Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder defended his medical staff's response to an eye injury sustained by Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy in last week's game, adding Friday that he also spoke with the Baltimore medical staff and exchanged text messages with coach John Harbaugh to "clear the air."
Van Noy hurt his right eye in the third quarter of the first NFL game last week, which Kansas City won 27-20. He said later that he was "disappointed" about how long it took for the Chiefs doctors to see him in the locker room after leaving the field.
"We respect the Ravens. We respect their medical staff. I respect Kyle as a player and I'm pretty upset that he was upset," Burkholder said. "When he went down, I went out there because I thought he had a head or neck injury. I asked their physician if they wanted an opthamologist at the time. They did not."
The Ravens' medical staff decided later that Van Noy should have the eye specialist examine him after all, so they asked the Chiefs to summon the ophthalmologist. It took 12 minutes for the doctor to be found and reach the locker room.
There is no NFL mandate to have an opthamologist or dentist available. The Chiefs provide both as courtesies to visiting teams.
