Steelers’ Mike Tomlin shuts down speculation on Kenny Pickett injury status

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett didn’t have the best debut in the team’s 30-7 loss Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

His poor performance led to an online discourse on whether or not Pickett was concussed on the third play of the game after a hard hit by 49ers defensive end Drake Jackson.

Pickett never left the game and he was not taken into the blue medical tent, which is present on each team’s sideline specifically to evaluate for concussions. There is also an independent observer who works every NFL game and evaluates each hit to determine if a player needs to be tested for concussion-like symptoms.

Tomlin took some time to address concerns when prompted in Tuesday’s press conference:

“There’s so many protocols in place now, independent medical specialists and so forth. I’d imagine the quarterback position has less of my eyes directly than it used to because of it. So, I didn’t have direct eyes on [the play in question], obviously I saw it after, but there was no hesitancy from the independent medical experts and so forth. [Pickett] didn’t express any symptoms relative to that play, so it was a non-discussion.”

Fans and social media users have a tendency to play doctor sometimes, but Pickett isn’t their patient. Luckily for the Steelers, it appears Pickett will be healthy when they host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Footall. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.