Written by Josh Alper at Pro Football Talk.com
The way teams are implementing the league’s concussion protocol came up for discussion during the playoffs when Dolphins quarterback Matt Moore returned to the game one play after being taken out to be evaluated for a concussion.
A joint investigation by the league and the NFL Players Association found that the protocol wasnot followed properly because no one noticed Moore bleeding from the mouth, which is a documented symptom that calls for extended evaluation in the locker room. The Dolphins were reprimanded and warned further failures to follow the protocol could result in fines.
During a press conference in Houston on Thursday, NFLPA president Eric Winstonspoke about the need for stricter adherence to a protocol that was “carefully sketched out” by the league and the union.
“We have to have better adherence to the concussion protocol,” Winston said. “Even though it’s a handful of times we’ve had to investigate (four times in 2016 with one pending, per the union), it’s still too many. We have to get that number down to zero. It doesn’t matter what time of the game it is, the docs and the trainers and the teams have to be there for us. We’re out there competing, they have to be the ones that step in and strictly adhere to the concussion protocol.”
Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, a member of the NFLPA executive committee, recounted his own concussion during the 2016 season and noted how his teammates helped force him to the sideline for evaluation, which is part of what Winston refers to as a “massive culture shift” in terms of players reporting injuries for themselves or their teammates.
While Winston believes that shift is occurring, he said the medical professionals charged with implementing the protocol have “to protect us from ourselves” when injuries arise.
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