New Orleans Saints starting receiver Chris Olave was taken off the field to the locker room to be checked for a possible concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit. This happened while he was losing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Olave was being tackled from behind by Buccaneers defensive back Tykee Smith right after catching a pass from Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler when he received a hard hit to the head from cornerback Zyon McCollum.
Olave sat on the field looking dazed while Bucs safety Antoine Winfield picked up the loose ball and ran it back 58 yards for a touchdown, putting Tampa Bay ahead 14-0 in the first quarter.
No penalty was called on the play, which was reviewed because it involved a turnover. Referee Clete Blakeman looked at video showing the helmet-to-helmet hit but only reviewed whether Olave had caught the ball before the fumble.
Blakeman then announced that the fumble and the resulting Bucs score would stand, much to the displeasure of the Superdome crowd, which had also seen the replays and booed in frustration over the missed personal foul call that put the Saints’ top receiver in the concussion protocol and out of the game.
Olave, a first-round draft pick from Ohio State in 2022, came into the game with 22 catches for 275 yards and one touchdown in the first five weeks of the season.
He has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol twice before in the last three seasons.
