Did Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi Suffer a Concussion or Not?
For what it’s worth, taking wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi out of last Friday’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions was the right move to make. With his recent history of concussions, Massaquoi getting hit directly in the head and taking a few moments to get up was more than enough reason to do it. Of course, last season’s concussion fiasco with Colt McCoy made it an easy decision as well.
After the game, head coach Pat Shurmur confirmed that Massaquoi had a concussion, which Massaquoi has continued to deny, going so far as to send a tweet to a fan that explained being taken out of the game as simply “precautionary.”
Now, Massaquoi has been back to practice this week and might even play in Green Bay on Thursday night. This is possible despite the team’s assurance that he did indeed suffer a concussion.
So what’s going on here?
It could be another case of miscommunication in the Browns organization, but it likely comes down to Massaquoi’s attempt to downplay what could end not only his time with the Browns, but his time in the NFL.
This is pure speculation, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise to know that Massaquoi downplayed his injury to get back on the field. He’s battling to keep his job and three straight years of concussions won’t do anything to help his standing. He’s in the last year of his contract and the Browns are expecting big things out of him (again).
There is no doubt the training staff was being especially cautious with Massaquoi during that first game, and they also had to medically clear him in order to return to practice. But the thought of his NFL career slipping away has to be in the back of Massaquoi’s mind, meaning he’ll likely do whatever he can to keep that from becoming a reality.