Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy sat out practice Monday, and his status for Sunday's game at Arizona is uncertain following a controversial concussion he sustained during last week's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns have been under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the controversial concussion, which was the result of a helmet-to-helmet hit by Steelers linebacker James Harrison, concerning their decision to send McCoy back into the game. Browns coach Pat Shurmur maintained Monday that the team's medical staff followed all proper protocol, but he refused to provide a "yes or no" answer when specifically asked if McCoy was tested for a concussion while on the sideline.
Shurmur has defended his decision since his postgame news conference and said Friday that McCoy didn't begin to exhibit concussion symptoms until after the game ended. McCoy, however, told reporters Thursday night that he had no memory of Harrison's hit. The quarterback's father, Brad McCoy, blasted the Browns' decision to re-insert his son into the game.
La Canfora reported Friday that the NFL planned to speak to the Browns and gather information on the possibility that McCoy returned to the game with a concussion, while a union source told ESPN.com that the team's handling of the situation was a "blatant system failure."
An NFL Players Association spokesman confirmed to NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche that the union sent two staff members to Cleveland on Monday for "information gathering purposes" regarding the handling of McCoy's concussion.
Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a member of the NFLPA executive committee, told Peter King of Sports Illustrated and NBC's "Football Night in America" on Sunday that he plans to press the union to request the presence of independent neurologists on the sidelines during games.
"The one thing I know is that when it comes to this issue, players, coaches and team medical personnel struggle in the heat of the moment," Fujita told King in an email, according to ProFootballTalk.com. "This has been an ongoing problem for years. The game-day sideline is intense, there's a lot going on, and we can't always count on everyone to make the most responsible decisions."
The Plain Dealer reported tight end Benjamin Watson and fullback Owen Marecic also didn't practice Monday because of concussions.
