National Football League

McCoy's father speaks out

Published Dec. 9, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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The father of Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy said Friday his son never should have been allowed to re-enter the game after a crushing hit to his head in Thursday night's loss at Pittsburgh.

Brad McCoy told The Cleveland Plain-Dealer his son was briefly unconscious late in the fourth quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker James Harrison. He said his son did not remember anything that happened after the hit, including playing the final few minutes and throwing an interception in the end zone that essentially sealed the 14-3 victory for the Steelers.

"He said, 'Dad, I don't know what happened, but I know I lost the game. I know I let the team down. What happened?'"

Brad McCoy questioned how the Browns' medical staff could have allowed his son to go back into the game after being sidelined for just two plays, saying, "It would've taken my high school trainer longer than that to determine if he was OK after a hit like that."

"He never should've gone back in the game," he said. "He was basically out [cold] after the hit. You could tell by the rigidity of his body as he was laying there. There were a lot of easy symptoms that should've told them he had a concussion. He was nauseated and he didn't know who he was. From what I could see, they didn't test him for a concussion on the sidelines. They looked at his [left] hand."

Colt McCoy also reportedly suffered a broken left hand on the hit, for which the Steelers were penalized 15 yards. Harrison is expected to be fined by the NFL and possibly suspended given his past offenses for helmet-to-helmet hits.

In his post-game press conference, Browns head coach Pat Shurmur said Colt McCoy was deemed to be fine to go back in the game.

NFL teams must follow strict guidelines on concussions. A player is supposed to pass a battery of tests on the sideline before he can re-enter the game after a head injury.

The former Texas Longhorns star has suffered multiple concussions playing football, including one in high school and at least one more in the NFL.

Two other Browns players, tight end Ben Watson and fullback Owen Marecic, suffered concussions Thursday night and did not return to the game, The Plain-Dealer reported