Oakland Raiders Roster, Injury News 2017: Wide Receiver Amari Cooper Enters Concussion Protocol
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper may have to sit out a game or two after he sustained a concussion in last Sunday's 21–14 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Cooper gave the Raiders an early lead by scoring the first touchdown of the game, but he was knocked unconscious midway through the second quarter after he took a brutal hit from Broncos safety Darian Stewart.
The two-time Pro Bowler managed to walk off the field on his own after he regained consciousness, but as expected, he was diagnosed with a concussion shortly thereafter and was ruled out of the remainder of the contest.
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Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio was furious after the game, calling Stewart's hit "vicious" and saying that the safety targeted Cooper's head on purpose.
"Those are the kinds of impact hits that don't need to be a part of our game right now," he stated, via Yahoo Sports.
Stewart was flagged for unnecessary roughness for the hit, but replays have shown that Cooper actually ducked his head before contact so Stewart couldn't have avoided hitting him in that area.
Del Rio also softened his stance after he saw the replay.
"In looking at it, in being honest, I think Amari did duck his head as the guy was approaching," Del Rio said, via ESPN.
"That makes it a little harder on the defender. That was probably the one piece that I didn't have access to prior to that comment. The reality is, it's harder to be a defensive guy when the offensive guy is ducking his head. That makes it a little more complicated," he continued.
Del Rio also revealed that Cooper suffered a sprained left ankle on the same play. So aside from clearing the National Football League's (NFL) concussion protocol, Cooper will also have to wait until his ankle gets better before he can return to the field.
