The NFL and NFLPA today were scheduled to hold a "conference call with head athletic trainers" from each team to discuss concussion protocol in the wake of Rams QB Case Keenum on Sunday "remaining on the field" despite appearing to be groggy after being sacked, according to Jim Thomas of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Rams coach Jeff Fisher "was unaware" that Keenum had experienced concussion symptoms until after the game. Fisher: "I didn’t see anything from my vantage point on the sideline as far as Case’s slow recovery. ... You cannot under these circumstances place blame on anybody" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/24). In N.Y., Ken Belson notes the handling of Keenum's injury "has raised questions about how consistently the league's new system is being applied." In a league that has "struggled to erase the perception that it does not take head injuries seriously, the episode set off alarm bells" at NFL HQ and beyond. League officials "are talking to the Rams and their medical staff, the spotter at the game, the referees, NFL medical advisers and the players’ union." Fisher said that if he had seen a replay on the stadium scoreboard, he "would have taken Keenum out of the game." He added, "There are no TV replays on our sideline, and we did not see it on the Jumbotron. Had we seen that, then we would’ve taken a different course of action" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/24).
POLICING THE POLICY: In St. Louis, Ben Frederickson writes the NFL "dropped the ball" in the Keenum situation and asks, "Was the game's injury spotter asleep?" The league "can crow about player safety all it wants, but the bottom line is it knows scenes like Keenum's are bad for business." It was the "saddest moment in a Rams season with plenty to choose from" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/24). ESPN's Tom Jackson noted the job of the injury spotter is to "look out for the welfare of the quarterback on a passing play." He asked, "What was he watching as Case Keenum went down, and the first thing he does is grab his head? You could tell he was certainly stunned and hurting. Then you don’t follow that up to see what’s going on?" Jackson noted the concussion protocol is "layered with people who are supposed to be watching, but there is a guy on the field lined up behind the quarterback who’s watching for the protection of the quarterback” ("Monday Night Countdown," ESPN, 11/23). ESPN's J.A. Adande said, "If the independent spotters can’t see it from the press box, maybe they need like a central television viewing center like they have for replays in the NBA and NHL.” The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan said, “The NFL continues to talk the talk, but refuses to have everyone walk the walk. Obviously this concussion thing is not taken seriously by enough people” (“Around the Horn,” ESPN, 11/23). USA Today’s Nancy Armour said, “To see a hit like that and to see him get up and be so obviously in distress -- how could anybody have left him in the game? It’s just awful” (“Nightly News,” NBC, 11/23).
TEAM SHOULD FACE SAME STANDARDS: In DC, Adam Kilgore wonders what happens when teams "violate, or outright ignore, player safety guidelines." The NFL "can prove its seriousness in protecting player welfare by holding teams to the same standard as players," or it "can expose the league’s concussion protocol as a toothless suggestion, merely a public relations shield." In order for teams to "stop sending potentially concussed players back to the field, the NFL will need to adopt formal punishments and start penalizing teams or independent medical personnel that put players at risk." The NFL "needs to punish teams who behave recklessly with their players’ health, wittingly or not." Kilgore: "If it does not, we will know where the league’s priorities truly lie" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/24).
TAKE IT FROM ME: Browns WR Andrew Hawkins, who currently is recovering from his second concussion in a month, said, "Going through the protocol, I think the league is doing a much better job about getting serious about it to be honest. Playing such a volatile sport it's not going to be perfect. There's always going to be concussions playing in the NFL" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 11/24).
