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he NFL has had player safety issues for a while now and that was displayed once again in the New England Patriots Week 14 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Numerous player suffered injuries including Kyler Murray who tore his ACL on the third play of the game from scrimmage. The Patriots suffered also numerous injuries throughout the game.
One of the biggest injuries that New England had to deal with was DeVante Parker leaving the game with a concussion. After hauling in a catch Parker took some time to stand up and was wobbly on his feet.
NFL concussion spotters didn’t take him off the field and it wasn’t until Nelson Agholor drew attention to Parker’s condition that playw as stopped.
On Tuesday, Parker too to his Instagram to thank his teammate while bashing the NFL for not taking action.
DeVante Parker speaks out on the NFL’s handling of his head injury (and thanks Nelson Agholor for his help).
Get on y’all’s (expletive) job NFL,” Parker wrote. “Thankful my brother was aware of the situation, Nelson Agholor.”
Agholor was asked about the incident after the win over Arizona.
“I’m not going to comment on that, because that’s something (for) the NFL and everything like that,” Agholor told Zack Cox of NESN.com after the game. “Ask our coaches. I care about my guys, and we know that that’s a serious thing. That’s all I can say.”
Currently the incident is being investigated by the NFL and the NFLPA
What Did Mac Jones Say About the Incident?
During his weekly radio interview on WEEI, the Patriots quarterback was asked about Parker’s injury.
“I think definitely some people have jobs to do and there’s a lot going on in the game,” Jones said. “I hope D.P.’s OK. Obviously, he got out on that play. I know he’s doing better and that’s important is the health of the players.”
What Did Bill Belichick Say About the Incident?
Bill Belichick was also asked about Parker’s injury when appearing on WEEI.
“I think when those plays happen, I think the players on the field and his teammates around him, because he’s right there next to him, usually have a better idea of how he’s doing compared to someone that’s 30, 40 yards away,” Belichick said on “The Greg Hill Show” when asked about how Parker’s injury was handled. “So that’s a little bit of a timing (question) 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. The spotter called down on Devin later in the game. That’s the process.”
The Patriots will need to monitor Parker along with plenty of other offensive players as they prepare for their game on Saturday. Jakobi Meyers and Parker are both dealing with concussions while Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris have lower-body injuries.