Arlington, Texas — After battling a high-ankle sprain in the weeks leading up to the team’s bye, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was back to full strength heading into Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. But a little more than 10 minutes into the contest, he was knocked from the game with a concussion.
Taking a quick throw on second down in Cowboys territory, St. Brown took a shoulder to the side of the head from linebacker Anthony Barr while going to the ground. The receiver was slow to get up and could be seen shaking his head, prompting the nearest official to pull him from the game to be evaluated for a head injury. St. Brown was ruled out minutes later.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether this was a case of the league’s amended concussion protocol, recently changed following Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa being allowed to stay in a game after showing balance issues following a big hit. Tagovailoa would end up needing to be carted off the field after another hit the next game, leading to the protocol change.
Now, if an official spots a player with ataxia, essentially struggling with balance after a play, that player is automatically removed from a game and not eligible to return. The fact that St. Brown underwent an extensive on-field evaluation prior to being ruled out points to new rule not being applied.
Despite missing one game with the ankle injury, and being significantly limited in another, St. Brown came into Sunday’s game as Detroit’s receptions leader with 27 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers
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