NFLPA wants to change Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion protocol. Recent days have seen some intriguing developments in the ongoing cases involving the NFL’s treatment of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s injury and the process of modifying the league’s concussion procedures.
According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, former All-Pro cornerback and current member of the NFL Players Association’s Executive Committee Richard Sherman said on Thursday that the committee assessed that the concussion procedures were not followed in Tagovailoa’s case.
According to reports, both the NFL and NFLPA had wanted to publish the findings of their inquiry before this week’s Thursday night football game. However, because they have not yet reached an agreement on what happened or what sanctions would occur, no such statement was made.
Sherman Voiced the Union’s Position
Sherman was restating that the players should be treated more like patients than like football players eager to return to the field as soon as possible. When the NFL’s medical director said that the league was exercising “an excess of caution,” Sherman asked what an aggressive strategy would entail.
The NFLPA may file a grievance that might lead to arbitration if the parties are unable to agree on what happened and what should be done about it. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the inquiry has not been concluded and is unlikely to do so anytime soon.
More people are on the same page about the new concussion measures that need to be implemented. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, who first reported the NFLPA’s statement, the league’s players’ union has agreed to alter its concussion procedures.
It will help to prevent players from returning to action in an indistinguishable situation from that which befell Tagovailoa. The statement also expresses a wish for the new guidelines to be implemented as quickly as possible, ideally before this weekend’s NFL games.
It encourages the league to embrace the change in policy in time for this to occur. It was initially reported by Pelissero, but the NFL issued a statement that seemed to concur without really agreeing with the NFLPA’s position.
The Statement Was Not Indicating the Specifications
The statement implies but does not indicate explicitly, that the league agrees to the proposed adjustments to the joint NFL-NFLPA guidelines to further increase player safety.
The NFL also does not come right out and say that they will implement the changes; instead, they say that they have had conversations about it with the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee and the heads of the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Independent Certified Athletic Trainers who function as spotters.
The proposed revisions are primarily focused on eliminating the exception for severe motor impairment. The NFL has indicated that it would accept revised procedures but has not yet given its stamp of approval to the final text.
Finishing Off This Discussion
In its response, it is trying to dampen the Players Association’s enthusiasm. While it would be ideal to begin using the innovative approach as soon as this weekend, the NFL acknowledges that retraining all engaged members of the medical parties named above in the statement is necessary to ensure the policy is followed uniformly throughout the league.
The NFL is trying to reassure the NFLPA that it will make the required modifications as quickly as possible, without promising that this weekend would go well. Everything is in motion in the direction of change, although it will take a little longer than most people had thought.
