Concussions in the NFL: Health risk for players, PR disaster for the league

The concussion protocol does not always protect players

The NFL now has the Return to Play Protocol, designed to prevent players from returning to the field with a concussion. Still, with many concussions being asymptomatic and other instances of players returning to the field visibly dazed, the effectiveness of this protocol is unclear.

This preseason, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III sustained a concussion during a game and was cleared to play in the following week’s contest just a few days later by Dr. Robert Kurtzke, an independent neurological consultant assigned to the Redskins by the NFL and the NFLPA. Though cleared, it was later determined that Griffin was not fit to play and the decision to medically clear him was reversed. Kurtzke has since resigned and a new independent neurologist has been assigned to the Redskins.

Other players have suffered blows to the head that have left them dazed and returned to the playing field almost immediately. In last season’s playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared to have suffered a concussion but returned to the playing field almost immediately. The time he was on the sidelines was not even long enough to undergo the NFL concussion protocol, which is estimated to take 20 minutes. His teammate, tight end Heath Miller, also returned to the field of play dazed and wobbly at one point. Both made uncharacteristic errors after their premature returns, with Roethlisberger throwing  an interception and Miller fumbling the ball.

There was a similar event involving Patriots wideout Julian Edelman during Super Bowl XLIX. Like Roethlisberger and Miller, he appeared dazed after being hit. Despite so-called concussion spotters looking out for such injuries, Edelman returned to the field since his team was playing a hurry-up offense. Once he was evaluated on the sidelines, it was deemed that he did not have a concussion.

Still, in response to that incident, concussion spotters for this upcoming season will now have the power to call a timeout if they are concerned about a player exhibiting symptoms. If doctors evaluate players the way Steelers personnel evaluated Roethlisberger and Miller, however, players could still be cleared to return to the game. Roethlisberger, for example, ended up claiming he had “whiplash.”

There are more procedures in place no to protect players, but they are not foolproof. Some individuals return to the game and pass the concussion protocol after appearing to have concussion-like symptoms. Even when players do not experience symptoms following a blow to the head, those hits can still lead to permanent damage later on. CTE was found in college player Owen Thomas even though he was never diagnosed with a concussion.

Even players going through the NFL protocol can speed through the recovery stages. They can progress through two per day instead of the more cautious and widely recommended one stage per day outlined in the Zurich Concussion Protocol, which the CDC espouses and the NFL claims to. In other words, NFL players often return to physical activity too quickly and rush through the recovery process.

Couple those facts with the stance of some NFL medical advisers and team doctors that the risk of CTE is overblown, and that is a dangerous combination.

Next: More cover-ups