When a player initially sustains a head injury nowadays, the short-term prognosis is as fuzzy as he feels.
Granted, the UA coaches used a some gamesmanship and didn’t want to show their hand to Alabama concerning Tyler Wilson. But a player sustaining a concussion nowadays involves a process among neurologists, team doctors and the athletic training staff.
Medical personnel and athletic training staff have gotten series about the treament of concussions and now there is a widely accepted procedure.
After a concussion or a head injury, a player must go through a daily series of baseline assessments that include balance, memory, coordination, dizziness, possible MRI’s and cognitive skills. To be cleared to play by a medical staff, an injured player must pass all the baseline assessments, which can take a week or more.
A similar situation happened last year with UCA quarterback Nathan Dick, who sustained a concussion in the first half against Sam Houston State, then was not allowed to play against Arkansas State before being cleared to play the next week.
Every player is different. Every injury is a little different. Some are more serious than others.
But when you're dealing with longterm health, everyone tries to err on the side of caution.