The NFL’s concussion crisis has become in recent weeks a comedy. And the “who’s on first?” routine relates to the concussion protocol and whether a player in it actually has a concussion.
Apparently, a player can be in the concussion protocol without having a concussion. There otherwise would be no reason for Adam Schefter of ESPN to report that Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, whom the team already has said in the concussion protocol, actually has a concussion.
It shouldn’t be news that a player in the concussion protocol has a concussion. And maybe it isn’t; maybe this is just Schefter being complete and thorough -- without disclosing someone’s medical records. But the Alex Smith situation from three weeks ago, where he cleared a concussion evaluation until he didn’t and then was in the concussion protocol unless he wasn’t and then had a concussion although he didn’t, has contributed to this strange notion that someone can be 90 feet from scoring without standing on third base.
No one benefits from this vague sense that a player can be in the concussion protocol without being concussed. While it may not be the same as being treated for a pregnancy without being pregnant, it’s in the NFL’s best interests for concussions to be treated as a bright-line proposition, with any player in the concussion protocol being conclusively deemed to have a concussion.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether a player does or doesn’t actually have a concussion, if he’s in the concussion protocol. Unless and until he’s cleared by team doctors and an independent neurologist, the player won’t exit the concussion protocol.
And so the best approach would be for the NFL to provide a clear, unmistakable statement that any player in the concussion protocol has a concussion, and that the teams, players, agents, and media should act accordingly.
