But Ed Werder, who reported that Michael Vick believes the Eagles are playing politics with his concussion in the name of getting Nick Foles more snaps, stands by his story. He spoke with Mike Gill on 97.3 ESPN in South Jersey today and said the following:  

“When [he wasn’t cleared to play], he began to tell people that he was wondering if it had more to do with the fact that the Eagles wanted to evaluate Foles for the rest of the season and weren’t being honest with [him], who wants to play, who has to repair his own reputation.”

“All I can tell you is that I didn’t make this up. Michael Vick has told people that he questions whether there's an ulterior motive here or whether this decision not to play in a game is strictly based on his inability to pass the concussion tests. There’s a specific protocol that has to be followed, he hasn’t met it… but that doesn’t mean that Michael Vick doesn’t question whether this is a legitimate reason that he’s not being allowed to play in the game.”

There’s no doubt that the Eagles are not fudging the results of Vick’s tests, because concussion test results go through the league and, apparently, get sent to that shit hole known as Pittsburgh.   

Sources close to Vick told Philly Mag’s Tim McManus that not only is Werder’s report inaccurate, but also that Vick is not regressing as had been previously reported. 

Vick, of course, had someone write a statement for him, and it’s all fluffy:

 “I want to thank my fans for the thousands of well wishes. I also appreciate the support of the entire Eagles organization. I feel strong and healthy. As a professional athlete, I want to play in every game but the NFL has a specific protocol to protect players. My focus is to complete this process successfully, so I can rejoin my team on the field.”

Cool.

Anyway, as is usually the case, the truth is probably somewhere in middle– Vick is likely frustrated because he feels good but hasn’t passed the concussion test. I’m guessing Werder’s source on this is Rob Vito, the president of Unequal, the local company that makes the rib protection Vick wears and the helmet padding he will be wearing when he returns. Vito allowed Werder to hit him in the chest with a shovel on Monday Night Football a few years back to demonstrate the strength of Unequal’s products. And this week, it was Werder who had the report that Unequal was outfitting Vick with special padding in his helmet. Vito seems to be a go-to for Werder, who otherwise doesn't cover the Eagles on a daily basis. So it would make sense if it was Vito to whom Vick told he felt the Eagles were playing politics, and Vito who then passed that along to Werder. But that’s just my educated guess (I pay myself big bucks for this totally useless shit).

Whatever the case, the Eagles are not fudging the results of Vick’s concussion tests, as is the insinuation by Vick via Werder’s report. Whether or not Vick feels that way, however, is a different story.

You can listen to Ed Werder on 97.3 ESPN here.