INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett entered the concussion protocol at the end of the team's 20-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Brissett was scheduled to meet with the media, but a team spokesman said the quarterback would not be talking because he entered the protocol after having concussion symptoms following the game.

Brissett had to go to the concussion tent on the sideline after he took a shot to the back of the head from Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt on a third-down scramble play with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Scott Tolzien took the field on the Colts' next series, only to have Brissett run on at the last second.

Chris Nowinski, the founding CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and co-director of Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, tweeted harsh criticism of the NFL's concussion policy in how it handled Brissett during Sunday's game.

#NFL #concussion protocol is a fraud. QB Jacoby Brissett goes back in after showing the clearest concussions signs of the season. Helmet-to-helmet hit, holds head, then goes limp, then needs help up. You don't need a protocol to hold this player out for the game. Check the tape: pic.twitter.com/db8sDwVmVl — Dr. Chris Nowinski (@ChrisNowinski1) November 12, 2017

Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who addressed the media prior to the Brissett announcement, said the doctors cleared him to return.

"He went through the proper procedures through the protocol and got back out there," Pagano said.

The Colts tweeted the following information as it relates to Brissett's handling during the game and his being placed in the concussion protocol.

Information regarding Jacoby Brissett being placed in concussion protocol: pic.twitter.com/ysGhwzZvEk — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 12, 2017

Brissett, who was sacked three times and finished the game, was 14-of-24 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Colts, who enter their bye with a 3-7 record.