The National Football League, working together with the NFL Players Association, has begun a review of the procedures related to Giants signal-caller Jaxson Dart after he sustained a hit during Thursday night’s 34 to 17 victory over the Eagles, according to an announcement made by the league on Friday.
Dart absorbed a significant impact from Eagles linebacker Patrick Johnson during the third quarter, and he was noticeably slow in getting back to his feet. He managed to jog off of the playing surface independently before being directed into the blue medical enclosure for a concussion evaluation.
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Giants head coach Brian Daboll, very interested in knowing when he could re-insert his young quarterback into the contest with New York holding a 10-point advantage, approached the tent area to observe as Russell Wilson entered the game. Rookie running back Cam Skattebo also entered the enclosure to check on Dart before being asked to exit the area.
Individuals without medical credentials are not authorized to be within the blue medical tent during any player assessment.
Later, Daboll was observed on the Prime Video broadcast expressing his frustration to team orthopedist Dr. Scott A. Rodeo, who played no part in Dart’s concussion evaluation.
Daboll indicated that he offered an apology to Rodeo and explained following the game the reasons behind his heightened emotions at that particular moment.
“Listen, anyone who has spent time on an NFL sideline recognizes the strong emotions that are part of the game,” Daboll expressed, per The Athletic. “I know that I am certainly one to show my emotions. I directly apologized to our team doctor. My primary concern was getting [Dart] back onto the field — provided he was cleared — but I also wanted the process to follow its course … we were preparing for a critical fourth-down attempt. I was prepared to use a timeout if his clearance was imminent, and I inquired about the duration of the evaluation.”
“Again, every coach wants their key players available. But that is never at the expense of their well-being. But he emerged, indicating ‘I believe he is going to be fine.’ I replied, ‘Is he or is he not cleared? I am ready to call a timeout on fourth down and make a play.’ I have a high regard for our medical personnel. … I have already apologized for my behavior. It was inappropriate. He understood and accepted my apology.”
Dart was able to return to the game and ultimately completed 17 of 25 pass attempts for 195 yards while accounting for both a passing and a rushing touchdown.
Skattebo informed members of the media that he “was primarily concerned with ensuring that Jaxson was not causing any undue harm to himself inside the injury tent” when he made his way inside to observe his quarterback.
Daboll shared on Friday that he had briefly looked into the tent to check on Dart, “a player of great value to our team, and especially to me.” He added, “Under no circumstances would I want to see a player returning to action before he was fully ready to do so. … My inquiry was centered on the expected duration of the evaluation process, be it 10 minutes, an hour, or just 2 minutes … I needed to understand the timeline in order to make sound decisions related to the game. The health and well-being of our players is our top priority, both for the organization and for myself.”
