Figure it would be good to post this here, all based on Meyers presser today.
Braxton was whiplashed, had never suffered that kind of injury and was extremely rattled. Hence the staying down, hard to breathe etc. Basically, sounds like he was experiencing something like a panic attack.
He was given a concussion test by the sideline medical staff and cleared. Meyer was standing there when they said he did not have a concussion.
The hospital confirmed what the sideline staff said, no concussion. Braxton was able to calm down and the symptoms he was experiencing dissipated, although it appears he never showed any signs of a concussion (Memory issues, light sensitivity etc).
Everything appears to be lining up for Braxton to have a full week of practice, and to be 100% by Saturday's game.
On another note, Meyer expressed his concern with how injury prone Braxton has been, saying something to the effect of Braxton making so many plays that he sets himself up to take a lot of shots.
Finally, and this is not something that was discussed in the presser, just my thoughts, that could have been a horsecollar tackle.
The rule:
Here is the full play, where the Purdue defender grabs what appears to be the collar, before releasing and grabbing just below the collar and snapping Miller to the ground. The way Braxton was pulled to the ground was illegal, although the difficult part is whether or not he was brought down by the collar. Clearly this is the type of play that the NCAA/NFL wanted to eliminate with the rule, and certainly could have been called on the field.
Regardless of the player being pulled down to the side or straight back, it's illegal to grab the collar and "immediately pull the ball carrier down." Doesn't matter which direction.
Ultimately, it's hard to make a final decision regarding the legality of that tackle.
