The NFL Players Association's health and safety committee formally approved an update to the joint NFL-NFLPA concussion protocols that is designed to protect players by closing the "loophole" on gross motor instability, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday. The next step is for the NFL to sign off on the final language of the updated protocol.
"Our union has agreed to change the concussion protocols to protect players from returning to play in the case of any similar incident to what we saw on September 25," the NFLPA said in a statement. "We would like these changes to go into effect before this weekend's game to immediately protect the players and hope the NFL accepts the change before then as well."
The NFL and NFLPA had agreed last weekend to parameters of updated concussion protocols that will rule out players who exhibit gross motor instability regardless of any possible contributing factors, such as with Tua Tagovailoa in the Dolphins' Week 3 game against the Bills.
The NFL responded to the NFLPA's statement later Friday afternoon.
"As we have discussed with the NFLPA, we agree that changes to the join NFL-NFLPA protocols are necessary to further enhance player safety," the NFL said in its statement. "We have already spoken to members of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and the leadership of the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Independent Certified Athletic Trainers who serve as spotters to discuss these likely changes."
Tagovailoa briefly exited the Sept. 25 game against Buffalo in the first half with what the team initially announced as a head injury he sustained following a hit from linebacker Matt Milano, who was flagged for roughing the passer on the play. Once getting up on his feet, Tagovailoa shook his head and stumbled as he began to trot forward before getting taken out of the game. Tagovailoa later returned to play following halftime.
After the Dolphins' 21-19 win, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that Tagovailoa suffered a lower-back injury in the first half, which was exacerbated by the hit from Milano, and was the cause of Tagovailoa's stumble.
The NFLPA initiated an investigation into the handling of Tagovailoa's concussion evaluation following the Dolphins' Week 3 win. On Saturday, the NFLPA terminated the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) involved in Tagovailoa's concussion check during the Week 3 game against Buffalo, citing a failure to understand his role as the UNC and hostility during the investigation process among the factors contributing to his dismissal.
Tagovailoa then endured a scary collision during last Thursday's game, in which he was slung to the ground by Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou. Tagovailoa hit his head on the ground and his arms and hands locked in a fencing response. Tagovailoa remained on the turf for several minutes as trainers attended to him before being taken off the field on a stretcher and then by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center to be treated for head and neck injuries.
McDaniel ruled out Tagovailoa on Monday for the team's Week 5 game against the New York Jets due to the concussion that Tagovailoa sustained against the Bengals.
The joint NFL-NFLPA investigation into the application of concussion protocols for the Tagovailoa injury remains ongoing with no resolution imminent, Pelissero reported, per a source.
