Patriots 'Wobbly' DeVante Parker to Refs: 'Do Your F***** Jobs!'
The NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is set to review the circumstances surrounding a head injury suffered by New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker during their 27-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
According to a Tuesday afternoon report from ESPN, the NFLPA has initiated a review of Parker’s subsequent removal from the game.
After securing a 10-yard reception in the first quarter, Parker appeared to be a bit wobbly as he made his way to his feet. Yet, game play was not immediately halted by the attending unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant; even as the veteran receiver had difficulty maintaining his balance. In fact, a break in the action did not occur until one was forced by a Cardinals’ challenge flag.
During the de-facto timeout, Parker left the field and headed into the blue medical tent. Originally deemed questionable to return with a head injury, he eventually left for the locker room and was ruled out midway through the second quarter.
Understandably, the nature of Parker’s removal will now be subject to both NFL and player union review. Earlier this season, the protocol underwent an evaluation which brought about some significant changes, precipitated by the handling of a similar situation regarding Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovaiola. Per the revised regulations, the designated concussion spotter is to be responsible for evaluating “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech,” in determining a player’s ability to remain in the game.
With seemingly no effort by the evaluator to observe the wideout prior to Arizona’s challenge, it appears that Parker would have been permitted to continue playing.
Fellow receiver and teammate Nelson Agholor was among those to immediately recognize that Parker was ailing, and attempted to alert the officials accordingly. “I care about my guys, and we know that that’s a serious thing,” Agholor said when asked about the situation following the game.
On Tuesday, Parker took to social media to thank Agholor, while also putting the NFL on notice for failing to recognize his head injury.
“Get on y’all’s [f*****] job NFL,” Parker posted. “Thankful my brother was aware of the situation, Nelson Agholor.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick also weighed in on the situation, and the role of his players in helping alert the officials of Parker’s condition.
“When those plays happen, I think the players on the field and his teammates around him [because of his proximity to him] usually have a better idea of how he’s doing compared to someone that’s 30 or 40 yards away,” Patriots head coach Belichick told WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show on Tuesday.
“That’s a little bit of a timing thing there. You’re talking about seconds that are taking place. If you’re sure there’s something wrong, then you address it, and the players should address it right away. If you get a hit and it stuns you for a second or two and then everything pops back into normal, that happens plenty of times out there, too. I don’t think you want people running out onto the field after every play. But ultimately, I think the players made the right decision. I’m not sure how much of it was us, how much of it was the spotter.”
As NFL and NFLPA look into the matter, the Patriots will remain out west for the week, practicing at the University of Arizona on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. They are set to face-off against Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders (5-8) on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Allegiant Stadium with a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff.
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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