The NFL’s concussion policies have often come under question, and the latest case in point involves Houston Texans’ quarterback Tom Savage. At home Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Savage took a big hit in the end zone from the 49ers’ Elvis Dumervil in the second quarter, showed apparent nerve spasms that some interpreted as a seizure, underwent concussion evaluation inside the tent, returned to play for another drive, spat out blood, and then was later pulled for T.J. Yates. Here’s a clip Fox showed later in the broadcast of the sequence of events, with commentary from analyst Mark Schlereth:
And here’s where Savage was actually pulled for T.J. Yates, with play-by-play commentator Dick Stockton noting how Savage played after the concussion evaluation:
The handling of this sparked a lot of questioning of the NFL concussion protocol, especially given that clip of Savage on the ground.
https://twitter.com/TheRenderNFL/status/939936269924225024
Disgusted that the @HoustonTexans allowed Tom Savage to return to the game after 2 plays after showing these horrifying #concussion signs (is that a seizure?) after a head impact. I would not let my worst enemy go through the 2017 #NFL sideline concussion protocol… https://t.co/PeJr5ISAIJ
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) December 10, 2017
This is very alarming. The Texans also put Tom Savage back into a game after he suffered a concussion last season. The NFL needs to investigate this. https://t.co/esUnijpAuP
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 10, 2017
The Savage injury shows how the NFL's head trauma protocols are still a disaster. Savage was knocked out, had a seizure, or some combo of both, and still returned to the game for a series. That's a disgrace.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) December 10, 2017
Tom Savage is back in the game after looking like he got electrocuted. Protect your players, @NFL. Terrible. https://t.co/Rp2WwsZimX
— Sean Jordan (@BaySean) December 10, 2017
https://twitter.com/DylanMacNamara/status/939936215129784321
Yahoo Sports’ Eric Adelson reached out to two neurology doctors, who said it may not have been a seizure, but Savage should still have been pulled:
Texted two neurology docs about this. Both said no seizure, both adamantly said he should have been removed from the game. https://t.co/Ky4Oj6DZjs
— Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) December 10, 2017
Incidents like this should spark further looks at the NFL’s concussion protocol evaluation. No sideline concussion protocol is going to be perfect, but the NFL’s current one seems to err on the side of returning players to the game too frequently, creating problematic situations like what happened with Savage here. Sending him back into the game was a bad move, and one that’s going to raise further questions about how the NFL handles head trauma.
As long as a concussed #1 quarterback is still a better playing choice than a healthy #2 — which is generally the case on most NFL teams — QBs and coaches will continue to try to skate through the concussion protocol.
Winning is, as always, more important that the long-term health of the QB. For NFL teams, that will never change.