NFL and NFLPA lay out new enforcement for concussion protocol

In a clear reaction to a specific incident from the 2015 season, the NFL and NFLPA have announced penalties for failure to follow the league’s concussion protocol.

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Lawsuits from former players and a Hollywood film have brought big attention to the issue of concussions in the NFL, and a specific protocol on game days and during the week to deal with those head injuries was put in place. Now the NFL and NFLPA have taken another step, creating penalties for teams that fail to adhere to that protocol.

The joint press release from the league and player’s association cites increasing penalties, including club fines and a possible forfeiture of draft picks for failing to properly follow the concussion protocol.

Here are some greater specifics regarding said penalties:

• A first violation will require the club employees or medical team members involved to attend remedial education; and/or result in a maximum fine of $150,000 against the club.
• Second and subsequent violations of the concussion protocol will result in a minimum fine of $100,000 against the club.
• In the event the parties agree that a violation involved aggravating circumstances, the club shall be subject, in the first instance, to a fine no less than $50,000. The Commissioner shall determine appropriate discipline for subsequent violations involving aggravating circumstances.
• In the event that the Commissioner determines that the club’s medical team failed to follow the protocol due to competitive considerations, the Commissioner may require the club to forfeit draft pick(s) and impose additional fines exceeding those amounts set forth above.

These new penalties look like a direct response to a notable incident involving St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams quarterback Case Keenum from last season. During a Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens Keenum was clearly concussed as he tried to get up after a hit, but he inexplicably remained in the game. Blame can be spread a lot of different directions, including to referees that were apparently oblivious to Keenum’s condition. But Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher’s response after the game, suggesting he didn’t notice what was happening with his quarterback, stands out.

Player safety is obviously a priority for the NFL, even if the league is late to that particular party. This new policy for further enforcement of the concussion protocol makes responses like Fisher’s far less likely going forward, and commissioner Roger Goodell having final authority in this area can’t be questioned too much.

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