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New England Patriots WR Stefon Diggs
The New England Patriots are preparing for their biggest game of the season to date as they head to MetLife Stadium on Sunday to play the New York Jets (3-12).
While their lowly AFC East rival poses little-to-no threat — their only wins have come against the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals, he dysfunctional Cleveland Browns, and the Kirk Cousins-led Atlanta Falcons — there’s a lot riding on Sunday’s outcome.
If the Patriots win, they’re in prime position to not only win the AFC East but the No. 1 seed in the AFC as well.
If New England loses and the Buffalo Bills win, Buffalo just needs to win in Week 18 and it will clinch the AFC East and could lock up the conference’s top seed if the Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers all lose at least one of their final two games of the year.
The Patriots have a lot riding on Sunday’s game, and one of their top stars got some good news just 24 hours before their trip to New York.
Stefon Diggs Avoided Major NFL Punishment
GettyNew England Patriots WR Stefon Diggs
During the first quarter of Week 15’s 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens, star wideout Stefon Diggs was taken to the Patriots’ blue medical tent after suffering an injury while making a catch.
However, there was some confusion about which body part Diggs actually injured.
He went into the tent favoring his shoulder, while the trainers inside were wanting to evaluate him for a concussion, much to his protest.
Diggs ultimately snuck out of the medical tent and checked back into the game, according to NBC sideline reporter Melissa Starks, who stated during the “Sunday Night Football” broadcast that Diggs “escaped out the back” of the tent before he was actually cleared to return.
Many expected Diggs to face some disciplinary action from the NFL when it released its list of weekly fines, but mercifully for the All-Pro WR, his name wasn’t on it.
Why Was Diggs’ Escape Act Such a Big Deal?
Though Diggs maintained it was his shoulder than needed to be evaluated and not his head, if a trainer decides a player needs a concussion evaluation, they aren’t allowed to return to the game until the evaluation is finished.
Players who violate that rule are subject to fines and/or suspensions for conduct detrimental to their team.
Player safety and concussion issues are a hot-button issue for the NFL, and the league hasn’t been shy about punishing players and teams for violating its protocols.
Earlier this season, the league dropped the hammer on the New York Giants, fining the team $200,000, former head coach Brian Daboll $100,000, and running back Cam Skattebo $15,000 for violation of the same concussion protocol when they barged into the medical tent to try and get rookie QB Jaxson Dart back into the game.
Diggs’ explanation of what happened in the medical tent may have saved him from incurring a fine.
“[The trainers] said I had a concussion, but they never touched my head, I never laid on the ground,” Diggs stated. “They monitored me for a concussion. I said, ‘I never had a concussion., I was touching my shoulder.’ So how y’all say I had a concussion? I was fighting with them to get back out there. … I apologized to them afterwards, but you can’t stop me from being out on the field.”
Michael Gallagher Michael Gallagher is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com. He has more than a decade of experience working for both local and national news outlets covering the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football, and MMA. His work has been featured in Newsweek, Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Athlon Sports, The Hockey News, the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, and Yardbarker. More about Michael Gallagher
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