The NFL and the NFLPA are jointly reviewing the concussion suffered by Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard in last week's game against the Cowboys and the procedures that allowed him to remain in the game after a third-quarter hit that caused the injury, according to a league source.
Shepard was injured on a head-to-head hit on a run block, grabbed his head, and fell to the ground on the play. He played all but one snap in the game.
Shepard entered the league's concussion protocol on Monday, the day after the game, and remains there. He was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills.
All NFL contests have two trainers and an independent neurologist in a booth watching the game and its broadcast for signs of players with concussions, along with all of the medical staff of the sideline for each team. No one caught Shepard's injury and either stopped the game to remove him or administer a concussion test on the sideline.
"No one saw anything on the play," the source said. "They'll take a look and see if there is anything they could have done better."
The review is rare but unlikely to lead to any discipline. In the past two seasons there have been 1,200 evaluations of concussions in the NFL. Three of those plays warranted a review by the league and the union as this one has. Only once was a team disciplined.
