Jaguars WR Allen Hurns out of concussion program, cleared to play
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns has no memory of the play that knocked him unconscious and sent him to the hospital.
Hurns cleared the NFL's concussion protocol Monday, getting the OK to practice this week and play against Indianapolis. But he said he has no recollection of what landed him in the concussion program.
"Nah, I don't remember," Hurns said. "I remember the third quarter. After that, I remember being in the ambulance."
Hurns was knocked out late in the Nov. 29 game against San Diego when he landed awkwardly on his head trying to make a diving catch. He had movement in his legs and arms, but was strapped to a backboard and taken to a nearby hospital for tests. Those tests revealed no structural damage, but he was diagnosed with a concussion.
"It's unfortunate things like that happen, but at the end of the day, I'm feeling fine now," Hurns said. "That's part of the game. Anytime I step on the field, I'm not going to be thinking about that at all. I play this game with no fear. I'm going to continue to play like that."
Hurns sat out the team's loss at Tennessee on Sunday, the first game he's missed in his two seasons.
"That was tough," he said. "That was probably the toughest part of it, you know, just being out there and seeing the team compete and I wasn't able to. That hurt a lot. But at the end of the day, Allen Robinson, he made it a lot better. Just seeing him make those plays and things like that, I felt like I was out there with him. Yeah, it was tough. One of the toughest parts of it."
Robinson caught 10 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns against the Titans, becoming the team's first 1,000-yard receiver since 2005 and breaking the single-season franchise record for touchdown receptions (11).
Hurns is the team's second-leading receiver, with 48 catches for 758 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a chance to give the Jaguars two 1,000-yard receivers for the first time since 2001.
"Who knows?" he said. "The main thing for me, like it was at the beginning of the year, is just stay consistent. My main goal this year to play in all 16 games. I guess you can see that didn't happen. But stay consistent, treat each week the same and continue doing what I do."
Hurns said Monday he is symptom-free and has been since dealing with a headache the night of the concussion. His most pressing concern was convincing his parents that he was fine.
"My parents, they were very worried," he said. "I feel like anyone doesn't want to see that as far as the fans, parents, any family member, coaches. It's tough to see that. But they see me in good spirits now. Ever since that happened, I've been staying positive about everything and been in good spirits."
