Russell Wilson expected to play, but Broncos told him otherwise

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When Russell Wilson emerged from his examination Friday morning that stamped him into Phase Five of the NFL-mandated post-concussion protocol, he thought he’d be playing this Sunday.

“I always had that in my mindset that I was going to be ready for this week,” he said in the Broncos locker room Friday. “… I could kind of tell, how early I was moving really well.

Russell Wilson: “I always had that in my mindset that I was going to be ready for this week … You can't officially get cleared until today, but I got officially cleared today. You know, I was planning on being ready to rock and roll and play for us." pic.twitter.com/cSqRhKRIXs

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 16, 2022

“You can’t officially get cleared until today, but I got officially cleared today. You know, I was planning on being ready to rock and roll and play for us.”

But instead, the Broncos made what both Wilson and coach Nathaniel Hackett termed a decision made by the “organization.”

“It was a collective decision by the organization,” Wilson said.

“It’s the entire organization,” Hackett added. “It’s from top to bottom — from ownership, to George [Paton] and to myself all talking with Russell and the medical staff.”

It’s also a decision the Broncos might not have made at another point in time — and the 3-10 record may not have had as much to do with it it might seem.

Russell Wilson, on how he feels now: “I felt great all week. Obviously, to go through a concussion is a very serious thing and you have to be able to deal with it and be really smart. But like I said, the training staff, my performance team, …” pic.twitter.com/xkEzlWFQY7

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 16, 2022

“With all the different things that have come out, there has been so many different things that have happened over time in this game,” Hackett said. “It is a violent game. There is a lot of studies, and a lot of things that have been done.

“I think it’s great to have as much information as possible, and every single [concussion] is so unique. There’s not really a set anything, but we just want to be sure we do all the right stuff.”

And the issues involving the handling of Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa potentially had an impact, too. In Week 3, he was examined for a possible concussion — but returned to that game, a Dolphins win over Buffalo. Four days later, he suffered a concussion on Thursday Night Football and left the field on a cart.

He missed the next two games before the protocol cleared him for a return on Oct. 23 — 24 days after a cart took him off the field in Cincinnati.

“Listen, football’s a physical sport. You sign up to know that this game’s going to be a physical game, that you’re going to have to compete in the midst of it all,” Wilson said.

“… You know, I wish I could have stayed in there [last Sunday]. But I do think that they want to make sure everything is safe and all that.”

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