The NFL and NFL Players Association jointly announced new guidelines on Monday created to probe and punish teams who violate the league’s concussion protocol.
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The first such violation will require club employees or involved medical personnel to attend remedial education regarding the matter, or it could result in a $150,000 maximum fine for the accused franchise. On second violation, teams will face a minimum fine of $100,000.
The policy also states that if the National Football League commissioner finds a team disobeying the protocol to gain a competitive advantage, that team may lose draft picks, in addition to fines.
Late during a game in November, for example, Rams quarterback Case Keenum’s helmet slammed into the turf after a hit late against the Baltimore Ravens. The investigation will not reach medical conclusions; it will only determine whether the protocol was followed.
The NFL and NFLPA have already implemented policies to better assess concussions on game day, such as using independent certified athletic trainers beginning in December 2011. Regardless, it appears that something good finally has emerged from last year’s weird failure of the Rams and the league to protect Case Keenum.
If the parties agree that a violation involved aggravating circumstances, the club shall be subject, in the first instance, to a fine no less than $US50,000 ($A67,000).
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine discipline for subsequent violations involving aggravating circumstances. But there have been some instances of players remaining in games after suffering significant blows to the head.
The league and union’s new rules are geared to refine the existing ability to enforce whether teams are abiding by the concussion protocol, making it easier for the league to evaluate how teams handle concussions and determine if a violation occurred, the league and NFLPA said.
If any NFL team decides to violate the league’s concussion protocol in 2016, there’s going to be some serious repercussions.
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The NFL and NFLPA launched the NFL Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System across all 32 NFL clubs prior to the start of the 2014 season, resulting in more uniform and detailed injury data.
