Concussions have been in football since forever, but the attempts to lessen them and reduce CTE have been at the forefront of news and controversy surrounding the NFL Concussion protocols. They have claimed repeatedly that new helmets and protocols developed would help curve the trend of these injuries. Yet, this year seems worse than ever with concussions and, even worse, severe symptoms associated with them.
The Tua Tagovailoa Rule
Any football fan that has watched games this year will note that there has been an abundance of gross motor function present as a result of concussion injuries. From Nyheim Hines barely able to stand barely into the first quarter, to the awful situation that involved Tua Tagovailoa, these symptoms have been under the microscope. Sadly, the Tua situation was needed to make serious changes that the NFL had claimed they already made. Most people know by now that Tua got hit and showed gross motor function, yet somehow was let back into the game in the second half. Then, in the following week, he suffered another brain injury and had to get stretchered off to the hospital. Despite claims he passed concussion protocol and an investigation, it highlighted how little progress had been made by the NFL.
It is unknown the effect these two injuries will have on Tua, but the resulting protocol change may be for the best… we hope. This may become known as the Tua rule.
The new rules have already been in place where any detection of gross motor function automatically has the players automatically out for the game. This may not be liked by fans who feel it is too harsh, but this is necessary for the health of the players and their futures.
Looking Forward and the Persistent NFL Concussion Issues
Despite the new rules being a step in the right direction, there are still problems. Mainly, if a player does show gross motor function and concussion symptoms, how long is needed for the brain to heal properly and actually be ready to play again. Despite the awful situation with Tua, he has just been cleared only three weeks after his hospital trip. We understand he may have cleared everything he needed to, but is three weeks really enough time for someone to recover from back-to-back concussions? I am no expert but it does not seem correct. This feels like a vital season for the NFL to get the rules and safety right. They need to answer serious questions like the new helmet performance, the usefulness of the protocols, and how to make real strides in player safety. We hope these new rules work, but the NFL has major strides to make to truly make the game safer.