Litigation

A refreshing bit of honesty about concussion management

By Michael Kaplen

USA Today reports a refreshing bit of honesty regarding the manner in which sports concussions have been treated in the past with the NFL.

The article reports on information obtained by the Huffington Post in which former Packers VP Andrew Brandt questioned whether he had acted appropriately to combat the effect of concussions during his stint with the team.

According to Brandt, "The honest answer is: I don't know. ... I saw the fuzzy looks when some of our players came off the field. I took calls from wives, mothers, fathers and brothers of players who had suffered concussions. I watched players vomit in the triage of the training room after concussions."

The paper also reports that, Brandt, who now serves as a consultant to the Eagles (in addition to writing for the National Football Post), said teams must yield decisions about the playing status of concussed players entirely to doctors and not allow coaches -- or players -- to have a say.

With the current information about concussions now available to teams, coaches and trainers, there can no longer be an acceptable excuse for allowing players who have sustained a concussion or a suspected concussion to return to play in the same game or even in a subsequent game without proper medical clearance.

You can read the full story by clicking here.

WHEN IN DOUBT, KEEP THEM OUT!

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on November 20, 2009 (boomark / email).