21—18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday Night Football, a game that saw the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year suffer what appeared to be a head injury after taking a knee to the head on the first drive. Watt returned to the field after getting examined by trainers on the sideline. 

But NFL fans were concerned after cameras caught Watt taking smelling salts on the sideline and returning to the game wearing a tinted visor. After the news of Watt’s placement into protocol emerged Saturday, fans were outraged that the five-time Pro Bowler seemingly was allowed to play despite signs that he may have suffered a concussion. 

This user on X, formerly Twitter, wanted to know whether Watt was wearing a visor to help mask one of the symptoms of a concussion: sensitivity to light. NFL fans and pundits knew the implications of the situation if that was indeed why he was wearing the dark visor. 

Watt reportedly experienced concussion symptoms on Friday morning. It’s not clear whether Watt demanded to go back into the game or was somehow given the green light to return by team doctors.