Chargers admit Jahleel Addae had concussion vs. Broncos

Despite obvious signs Addae was concussed on his first play from scrimmage, the Chargers allowed him to play the remainder of the game.

by Matt Verderame

Oct 25, 2014, 1:45 PM UTC

Donald Miralle

The San Diego Chargers admitted Friday that defensive back Jahleel Addae did indeed sustain a concussion on Thursday night when he attempted to make a tackle head-first early in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos, according to Pro Football Talk.

Addae's body went limp when attempting to make the tackle on Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders:

Later in the fourth quarter, Addae seemed to lose control of his body after a play, twitching and shaking, but again remained in the game.

After the contest, the Chargers claimed Addae was evaluated and diagnosed with a stinger. For his part, Addae said he passed the concussion testing on the sideline, clearing him for further action.

After the game, Chargers head coach Mike McCoy said the team followed proper procedures and monitored Addae throughout the game. Per Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press:

“Like every player regardless of what the injury is, you monitor them throughout the game,” McCoy said before the team announced the concussion diagnosis. “The first time he was checked out.
“I understand the concern,” McCoy said. “But there are a number of people that are out there that are doing their job and looking at all those things and evaluating players on the sideline. Same as every game for every team. There’s a ton of people there evaluating that.”

In a day and age when the NFL is so concerned about concussion safety, it is stunning Addae continued. In the coming days, many folks will ask how could the Chargers allow Addae to continue playing when he was obviously not right. There has been no comment from the NFL on the matter to this point.

On Friday, Chargers head coach Mike McCoy was not in a talkative mood when broached about the play, per PFT.