NFL players union calls for new concussion protocol to be put in place by Sunday

The National Football League Players Association has called for an updated concussion protocol to be implemented before the start of Sunday’s slate of games.

“Our union has agreed to change the concussion protocols. … We would like these changes to go into effect before this weekend’s games to immediately protect the players and hope the NFL accepts the change before then as well,” the NFLPA statement read, according to The Associated Press.

The NFL has agreed to update the rules, but it did not commit to the timeframe urged by the NFLPA.

“We have already spoken to members of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and the leadership of the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Independent Certified Athletic Trainers who serve as spotters to discuss these likely changes,” the league said.

At a London event promoting Sunday’s overseas game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fielded questions from fans.

Prompted by a question on the concussion protocols, Goodell responded, “We’re also prepared to make a change or two in the protocols because we think we can actually add another element that would make it even safer,” AP reported.

New parameters agreed to by both sides include a rule that players that exhibit gross motor instability after a play will be ruled out for the rest of the game. This change comes in light of the two recent injuries to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

After a hit he sustained in the Week 3 contest on Sept. 25 against the Buffalo Bills, Tagovailoa was seen stumbling and losing his balance. He would later return to finish the rest of the game, with his earlier ailment being described as a “back injury.”

Tagovailoa would then go on to play in the team’s next game, the Week 4 Thursday night affair on Sept. 29 against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

After being flung harshly to the ground on a sack by Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou, Tagovailoa seized up, his fingers splayed out in what is called a fencing response, which is caused by neurological trauma. 

He was taken out of the game on a stretcher, and the second injury, a concussion, has led to an ongoing investigation into how he was cleared to play after his first injury.

Tagovailoa is now out indefinitely, including for Sunday’s Dolphins game against the New York Jets.