Patriots receiver Julian Edelman took a hard helmet-to-helmet hit in the Super Bowl and appeared to be dazed after he got up, but he remained in the game rather than going to the sideline for a concussion evaluation. And Edelman still won’t say if he suffered a concussion on the play.
In an interview with the New York Times, Edelman was evasive on the topic, saying that the Patriots have a policy against discussing injuries and he will not violate that policy. Here’s the relevant portion of the interview:
Q. Do you think Kam Chancellor should have been penalized for the vicious hit on you during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl?
A. I don’t have an opinion on that. Kam Chancellor’s doing his job. Whether it was or wasn’t [a penalty], that’s for the refs to decide.
Q. Did you get a concussion on that play?
A. Due to our team policy, I can’t discuss that.
Q. You stumbled after that play, but you stayed in the game. Does that mean you were not injured?
A. Next question.
Q. Were you tested for a concussion?
A. I went through all the protocols.
But if Edelman went through all the protocols and was cleared to return, then why is he refusing to say so? Patriots coach Bill Belichick doesn’t like players to talk about injuries because he doesn’t want the next team to gain an advantage from knowing about a player’s injury, but in this case there is no “next team” because the season is over, and if Edelman was cleared through the proper channels then there was no injury, either.
The fact that Edelman won’t talk suggests that there’s something to hide, which suggests that the NFL’s concussion protocols failed to properly protect Edelman in the Super Bowl.