Experts are wondering if the Miami Dolphins missed another possible concussion injury when left tackle Greg Little stayed down after taking a knee to the head during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.
It happened on a running play to Raheem Mostert with just over nine minutes left in the second quarter. Little is seen on the replay as the lead blocker. He falls down and then takes a knee to the head from Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Little stayed down, flat on his stomach, for a few seconds before getting up slowly. He then appeared to shake off the cobwebs as he went back to the huddle.
Chris Nowinski, a former Harvard football player and WWE wrestler who co-founded the Concussion Legacy Foundation, wondered why the NFL’s concussion spotters at the game didn’t stop play and force the Dolphins medical staff to evaluate Little.
Watch Dolphins LT #75 Greg Little take a knee to the head, stay down, get up looking woozy, do the "shake off the cobwebs" TWiCE, yet finish the drive.
The FOX cameraman & producer hold on him way too long to try to help the #concussion spotter. How do you not evaluate him @NFL? pic.twitter.com/CfacbqYwLr— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) October 16, 2022
Miami head coach Mike McDaniel was not asked about Little during his postgame press conference, according to a transcript released Sunday.
The Dolphins’ handling of head injuries has been scrutinized after quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was clearly dazed after landing hard on the back of his head in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills. He stayed in that game and four days later he suffered a frightening concussion when he was thrown to the ground against the Bengals.
Tagovailoa has missed the last three games but is expected back this week.
Little played 78 snaps and was obliterated by Vikings rushers. According to Pro Football Focus, Little allowed three sacks and six hurries and was routinely bullied by the likes of Za’Darius Smith, Danielle Hunter and Patrick Jones II.
Did he simply have a bad game or was he suffering from a head injury? Five of Minnesota’s six sacks came after Little got up slowly, and the one before that was when Smith pushed back the left guard and Little had no shot to block Jones II as he ran free to the quarterback.
Bring Me The Sports has reached out to the Miami Dolphins for comment.
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