Fans of the National Football League will have heard of the game-day concussion protocol, which was first introduced in 2011. The NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee reviews the protocols in place before each season to ensure players do not continue with games if they display symptoms of concussion.
However, the concussion that Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently experienced showed that understanding head injuries and managing them properly is still problematic and protocols need to be further developed.
Tagovailoa was cleared to return to a game despite the fact that he showed signs of instability, and he went on to suffer a concussion in the next Dolphins’ game, just four days later.
While the NFL and NFLPA did indeed alter the concussion protocols of the league after the Tagovailoa controversy, many people are saying that the protocol rules need to be further tightened, especially in the wake of the Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford being injured in a recent game.
What Are The Symptoms Of Concussions?
Concussions do not only potentially occur from playing sports. A concussion can be caused by any kind of blow or jolt to the head or upper body. The symptoms of a concussion can last for days, weeks or even longer.
Common symptoms include headaches, confusion, and amnesia. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, blurry vision, and ringing in the ears. If you experience a concussion, make sure you get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible.
If You Experience An Injury That Results In A Concussion Or Traumatic Brain Injury, You Could Pursue Compensation
Concussions and traumatic brain injuries are a serious business. Not only can they potentially lead to severe health problems. They can also affect people’s ability to work and live a normal life.
At least people who experience concussions and traumatic brain injuries can pursue compensation when an individual or organisation is responsible for an accident that causes the injuries, though it is obviously better to prevent concussion injuries from occurring in the first place.
If you are recovering from an injury that resulted in a concussion or traumatic brain injury, you may be able to gain compensation to cover the costs of things like medical treatment, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Get started by finding expert personal injury attorneys in your local area.
What Happened With Stafford And The Concussion Protocol?
Following a loss to the Buccaneers at the beginning of November, Matthew Stafford entered NFL concussion protocol, but only after the game.
It is unclear precisely how the Rams star was injured, but coach Sean McVay told reporters that Stafford entered protocol once the Rams’ medical staff did their after-game clean-up.
While McVay said he did not notice that Stafford was suffering from any symptoms of concussion during the game, after the medical staff had questioned Stafford post-game, they decided that placing Stafford under concussion protocol was the best thing for him.
Stafford’s Wife’s Public Statement
Shortly after Stafford was placed in concussion protocol, his wife Kelly called out the NFL in an Instagram post.
Kelly, who has been married to the quarterback since 2015, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019. After undergoing surgery, Kelly is thankfully now cancer-free.
It is perfectly understandable that Stafford’s wife should be concerned about her husband experiencing a concussion, which can be a mild or serious condition; even more so, seeing as she had a serious condition herself, albeit a different kind of health condition.
Kelly wrote in her post, “If you have listened to my podcast at all, you know how big a deal (Matthew’s concussion) is to me. The head is not something to be messed with…”
She went on to say that she hopes the concern for head health within the sport develops.
She also said that she was far from emotionally okay after hearing the news that her husband had been placed in concussion protocol: “I have every emotion running through me. Concerned, angry, sad, tired… all of them”, she wrote.
