NFL medical officer: Wentz 'heroic' for reporting concussion vs. Seahawks

Carson Wentz's concussion may have cost the Philadelphia Eagles their wild-card matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, but the NFL's chief medical officer applauded the quarterback's courage after he reported the injury.

Following a hit to the head from Jadeveon Clowney, Wentz stayed in for a few more plays before disclosing his symptoms to the team. He was taken to the locker room and failed the concussion protocol.

"I think what Carson Wentz did is heroic and should be highlighted as an example of how an unbelievably skilled and competitive athlete understands the seriousness of concussion injury and is willing to honestly report it and receive the care that he needs independent of his desire and drive to continue to participate in the game," Dr. Allen Sills told The Associated Press' Rob Maaddi. "Having a concussion and playing through it is not about toughness. That's demonstrating a lack of understanding of the severity of the injury. So I applaud Carson Wentz for understanding how serious this injury is and for getting appropriate care that he needs."

Sills added, "I just applaud him for setting the example that we want all players to follow. The Eagles' medical staff acted immediately and appropriately as soon as they were aware of the diagnosis. They didn't treat this player any differently than they would have a backup or if this was a preseason game. Our concussion protocol and our care is the same in every single game, no matter who the player is or what the situation or what the implications are."

Independent spotters and the neurotrauma consultants monitoring the game didn't initially see Wentz exhibit concussion symptoms, but Sills denied concerns over the league's detection process.

"I would vigorously disagree (that the concussion identification process is broken)," he said. "Video identification of (symptoms) is one part of a concussion identification. You're not going to see things like amnesia or confusion on video, and that's why all the other elements of detection are really important."