The major professional football league in the US, The National Football League or NFL, has changed its concussion protocol that helps in determining whether players should be sent back into the field after an injury. This was after a player suffered an injury during a game, was sent back during the second half, came back to play, and was visibly disoriented when he suffered an injury again four days later.
The NFL said it wanted to “improve safety protocols” after player Tua Tagovailoa was allowed to play a game on September 25 despite getting hurt during the play. Four days later, he got a concussion – an injury to the head that may result in losing consciousness.
Although sportspersons are prone to injuries, American football involves some aggressive movements like tackling and is a full-contact sport. There is a concussion protocol in place that is to come into effect in case of injuries. The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) investigated whether the handling of Tagovailoa’s injury was according to the protocol.
What did the investigation find?
In a joint statement that the NFL and the NFLPA released on Saturday (October 8), they said: “While the investigation determined that the team medical staff and unaffiliated medical professionals followed the steps of the Protocol as written, the NFL and NFLPA agree that the outcome in this case is not what was intended when the Protocols were drafted. As such, as has been done in previous cases, based on the advice of the parties’ respective medical experts, the Protocol will be modified to enhance the safety of the players.”
As per the protocol, the Club medical team viewed the video of the play in question and engaged in a locker room examination of Tagovailoa before he was cleared to return to play. The team physician also cleared his return. “Mr. Tagovailoa did not report or exhibit any signs or symptoms of concussion during his locker room exam, during the remainder of the game, or throughout the following week,” the statement said.
While Tagovailoa claimed he was stumbling because of a back injury, the team physician did not conduct an examination of his back during the concussion examination but instead relied on the earlier examination conducted by other members of the medical staff.
So, what changes now?
Concluding, the statement said: “The term ‘ataxia’ has been added to the mandatory ‘no-go’ symptoms. ‘Ataxia’ is defined as abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.”
Here’s the new NFL-NFLPA concussion game day checklist, which adds ataxia to loss of consciousness, confusion and amnesia as “no-go” symptoms for return to play, replacing gross motor instability.
Full updated protocols: https://t.co/YZkOscGT1M pic.twitter.com/p31u3dnJR7
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 8, 2022
They elaborated that if any player shows the aforementioned signs, they will not be allowed to join the game again. “In other words, if a player is diagnosed with ‘ataxia’ by any club or neutral physician involved in the application of the Concussion Protocol, he will be prohibited from returning to the game, and will receive the follow-up care required by the Protocol,” said the statement.
Do other sports have similar rules?
Cricket has the concept of ‘like-for-like’ substitutes with the discretion of the match referee. Batsmen are supposed to wear neck guards but they are yet to be made mandatory. Even in a sport similar to American football, like rugby, the principle is not to risk having a flare-up and let players sit out of the game.
However, as stated in an ESPN article from 2019, most sports around the world have different policies, and even the ones in place are not uniform. For instance, while changes have been made over the years in rugby after a few lawsuits, this is not the case in Boxing. Nick Parkinson, an ESPN reporter, said: “It is up to the ringside doctor, referee and trainer in the corner to determine if a boxer is concussed, and if a fight needs to be stopped.”
.