Philadelphia Eagles starting safety Malcolm Jenkins returned to practice on Thursday after suffering a concussion in the team's 33-27 overtime win against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday night.
According to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, Jenkins confessed on Thursday that he played the entire second half of the game in Dallas with a concussion.
Jenkins played approximately 54 defensive snaps after the concussion. His participation in 79 plays on defense during that game is the most on the team.
Jenkins knew that something was wrong, but he didn't say a word to anybody about the injury until the game was over in fear that he would be taken off of the field.
"I kind of had an idea, but my symptoms went away," Jenkins said. "So, I kind of kept to myself."
Jenkins knew that he was banged up, but he made the choice that he was healthy enough to keep playing.
"I wasn't going to put myself in harms way," Jenkins said. "I felt like I was good enough to compete. I was aware of everything. I wasn't forgetting anything. I didn't black out or anything. So I kind of just kept it to myself."
This the first time that Jenkins has suffered a concussion, and he regrets risking his health by continuing to play like he did on Sunday night.
"Looking back on it, I shouldn't of done (it)," he said. "I know the coaching staff and the medical staff wasn't too happy afterwards. It was ill-advised."
Jenkins has passed all tests under the NFL's mandated concussion protocol and he says he expects to start against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
