While Kansas City Chiefs midfielder Patrick Mahomes has authorized the concussion protocol in the NFL, this is not the former player’s only injury concern.
Sources say Mahomes was diagnosed with a toe on his left foot after winning the Divisional Round over the Cleveland Browns, an injury that limited his effectiveness on the field last week and during training this week.
Mahomes currently has no case of the injury and it took almost all of the reps during the training week which looks a lot like a large number of exercises. When he evacuated Protocol, his injury case was removed and he will play against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Asian Championship match.
Of the toe, Mahomes said, “The next day was very sore, and every day since then the situation is getting better a lot.”
To date, there is not necessarily a belief that Mahomes would need surgery for a plantar lamina injury. However, a source said he would be re-evaluated after the season by a foot specialist to determine whether he would need surgery.
Mahomes did not experience any ill effects or symptoms from being in the concussion protocol, and toe was considered a bigger problem.
As for being in the concussion protocol, Chiefs didn’t specifically say Mahomes had a concussion. When referring to this, trainer Andy Reid said Mahomes was “on protocol” without saying Mahomes had a concussion.
Mahomes was put into protocol after he was taken to Earth last weekend and tripped and stumbled while trying to walk. That alone was enough to put it into the protocol.
As one source explained, whether or not Mahomes specifically suffers from a concussion is inappropriate. When a player experiences a transient nervous event, the goal is to ensure that their brain has fully recovered by the time they spend on the field.
All concussions are different and all symptoms are different. But once there is a change in brain function (as shown in tests by a neurologist), it’s in the protocol.
That’s why Mahomes, whose verbal concussion test included one missing question, was put into the protocol and ultimately excluded. The fact that he’s not showing symptoms this week is positive.
“I’ll be there and be myself,” Mahomes said.
