Sports doctor Peter Larkins said that a major U.S. college football conference "will implement independent in-game medical assessments of head knocks, a move likely to have repercussions" for Australian Football League clubs, according to Daniel Cherny of THE AGE. The Big Ten conference "has instituted a new rule whereby a trained neutral observer will sit inside a video booth and watch for players who appear to have suffered a concussion." The AFL "has thus far stopped short of forcing players to be checked by neutral assessors," but Larkins, former chairman of Sports Medicine Australia, "suggested that a handful of poorly handled incidents could sway the league to act." Larkins: "The AFL particularly believes that the club doctors are in the best position to judge the player, but they've been put on notice that they have to be impartial." With video goal reviews in place for three seasons, "the use of broadcasters' footage to assist independent observers deal with head knocks appears feasible." Larkins believes that "scrutiny of club doctors will only increase as the quality of television coverage gets better." Larkins: "It's a controversial topic" (THE AGE, 12/9).
