Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett missed last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers due to a concussion he suffered the week before.
Now cleared, Pickett discussed his concussion symptoms with the media on Thursday, telling reporters that he self-reported his symptoms after experiencing difficulty with his vision.
Kenny Pickett, #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is sacked by Roquan Smith, #18 of the Baltimore Ravens, in the first quarter of the game at Acrisure Stadium on Dec. 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh.
(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The head injury occurred during Pittsburgh’s Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Pickett exited the game after taking a hit from Roquan Smith but was cleared to return before Pickett reported his symptoms following a three-play series.
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“I thought I was good to go,” Pickett said Thursday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I felt good. I got back out there and started running, the vision started coming into play more and I started moving. Things are going fast. That’s when symptoms started coming up, and I had to go inside. They ruled me out. We knew what it was after I started getting back into play. It was definitely the right call to get me into protocol.”
Pickett was cleared earlier this week and will get the start against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, #8, is tackled by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, #18, during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022.
(AP Photo/Fred Vuich)
The concussion was the second of the season for Pickett, who said his most recent injury lingered longer than the first.
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“I went through it with the doctors and listened to what they said,” Pickett said. “It was definitely the right call not to play last week. We could have pushed it, but the right choice was to sit out last week and be full go this week.”
Following the game against the Ravens, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Pickett returning to the game only to leave a few plays later.
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Kenny Pickett, #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers, warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on Dec. 11, 2022 in Pittsburgh.
(Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
“When he became symptomatic, he was pulled from the game and evaluated for concussion,” Tomlin said. “I don’t know about the sequence or the details regarding the sequence.”
The 2022 first-round draft pick is now wearing a different helmet, one with additional padding to protect the back of the head.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report
