Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren said quarterback Colt McCoy wasn't checked for a concussion while he was on the sideline after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison last week.
"Was Colt examined on the sideline? No, he was not," Holmgren said Wednesday during a wide-ranging news conference in which he maintained the team followed proper protocol.
Holmgren said Browns trainers didn't see the hit during Thursday night's 14-3 loss at Pittsburgh and didn't realize the impact because they were treating other injured players.
Holmgren said the team's medical staff, which he called "the best in the NFL," believed McCoy was "lucid and talking" when they treated him on the field. Holmgren also said trainer Joe Sheehan told coach Pat Shurmur that McCoy "was good to go."
Holmgren said McCoy didn't show any concussion-like symptoms until well after the game. Holmgren said McCoy was tested for a concussion in the locker room by one of the team's doctors before returning to Cleveland.
Holmgren also clarified that the team had spoken with Brad McCoy, Colt's father, who was outspoken after the game.
"We want to be, and we have been, and we will continue to be, at the forefront of good medicine," Holmgren said.
McCoy was sent home with a headache Wednesday, and Holmgren said the team is following protocol to treat the quarterback. Holmgren was involved in the meetings Tuesday with members of the NFL's medical staff and union staffers.
Holmgren took exception to the idea that it's just another frustrating chapter for a team that has appeared in only one playoff game since returning to the league in 1999.
"Another irritant to me?" Holmgren said. " 'It's business as usual around the Cleveland Browns' ... It's not."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
