The Giants got a huge win on Thursday night against the Eagles. The victory carries a problematic footnote for Giants coach Brian Daboll.
Late in the third quarter, with the Giants holding a 10-point lead, rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart took a big hit at the end of a run. He was taken to the blue tent for a concussion evaluation.
During the evaluation, the Prime Video broadcast displayed multiple shots of an agitated Daboll, who wanted his starter back in the game ASAFP. At one point, he poked his head into the blue medical tent.
While Daboll didn’t walk into the tent (running back Cam Skattebo did), Daboll went to the opening and looked inside.
Coaches aren’t allowed in the blue medical tent. The purpose of the device is to give doctors a chance to evaluate the player with no distractions. The last person who should be creating a distraction is the head coach.
Daboll addressed the situation after the game, and he apologized to the team’s doctors.
“If you’ve ever been on an NFL sideline, there’s a lot of emotions,” Daboll told reporters. There’s a lot of emotions. And I certainly am an emotional guy. I apologized directly to our team physician. I just wanted his ass out there if he was OK. But I wanted the process — like, we were getting ready to go for it on a potential fourth down. I would have burned a timeout if he could have came out there. So I was asking how long is it gonna take?
“So, again, you want your guy out there, not at risk of anything else. But, you know, he came out. ‘I think he’s gonna be good.’ I’m like, ‘Is he gonna be good or not? I’m gonna call a timeout on fourth down and go for this son of a bitch.’ You know what I mean? So, I love our doctors. . . . I apologize. I was in the wrong.”
The league office likely will agree. Whether or not Daboll is disciplined for interfering in the evaluation process remains to be seen. At a minimum, expect a memo to be issued — as soon as tomorrow — to all teams with a clear reminder that no one should approach or enter the blue tent during an evaluation.
The league also might be reminding its broadcast partners that, when a coach interferes with the concussion evaluation, it’s not an occasion for making light of the situation or generally yukking it up. We all know by now the risks of concussions, and we should realize the procedures are taken seriously.
Players who are being evaluated for concussions are patients receiving health care, as to the critical question as to whether it’s safe and appropriate for them to keep playing. Everyone involved needs to act accordingly.