Currently, the NFL’s concussion protocol is in flux as nobody knows how to handle brain injuries on the field. This is because the NFL’s most horrific nightmare was revealed at the start of Week 4 in the Thursday night game vs the Bengals in front of all eyes.
The backstory traces back to the prior Sunday when Tua was pushed down (Dirty Play) and appeared to sustain a head injury. He got up wobbling and stumbled and fell to the ground before being taken off the field vs Buffalo.
The official report was a “Back/Neck Injury” to the surprise of many and Tua returned to the game in the 2nd half and led Miami to the victory. A similar back/neck injury happened a year ago to KC star QB Patrick Mahomes who has suffered multiple concussions in his short career.
The Dolphins seem to have gotten the shaft when it comes to how Teddy Bridgewater was handled in the game vs the Jets. There are many questions about how things were handled.
Under the brand-new concussion Protocall apparently some anonymous SPOTTER can make the call to have a player removed from the game and put in concussion Protocall based on what they claim to see are signs of a potential concussion.
That is what happened to Teddy Bridgewater in the Jets game after he was sacked on the first play of the game for him.
Who is the Spotter and how can we be sure that biases do not exist in such a critical decision in which he can overrule the doctors (Trained Professionals) assigned to monitor such a critical call? I mean, how do we know it was not Fireman ED making the call for the Jets game to pull Teddy? (Sarcasm)
My point being, the NFL due to an overreaction to what happened to Tua in the Bengals game has turned this concussion issue into a full-blown mess that needs to be cleaned up! How can one person have so much power to override even the medical staff assigned to deal with concussions on game day?
What happens when top QB’s like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes get pulled by some anonymous SPOTTER? Fans will be outraged since it appears that there was no legitimate reason for Teddy Bridgewater to be pulled from the Jets game and put into concussion protocol!!
Here are the official changes made to the concussion protocol
The league and players’ union said in a joint statement Saturday that while the Dolphins followed protocol after the injury, the outcome of the Tagovailoa case “was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” As a result, language addressing abnormality of balance/stability was added to the league’s protocol list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to the game.
The issue is that there were way too many “Talking Heads” screaming to the top of their lungs as if they were truly concerned about Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa who they have attacked all off-season, but now want to act concerned for him. (More on this in an upcoming article entitled “Beware of the Talking Heads”)
There are many people like Stephen Smith, who have no medical degree, but a HUGE MEGAPHONE to make noise and spread misinformation as if they did. He was not alone as many pundits chimed in despite having no medical degree or even inside information of the situation involving Tua and what was deemed a “Back Injury” vs Buffalo after a cheap shot/push by Bills linebacker Matt Milano who received no fine for his push of Tua. (Had that been Tom Brady they would have fined and suspended Milano!!!)
The official conclusion from the investigation of Tua’s “Back Injury”
The investigation found that Tagovailoa told the medical staff he aggravated his back injury when he was hit by Milano and that his back injury caused him to stumble. The review also said the medical staff determined that the gross motor instability was not due to a concussion.
In their statement Saturday, the NFL and players’ union said there was not an examination of the QB’s back during the check for a concussion, but medical personnel “instead relied on the earlier examination conducted by other members of the medical staff.” The conclusion then was that the back injury was the cause of Tagovailoa’s instability.
So, after looking into the situation, they agreed that the hit by Milano coupled with an earlier twisting of his back meant Tua did suffer a back injury. That caused him to stumble after the cheap shot by Milano. All those talking heads attacking the Dolphins coach and medical staff as well as Tua were just making noise!
I have no issues with the NFL wanting to make the game safer for all involved. This is because our passion for this sport is unparalleled in this country. We all want the NFL to survive well into the future. Unfortunately, we will also have to put up with this new age of media. The reason for this is because they take the wrong side of an issue, they spew their nonsense then the next day, they move onto something else just like politicians during this time of year.
The Dolphin Seer 