McCoy's father blasts Browns on treatment

BEREA, Ohio - Colt McCoy's father heavily criticized the Cleveland Browns on Friday for allowing the quarterback to return to Thursday night's loss to Pittsburgh after a vicious hit that left him with a post-game concussion.

"He never should've gone back in the game," Brad McCoy told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He was basically out [cold] after the hit. You could tell by the rigidity of his body as he was laying there. There were a lot of easy symptoms that should've told them he had a concussion. He was nauseated and he didn't know who he was. From what I could see, they didn't test him for a concussion on the sidelines. They looked at his [left] hand."

The quarterback also bruised his left hand on the play.

McCoy's father added that Colt didn't remember anything about the game after the helmet-to-helmet hit by Steeler linebacker James Harrison, saying, "I talked to Colt [Friday] morning and he said, 'Dad, I don't know what happened, but I know I lost the game. I know I let the team down. What happened?' "

Browns coach Pat Shurmur defended the team's handling of the injury.

Shurmur said McCoy didn't show any symptoms of a concussion until after the game. The quarterback left the game for two plays, then returned.

Shurmur said he was confident the Browns' medical staff followed the NFL's strict guidelines on head injuries when they assessed McCoy on the sideline. McCoy told Shurmur "he was ready to go" before going back in. Shurmur was adamant that if McCoy had been symptomatic "he would not have gone back in the game - absolutely not."

Shurmur said McCoy did not show any signs of having a concussion until he was leaving the locker room.

League spokesman Greg Aiello was asked in an e-mail if the Browns followed protocol.

"We will review it with the team," he responded.