Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren confirms recovery, fitness of QB Colt McCoy – NFL News
In a rare development Cleveland Browns’ president, Mike Holmgren, has confirmed the recovery of their quarterback, Colt McCoy, from a concussion that he had suffered in the later part of the 2011 National Football League (NFL) regular season.
McCoy suffered a head injury in Browns' game number 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and none of his team’s managers have spoken a word about his fitness until recently.
Now it is their president, Holmgren, who in his statement of backing their new offensive coach, Brad Childress, has disclosed that the player is healthy, fit and ready to play.
"He passed all of his tests," he said, while speaking along with his lines of banking on their new coach in their hopes of bolstering their attack line. "He's feeling fine and he has no residual effects from the play."
Colt McCoy had come into contact of a helmet-to-helmet hit of Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker, James Harrison, a player famous for his daring and in many cases rough defensive tackling, who has inflicted head injuries on the Browns more than probably by
any other player from any side around the league.
McCoy was not inspected for concussion on the sidelines by his team’s medical staff and he returned to the field to resume his game. His trainers believed he was ok and fit to play again.
His injury later proved to be a concussion and its handling by his team came into the limelight, triggering a controversy around it.
Following intensification of the controversy the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) jumped into it and launched a joint review of Browns facilities at the Cleveland.
The inquiry found system’s failure at Browns, and in spite of the findings the team successfully escaped punishment.
Harrison, who remained adamant of being not responsible of any wrong doing, was handed down a game suspension by the league office, and he thus became the first player to have been banned from playing over his foul under the enhanced players’ safety measures
by the league.
In spite of their inquiry and consequent punishment to James Harrison, the NFL was criticised to have handled the matter rather leniently.
Its commissioner, Roger Goodell, particularly came under fire over being rather flexible to Harrison who had been found guilty of committing the same foul for five times in past two years, and that he had knocked three Browns players during this period of
time.
Browns in the meantime did not confirm the progress and status of McCoy’s head injury and at one point there were question marks hanging around his football future.
Holmgren’s latest statement about his health and fitness is the only comment that has been made about his injury by his managers.
The player is expected to join the team any time in the future.
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