Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart was reacquainted with the blue medical tent after taking a massive hit from Minnesota Vikings defensive back Jay Ward during their preseason clash against the New York Giants on Saturday. Dart was a frequent visitor to the blue tent after undergoing five concussion checks in his rookie season.
Analyst Blasts Jaxson Dart for Concussion Protocol Complaint
Dart headed to the tent after running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. missed his assignment, and in his postgame news conference, the Giants quarterback questioned the frequent visits to the medical tent.
During Monday’s segment of the “Pro Football Talk” show, Mike Florio took issue with Dart for questioning the medical evaluation protocols.
“It’s there for his protection,” Florio said. “It’s there for his safety. This is what disappoints me about this. And this is where I think John Harbaugh, Joe Schoen, somebody needs to talk to him and say, ‘Look, you shouldn’t be talking like this. This mechanism is there for your safety, Jaxson. It’s not there to hassle you. It’s a preseason game. You took a hit, it looked like your head hit the turf. They’re there to make sure you’re okay.'”
“I don’t think that complaining about it is gonna make it any better,” Florio added. “I think if anything, it’s going to make the spotters more sensitive.”
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After being evaluated five times during his rookie season, Dart was diagnosed with a concussion in a Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears, and the former Ole Miss Rebels star subsequently missed two games.
Dart’s teammates have reportedly urged him to protect himself from big hits during the Giants’ training camp and even celebrated when the quarterback ran out or slid out of bounds.
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The NFL deploys three neurotrauma consultants at each game. One consultant is deployed on both sidelines, and another in the booth. The consultant in the booth is joined by two independent certified athletic trainers, who have access to video replays and can stop games for medical timeouts.
Giants head coach John Harbaugh addressed the issue during a virtual news conference on Aug. 16.
“I’m sure it’s frustrating,” Harbaugh said. “I guess he (Dart) maybe got the wind knocked out of him a little bit, but I’m not going to be critical of the league or whoever’s doing that upstairs. They do their job and they want to protect the players.
“I’m sure history or whatever they might remember, maybe that comes into play. I don’t know if there is a similar situation, another quarterback would have been called in the tent or not. There’s no way for us to know that. So, nothing we can worry about.”
Dart tallied 2,272 passing yards on 63.7% completion, 15 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions, adding 487 rushing yards and 9 scores for the Giants last season, earning a PFN QB Impact score of 73.4 (No. 23 in the NFL).
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.