Cleared by 76ers after concussion, Josh Richardson not sure headaches are over

Josh Richardson suffered a concussion during the 76ers’ loss to the Clippers on March 1.

Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia:

Josh Richardson also has a concussion. He has been entered into concussion protocol. Another update expected tomorrow.

— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 1, 2020

The 76ers cleared Richardson today.

Paul Hudrick of NBC Sports Philadelphia:

Joel Embiid (left shoulder sprain) participated in practice today, status TBD for tomorrow night vs. the Pistons. Josh Richardson has cleared concussion protocol, his status is also TBD.

— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) March 10, 2020

Richardson, via Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice:

“It’s just been weird,” Richardson said. “Dark room for a few days, couldn’t even go to games, just trying to keep the sensory stuff low and figure it out. Last few days there has been some headaches and that’s what has been worrying me, but hopefully, it’s over with or close to it.”

If Richardson is still suffering headaches, he should not have been cleared. That’s simple. It’d be dangerous for Richardson to take the court – and a violation of the NBA’s concussion policy, which requires players to be symptom-free before returning.

Teams have too often failed to adhere to the concussion protocol during games. Failing outside the chaos of a competitive live event? This is a new level of concerning and ought to raise more questions about Philadelphia’s medical staff. As a former pre-med student, Richardson should also know better, though it’s on teams to protect competitive players from themselves in these situations.

Hopefully, this is a case of Richardson misstating his current status during an interview rather than him entering unreasonably risky situation. This could just be a mix-up.

Hopefully, this gets resolved before the 76ers host the Pistons tomorrow.