At this point, it’s clear the NFL’s concussion protocol needs some serious revamping, but if you needed one more reminder, then you need to look no further than Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Round matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints.
During the fourth quarter of the Saints’ 31-26 win, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton dropped back to pass and was hammered by New Orleans defensive tackle David Onyemata.
Newton eventually got to his feet but stumbled to the ground while jogging to the sidelines. However, he missed only one offensive snap despite the fact that the league’s new concussion protocol mandates that any player who stumbles or falls must be evaluated for a concussion in the locker room.
After the game, Newton claimed that the injury was to his eye and not his head, while head coach Ron Rivera said his quarterback fell down on purpose to help his backup warm up.
Newton returned to the game and almost led the Panthers to a come-from-behind victory, but the bigger issue is that he was allowed to return at all after suffering what appeared to be concussion-like symptoms.
With Jacoby Brissett, Tom Savage and Russell Wilson all being allowed back into games after taking big hits to the head this season, the NFL clearly still has a long ways to go with its concussion protocol.
