IRVING, Texas — Sterling Shepard made this one easy for the NFL.
The league and the NFL Players Association concluded a joint investigation by finding no violation of the concussion protocol when the Giants receiver was allowed to finish a Week 1 game, a source told The Post. Shepard initiated a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Cowboys that caused him to woozily stumble to the ground.
Nearly three months ago, after returning from a one-game absence, Shepard admitted he tried (and succeeded) to deceive the NFL’s on-site independent concussion spotters — certified athletic trainers — with eyes on the sideline and in the press box, and the Giants training staff. They are supposed to signal to officials to have a player removed if a concussion is suspected.
“It’s been looked into quite thoroughly,” NFL chief medical examiner Dr. Allen Sills said at the NFL’s quarterly meeting of Shepard’s incident. “We continue to work together very closely with the Players Association on players self-reporting concussions.
“We’ve actually gotten some data that says if you report your concussion sooner you actually return sooner. We think that’s important to understand. It’s all about getting the injury diagnosed and beginning the rehab process as quickly as you can.”
After settling an estimated $1 billion lawsuit by former players in 2018, the NFL is trying to weed out the perception that admitting a concussion and leaving a game is in some way letting down teammates.
“They tried to send somebody in for me and I just kind of waved him off,” Shepard said at the time. “It was ultimately my decision, I guess you could say, to stay in.”
Shepard suffered a second concussion in Week 5 when a Vikings defender fell on top of him, and he also briefly returned to that game. He missed the next five games but has played in the last three.
“Guys play through them sometimes,” Shepard told The Post. “This is the sport of football, the sport that we play. It happens. You know that [risk] going out there on the field.”
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