Why Cincinnati Bengals Safety Nick Scott Wouldn’t Stay in the Blue Injury Tent on Sunday

The blue injury tent is the last place any NFL player wants to visit, and Cincinnati Bengals starting safety Nick Scott had to do it twice Sunday in his team’s 27-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Reason Bengals Safety Nick Scott Didn’t Stay in Blue Medical Tent in Week 2

Scott’s first visit came early in the second quarter on the first play after Charlie Jones’ 81-yard punt return for a touchdown when he ran into Baltimore receiver Nelson Agholor on a crossing route and got up woozy.

After an initial evaluation, the team doctors called in the independent neurologist. Scott was impatiently awaiting the decision and kept lifting the flap of the tent to watch what was happening with his teammates on the field.

They are calling the red hat into the blue tent to evaluate a possible concussion for Scott

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) September 17, 2023

“It’s just being anxious to get back on the field, just keep checkin’ the score, checkin’ the series,” Scott said. “Is it first down, second down? Just eager to get out. That’s how I am on game day. If I’m off the field for any reason, I’m just eager to get back on.”

“I felt normal and everything like that, which is why they cleared me,” he added.

But after returning to the game, Scott took another hit to the head in a collision with Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews on the first play of the fourth quarter. This time his stint in the tent was not nearly as long.

“That second shot, once I got two where I went down after hits to the head, it’s gonna be tough to argue you’re way back onto the field after that,” Scott said.

“That one was pretty much straight back to the locker room for some more serious eval. And I kind of know what it is at that point. Two shots to the head, and they bring you into the locker room? The chances of them letting you back out of the locker room are slim to none.”

More disappointing than leaving that game early would be missing Monday night’s game against his former team. Scott was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice and said, “I’m progressing really well,” and was hanging on to hope he would be able to play.

MORE: Bengals Practice and Injury Update — Is Joe Burrow Playing?

And he isn’t pretending it’s just another game.

“I’m big on ignoring the emotions from a preparation standpoint, like treat every game the same. But just the human being side, obviously this game means just a little bit more,” he said with emphasis. “Especially if I can come out with some big plays or something. But we’ll see what happens. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”