On the heels of last month’s Case Keenum concussion fiasco, the NFL will now discipline teams for failing to adhere to the league’s medical protocol, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
Source: @NFL will impose discipline for future violations of medical protocol -fines or suspensions. On the heels of Case Keenum's breakdown
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2015
The goal of discipline for violations: Making sure a player is removed properly. Could by anyone from players & coaches to ATC spotter
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2015
On Nov. 23, the St. Louis Rams failed to remove Keenum from a game after he suffered an apparent concussion. The quarterback struggled to stand up after taking a particularly violent sack but remained in the game after talking with a member of the team’s training staff. Neither the Rams nor the independent spotters seemed worried that Keenum was visibly dazed.
It is not clear when the NFL’s new discipline process will start or what form the discipline will take, but clearly this is some step in the right direction. There’s not much sense in having medical protocol if teams aren’t incentivized to actually follow it, and a substantial discipline for franchises that disregard player health will force everyone to pay closer attention.
Oddly, the NFLPA has not been alerted of the new discipline system, according to ESPN’s Jim Trotter. You would expect them to the first ones the league would call with this news.
NFLPA says it has not been informed of this "imposed" discipline, and eagerly looks forward to seeing the details. https://t.co/vmIsTwCeYp
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) December 16, 2015
These conversations are incredibly important for the NFL’s future as it tries to find compromise between player safety and an inherently violent sport. Public tolerance for players remaining in games with head injuries wanes by the day, and it’s vital that the league as least give off the impression that it has its players’ best interests in mind if it wants to remain America’s favorite sport.
