DeVonta Smith: The officials should have blown the whistle before I got a concussion

Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith wished officials had done more to protect him from the concussion that has kept him out of action since Week Three.

On the play in question, Smith caught a pass, was wrapped up and was being pushed backwards by several players when Saints defensive back Khristian Boyd made the gang tackle and hit Smith in the head. Boyd was not accounted for in the game, but was fined $4,665 by the NFL for the hit.

Smith, who was cleared to return this week, said he had no problem with Boyd's actions but wished the officials had messed it up when his forward progress was stopped.

“I don't feel like it was a dirty hit” Smith said of Zach Berman. “More than that, I feel like they should have blown the whistle. . . . I can’t extend the game if I play backwards.”

Smith said he remembered the hit and its immediate aftermath, but not what happened after he went to the locker room. He mentioned that he remembers the support of his teammate AJ Brown, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury and left the sidelines to be with Smith.

“I wouldn’t say it was scary because I didn’t know what was going on at that moment,” Smith said.

Smith officially cleared the NFL's concussion protocol on Friday, 19 days after he suffered the concussion.