If you missed it, news broke this morning via ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay has cleared concussion protocol and is therefore eligible to play in Sunday night’s contest against the New England Patriots.
But as Schefter noted, that doesn’t mean he’s certain to play. The Lions could hold him out for precautionary reasons, given that concussions can reoccur very easily and symptoms are not always as apparent as other injuries.
The Lions are in a tough position. I’m sure they’d love to play things on the safe side and give him an extra week, but the team is 0-2, Tom Brady is in town, and the rest of the Lions secondary has really struggled in coverage all year. Slay undoubtedly gives the team a better chance to win, and a drop to 0-3 would put the Lions’ playoff chances at astronomical odds just three weeks into the season.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
Do you want Darius Slay to play against the Patriots?
My answer: Generally speaking, I would defer to the medical professionals. And as the concussion protocol goes, Slay has to pass a test from an independent neurological consultant. So it’s not like the team is fudging the tests to get him out there; a doctor not associated with the Lions has cleared him to play.
That being said, concussions scare me. Darius already had a scare in Week 1, and who knows if that led to Week 2’s concussion? It’s generally thought that if you’ve had one concussion, you’re more susceptible to having another, and the last thing I want to see is this becoming a regular thing for Slay.
On Friday, Slay admitted this was the first concussion he’s suffered in his football career, but the way the game is being played, it’s almost certainly not going to be his last.
I’ll still be excited if we see him out there on the field Sunday night, but deep down there will be a pit in my stomach, worrying about Slay’s long-term health.
Your turn.