Carroll: Nothing intentional with Saints’ hits on Harvin
Jan 13, 2014, 11:29 AM | Updated: Jan 15, 2014, 9:18 am
By Brady Henderson
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says the team likely won’t know anything more about Percy Harvin’s status until later this week after the receiver left Seattle’s playoff win over New Orleans with a concussion.
 “I don’t think that was an issue at all,” Pete Carroll said when asked if he felt the Saints were targeting Percy Harvin. (AP) |
As for the hit that caused it – and another to Harvin’s head that briefly sidelined him earlier in the game – Carroll said he doesn’t believe it was a reflection of any intent on the Saints’ part to injure Harvin.
“No, I don’t,” Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Danny” on Monday when asked if he felt the Saints were targeting Harvin, as some have suggested while citing the team’s bounty scandal that came to light in 2012.
“I think the plays that happened just happened. They were fortunate to make the breaks they did. I don’t think that was an issue at all.”
Saints safety Rafael Bush leveled Harvin on Seattle’s third offensive play as the receiver was trying to haul in a deep pass down the sideline. That hit drew a 15-yard penalty for a hit to the head of a defenseless receiver and forced Harvin to the locker room to be evaluated for a potential concussion. He returned after missing one series, then left for good in the second quarter after he was brought down in the end zone while trying to make a leaping catch, his head hitting the turf hard.
More coverage of Seattle’s divisional-round win over New Orleans at CenturyLink Field.
| • Recap | Stats | Photos | Postgame interviews | • O’Neil: What We Learned | • O’Neil: Another nail-biting finish for Seahawks | • Henderson: Percy Harvin roughed up in return | • Henderson: Marshawn Lynch sets playoff record | • Huard: Breaking down Lynch’s first touchdown | • Stecker: Saints’ offense meets its match again | • O’Neil: Irvin, Graham square off during warmups |
Making his first appearance since Nov. 17 – and only his second this season – Harvin caught three passes for 21 yards and gained 9 yards on an end-around run in two quarters.
“It was fun to have him out there,” Carroll said, “and he definitely showed something.”
Now the questions becomes whether Seattle will have Harvin available for Sunday’s NFC Championship game against San Francisco, which will be played eight days after he sustained the concussion.
“There’s nothing yet,” Carroll said when asked for an update on Harvin’s status. “We’re fortunate – an extra day in there really helps in these kinds of situations, and we’ll just see how he does. I don’t know. We won’t know until Wednesday, Thursday until we get all the tests run and the protocol taken care of and all that.”
Follow Brady Henderson on Twitter @BradyHenderson.
