College Football Fans Confused By Riley Leonard's Injury Diagnosis
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard was briefly knocked out of the game late in the second quarter of Thursday night's Orange Bowl.
Leonard, who struggled throughout the first half against Penn State, took a bit hit from a Nittany Lion defender and had to leave the field. The veteran signal caller went into the medical tent while backup Steve Angeli finished off the drive, which ended in a Mitch Jeter field goal to trim the PSU lead to 10-3 at intermission.
Leonard returned to the game for the start of the second half and helped engineer a touchdown drive with a 36-yard completion to running back Aneyas Williams. Leonard capped the march off with a short-yardage touchdown run, his 16th of the season.
According to the ESPN broadcast, Leonard was officially "asymptomatic" when checked for a concussion, an update that left more than a few people scratching their heads.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish warms up prior to the Capital One Orange Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
"What does 'asymptomatic' for a concussion mean?" wondered Chris Vannini of The Athletic.
"What exactly does it mean to be asymptomatic for a concussion mean?" another person asked.
"How the f--- are you asymptomatic for a concussion? You have a concussion but you just aren't fried?" a third person asked.
"Not a doctor nor claiming to be one. Just curious how you’re asymptomatic for a concussion," a fourth person said.
"Asymptomatic just means no symptoms of a potential underlying issue. You can be positive or negative while being asymptomatic," another person claimed.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 09: Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throws the ball during the second quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
According to the official definition, being asymptomatic means "producing or showing no symptoms."
If that means Leonard passed the concussion tests or was negative for having one, the broadcast should have just said as much. This "diagnosis" was much more confusing.
We'll probably learn a little bit more about Leonard postgame. In the meantime, Notre Dame and Penn State are tied at 10 in the third quarter.
