The NFL and NFLPA have reached an agreement that will modify the league’s concussion protocols “in the coming days,” according to a joint statement issued Saturday by the two sides.
NFL and NFLPA are now working to modify concussion protocols and they anticipate changes “in the coming days.” They released this statement tonight: pic.twitter.com/siaE7Xh7dA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2022
The NFL and the players union have been investigating the protocols in the wake of injuries suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa last Sunday and again on Thursday night. The Dolphins, and the league at large, had been heavily criticized for the process that allowed the quarterback to return to action last Sunday. The NFLPA had called for an investigation in the wake of that incident.
The NFL and NFLPA’s statement noted that the investigation into Tagovailoa’s situation “remains ongoing.”
“Therefore, we have not made any conclusions about medical errors or protocol violations,” the statement noted.
The statement specifically cites discussions about use of the term “Gross Motor Instability,” regarding head injuries.
“We anticipate changes to the protocol being made in the coming days based on what has been learned thus far in the review process,” the statement read.
Fans responding to the NFL/NFLPA statement on Twitter seemed to agree it’s a smart move. Others pointed out it’s too little, too late, especially in Tagovailoa’s case, and it looks like a damage control move.
So it sounds like you won’t see another incident like what happened to Tua on Sunday. If a player is wobbly and showing “gross motor instability” then it seems the change will be he goes into protocol. Would be a change that’s clearly needed. https://t.co/2tH3nzadcg
— Will Manso (@WillManso) October 1, 2022
This is a necessary and positive step; the current protocol needs to changed. Any gross motor instability by a player for any reason would should not be allowed to return to the game. https://t.co/uODKRtYeAe
— Mike Tannenbaum (@RealTannenbaum) October 1, 2022
What’s so insulting is that we all saw what happened with our own eyes, and they still tried to tell us he was totes fine to play. Gtfoh https://t.co/t0xhv2noJN
— Chris Taylor (@christaylor_nyc) October 1, 2022
Figured they would change something to err more cautiously on this all, which is good and correct, but still a super odd process of leaking stuff out without actually saying what was done wrong medically or if Tua had a concussion that was ignored. Optics battle to me but we will
— B (@BShulkes) October 1, 2022
Why does the @NFL and @NFLPA always make reactionary statements rather than being proactive, waiting until potential catastrophic injury to change things instead of fixing this loophole earlier on when it was first mentioned?
— Zach Morris (@ZachMorris5) October 1, 2022
