New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung suffered a concussion against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, and now outside eyes are officially reviewing how the Patriots handled the situation.
"A joint review by the NFL and NFLPA of the application of the concussion protocol regarding New England safety Patrick Chung during the Patriots-Jaguars game is underway," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Chung briefly left the game early in the second quarter, but returned after missing one play and finished out the first half before being ruled out in the second half. The question now falls on when the Patriots knew Chung suffered the concussion.
Reporters asked Patriots coach Bill Belichick during a Tuesday teleconference if he knew whether Chung was checked for a concussion or displayed signs before being allowed to play the rest of the first half.
Belichick, however, emphasized the decision wouldn't fall on the coaching staff.
"That's really a medical question that I can't answer," Belichick told reporters. "If the player is medically cleared to play, then it's a coaching decision. If he's not medically cleared then it's not a coaching decision. We're out of it. It's a medical decision. It really falls into one of those two categories."
The NFL and NFLPA joint review will ultimately shed light on whether Chung's concussion was handled correctly.
