Bucs HC Todd Bowles explains Cameron Brate concussion controversy
The NFL and NFL Players Association are still looking into how Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was able to return to the Week 3 win over the Buffalo Bills even though it appeared he suffered a scary head injury in the second quarter of that contest. Those bodies are also investigating how Tagovailoa was cleared to start this past Thursday's matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals before he went down with yet another worrisome setback that will sideline him for at least this coming Sunday's contest at the New York Jets.
The NFL encountered yet another concussion-related controversy on Sunday night when Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate was cleared to return to what became a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after he had his bell rung before halftime of that contest. On Monday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles attempted to explain why Brate wasn't immediately ruled out.
"He went on the sideline. He complained of shoulder discomfort, nothing about his head," Bowles said of Brate, per Jenna Laine of ESPN. "He was checked out three times. You just say, 'Give him a minute.' Nothing came up. He went back in until the end of the half. At halftime, he started having symptoms, but they were delayed. He started complaining about that. We tested him, he's in the protocol, and we kept him out the rest of the game."
Brate's head accidentally collided with the shoulder of teammate Chris Godwin with 1:35 remaining in the game's opening half, and the 31-year-old appeared visibly shaken up after the contact. He went to the sideline but ultimately returned to action for that same series before he was later ruled out:
"He complained about his shoulder, not his head," Bowles answered when asked why Brate wasn't evaluated for a concussion before halftime. "You can't see a neurologist or talk about concussions if you only complained about the shoulder. It came up at halftime where he started to have symptoms about his head. So when you say, 'Your shoulder's hurting, you need a second for your shoulder.' Nobody's really checking off your head. And then you go back in, you find out at halftime that you have symptoms in your head, then you go, 'concussion, concussion protocol.' That's all you can do, really."
On Monday morning, former Tampa Bay head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy blasted what he called a "broken system" for evaluating in-game head injuries. Laine notes that the NFL and NFLPA are working on revising the league's concussion protocols following the events of the past couple of weeks.
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