It began late in the second quarter. Dart, under pressure from Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, took a punishing hit that twisted him awkwardly to the turf. His helmet bounced once, twice, before he rolled onto his side. Trainers sprinted onto the field as Daboll waved for the medical staff.

From the broadcast booth, commentators initially assumed it was a shoulder injury. But Dart’s slow, disoriented walk to the sideline told another story. Within seconds, he disappeared behind the blue tent — the NFL’s designated space for concussion evaluations.

Then came the confusion.
A backup quarterback warmed up. Dart briefly re-emerged, sat on the bench, then was ushered back inside. Moments later, a team assistant appeared to be signaling toward the press box, then toward the tunnel. No one seemed to know whether Dart had cleared protocol or not.

The broadcast feed captured Daboll gesturing in frustration at medical personnel, shouting something inaudible. Fans online immediately interpreted it as interference — a head coach overriding protocol.

By halftime, hashtags like #BlueTentGate and #DabollDefense were trending.

Behind the Tent: What Actually Happened

According to multiple team sources interviewed after the game, the confusion stemmed from a communication lapse between the Giants’ sideline medical team and the NFL’s independent neurological consultant (INC) assigned to the game.

Dart had reportedly passed an initial “quick screen” but was ordered to remain under observation due to “delayed response indicators.” The misstep occurred when one staffer relayed “cleared” to the coaching headset before the final clearance was logged — leading to Daboll believing his quarterback was safe to return.

Within minutes, the error was corrected, and Dart was held out for the remainder of the half.
Still, the optics were terrible.

Former players and analysts were quick to pounce. “That can’t happen in 2025,” said ESPN’s Booger McFarland. “We’ve had too many examples. Too many promises of improvement.”

The NFL, stung by years of concussion-protocol scrutiny, immediately launched a review. By Monday morning, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed that the “sequence of sideline communication” was under investigation.

Saleh’s Response: The Calm Within the Storm

When Robert Saleh walked into his postgame press conference, most expected the usual coachspeak: focus on execution, avoid controversy, deflect drama. Instead, he addressed the incident head-on.

“You can’t imagine the chaos on a sideline when something like that happens,” Saleh said. “I’ve been there. You’ve got medical staff, spotters, player safety reps, coaches — all trying to make decisions in real time. Brian’s not the villain here. The system just hiccupped.”

Those words, simple as they were, changed the tone of the national conversation. Instead of another round of coach-on-coach blame, Saleh reframed the moment as a human systems failure — not a moral one.

Analysts called his comments “a masterclass in empathy.” Others saw them as a sign of maturity from a coach who, not long ago, was known for fiery sideline outbursts.

“Saleh has evolved,” said NFL Network’s Judy Battista. “He understands now that leadership isn’t just about protecting your players — it’s about protecting the integrity of the profession.”

A History of Tension Between the Two Coaches

It wasn’t always this way.
Saleh and Daboll’s professional paths have crossed often, sometimes contentiously. When Daboll was with Buffalo and Saleh coordinated San Francisco’s defense, their matchups were chess battles — mutual respect masked by competitive fire.

In recent seasons, their proximity in the New York market only amplified the rivalry. The media thrived on it: Jets vs. Giants, green vs. blue, Saleh’s discipline vs. Daboll’s emotion.

But underneath the public contrasts lies mutual understanding. Both men climbed the NFL ladder the hard way — as assistants who earned trust in film rooms before headlines. Both have endured injury crises, locker-room whispers, and the merciless New York press.

So when Saleh extended grace to Daboll, it wasn’t out of friendship. It was out of shared experience.
“He knows what it’s like when 100 decisions hit you at once,” said a Jets staffer. “He wasn’t going to kick a guy who’s already drowning in noise.”

The Medical Maze: When Safety Meets Split-Second Chaos

The “blue tent fiasco” may have looked like mismanagement, but insiders describe it as a symptom of a system stretched thin.

Each NFL sideline now includes:

• Two team physicians

• One athletic trainer

• An unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC)

• A booth-based spotter monitoring video replays

In theory, that redundancy ensures safety. In practice, it can breed confusion when hierarchy blurs.
“The protocols are airtight on paper,” said former team doctor Michael Westin, “but the sideline is never calm. Everyone’s shouting, radios are overlapping, and one misheard word can cause chaos.”

Saleh’s own team had faced a similar scare the previous season when wideout Garrett Wilson briefly re-entered a game before being pulled for further testing. “We learned from that,” Saleh admitted. “Communication’s everything. It’s not always malicious — sometimes it’s just messy.”

That nuance — rarely acknowledged in public — is exactly what he offered Daboll.

The Media Backlash — and a Coach Who Refused to Engage

By Monday morning, sports talk shows were ablaze.
“Brian Daboll needs to answer for that tent disaster!” shouted one morning host on WFAN. “You don’t mess with head injuries!”

Others demanded suspensions or fines. Fans dissected sideline replays frame by frame, speculating on who said what to whom.

Saleh stayed silent. The Jets’ media team issued only a brief statement confirming that the coach would not comment further until the league’s review concluded. Behind the scenes, insiders say he texted Daboll a simple message:

“Keep your head up. Been there.”

That gesture didn’t make headlines — but it spoke volumes. In a sport often consumed by ego, Saleh’s choice to de-escalate stood as quiet defiance against the outrage cycle.

Inside the Giants’ Camp: Daboll Under Fire

For Brian Daboll, the aftermath was excruciating.