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Play By Play Announcer:
Have you seen this?
Play By Play Announcer: ..
Slung down on his own 48 yard line.
This moment sent a shockwave through the football community
and had a lot of people questioning
how the NFL deals with player injuries,
especially concussions.
This is
On September 29th, Miami Dolphins quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa took a hit and was taken
from the field in a stretcher. He had a concussion.
Thing is, it was the second time he was injured in four days,
calling into question why he was on the field at all that day.
An investigation was launched, a doctor was fired,
and the NFL Players Association
tweaked the league's concussion protocol.
But what is a concussion protocol?
How do they work?
Before we get into that,
we need to understand what a concussion is.
Anyone with a brain could potentially get a concussion,
and you know, we all have one.
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury
caused by a blow to the head or a sudden jolt to the body.
Our brains are basically floating inside our skulls,
which means that they can move around in there.
If you experience a lot of force that moves your head and neck,
whether a direct impact or not,
your brain can be injured, including bruising
and tissue being torn.
The symptoms and signs of a concussion
will show up differently in each person,
but some of the most common things are...
[Abigail reads list]
It is important to seek medical attention
if you think you might have a concussion.
Research has shown that it can take up to 72 hours,
that's three days,
for signs of a concussion to show.
One of the most serious consequences
to multiple concussions
is a brain disease called CTE.
Researchers studied 111 former NFL players' brains,
and 110 of them had it.
By the way, it can only be diagnosed
after the patient has died.
OK, so that brings us to concussion protocol.
The NFL's first protocol came into play in 2007.
Concussion protocols should include a series of steps
to identify and manage concussions.
When we talk about someone who is in concussion protocol,
that probably means that they've been removed,
they're getting checked out,
and they're going to go through some steps
to get back to activity safely.
Football is not the only sport where concussions can happen.
Most sports organizations, even schools,
have a set of guidelines.
So why is there still so much controversy
when it comes to the NFL?
In the past, the NFL has been accused of trying to cover up
information about concussions.
And in 2013, the league settled a lawsuit
with over 4,500 former players
who suffered injuries from head trauma.
They said the NFL hid the dangers of a concussion
and rushed injured players back onto the field.
The NFL has paid about a billion dollars
to former NFL players as part of the settlement.
That lawsuit and outcry from players and researchers
sparked some important changes,
like a stricter protocol and some other updated rules.
Still, football is a risky sport.
Injuries are expected.
According to the NFL, players experienced
So are players still being sent back out too early?
And do the protocols go far enough?
After Tua's scary injury in September,
a new symptom was added to the NFL's mandatory
no-go symptom list.
No-go means the player cannot return to the field.
That symptom: ataxia.
Ataxia is a neurological condition that affects the way
a person moves and coordinates their body.
Even when all steps and guidelines are followed,
things can still get missed.
Missing a diagnosis is dangerous and can even be deadly,
especially if the player gets a second brain injury
before the first one has time to heal.
And if you've had one concussion,
it's more likely you'll experience one again.
Some players have even retired from the sport
because of their history of concussions.
I've had about five concussions,
my last one being really severe that hospitalized me and,
and, uh, it was really scary for me.
I felt like I was on the verge of -- of going brain dead.
While the NFL continues to improve,
it still has a way to go, with some people questioning
should a sport this dangerous even exist.
But I will leave that up for others to answer.
That's it for this
KN Explains.
I'm Abigail Dove
and I'll see you later.
♪ ♪