Nelson Agholor came to the rescue.
During the first quarter of the Patriots 27-13 win Monday over the Cardinals, DeVante Parker took a hit to the head while coming down with a contested reception. As the Patriots hurried back to the line for their next play, Parker was clearly struggling to stand. Despite Parker’s wobbling, the on-field officials didn’t stop play so he could be evaluated for a concussion.
That’s when Agholor stepped in. The veteran wideout frantically called for the referees to blow their whistles, and finally they did, when Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury challenged Parker’s catch.
“I care about my guys, and we know that that’s a serious thing,” Agholor told reporters after the game.
Agholor’s actions earned widespread praise from all corners of the NFL world, including many players and ex-players. Greg Jennings, who played 10 seasons in the NFL and currently works as an analyst for FS1, said Tuesday he’s never seen another player act in the same heroic manner as Agholor.
“Nelson Agholor, unbelievable job, man. Way to be there for your brother. That doesn’t happen enough,” he said. “Forget the refs. Forget somebody outside of who we are, and who’s on the field seeing it. We all see one another. … We don’t see the full of it, but you can kind of get the gist of, ‘A guy is discombobulated.’ But the first question you ask is, ‘You good?’ Naturally the response of almost anyone, unanimously, is, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m good.’ I’ve never seen a guy do that.”
That’s high praise, and shows the apparent camaraderie among Patriots players. The NFL and NFLPA announced Tuesday they were launching an investigation into why the game wasn’t stopped.
Agholor should be their star witness.