The New York Giants may have finally found their franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, and head coach Brian Daboll couldn’t hide his excitement. The 25th overall pick led the Giants to their first win of the season in Week 4 and followed it up by helping New York topple the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 6.
However, Dart briefly left the field for concussion protocol during the Eagles game, prompting Daboll and rookie RB Cam Skattebo to rush to the sideline tent. Those actions could carry significant repercussions for the Giants, and they could even lose a draft pick.
What Happened During Jaxson Dart’s Concussion Protocol Incident
Dart left the field late in the third quarter of the Week 6 game after taking a hard hit from Patrick Johnson that forced him into Eagles defender Azeez Ojulari. Dart grabbed his head on the turf but was able to jog off under his own power and entered the blue medical tent for evaluation.
Daboll and Skattebo both entered the tent while Dart was being assessed, raising immediate concerns about compliance with NFL concussion protocol. The head coach was even seen arguing with physician Dr. Scott Rodeo, but clarified later that he had apologized to him.
“I apologized directly to our team physician,” Daboll said after the game. “We were getting ready to go for it on a potential fourth down. I would have burned a timeout if he could have come out there. I was asking how long was it going to take. You want your guy out there, not at risk of anything else.”
“I just stuck my head in to see how our quarterback was doing,” Daboll added Friday. “In no way would I want a player to come back out there that wasn’t ready to play. I have great respect for that process.”
However, the NFL has strict rules forbidding coaches or players from entering the medical tent during a concussion evaluation. According to Tom Pelissero, the league has initiated a joint review with the NFLPA and warned in a memo to all 32 teams that violations motivated by competitive considerations could result in “reprimand, remedial training, fines and/or the loss of draft picks.”
“The NFL is taking this very seriously. No one is allowed to go in…The league called the NFLPA next morning to start a joint review..,and the Giants face a potential fine and also the possibility of a lost draft pick depending on how this plays out,” Pelissero reported.
Given Daboll’s admission that he was trying to gauge Dart’s readiness before a potential fourth-down play, the Giants are bound to face some kind of fine, with the possibility of losing a draft pick also open.
Meanwhile, Dart, who is ranked 29th in PFSN’s QB Impact metric, reentered the game early in the fourth quarter and finished with 17-of-25 passing for 195 yards with one touchdown while adding 58 yards rushing and another score to lead New York to its second win of the season.