Senior Alabama Crimson Tide QB Greg McElroy spent several minutes on the ground after Auburn Tigers CB T’Sharvan Bell slung him to the ground late in the fourth quarter. Bell whirled McElroy around, holding him by the right arm and left hip, and dumped him onto his right shoulder and head. For a moment it appeared McElroy may have hurt his throwing shoulder, but as he woozily left the field and sat down, a concussion seems more likely.
The Tide trail the Tigers 28-27 with about five minutes left, punting on their first play without McElroy. Their backup passer, A.J. McCarron, is a freshman with 38 career attempts who is most famous for being spanked by Nick Saban in public.
Getting medical attention while sitting on the bench, McElroy clearly suffered some sort of head injury. His upper body is bobbing around, and he actually appears to be smiling.
Despite the reputation certain members of Auburn’s defense have earned, Bell’s hit was clean. McElroy was still trying to throw away the ball as he went down, which may have altered his balance.