NFLPA implores NFL to accept changes to concussion protocol ASAP as Tua Tagovailoa investigation continues

There have been some interesting updates in the past couple of days to the situations surrounding both the progress of changing the NFL’s concussion protocols and the progress of the case surrounding the league’s handling of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury. on Thursday, former All-Pro cornerback and current member of the NFL Players Association’s Executive Committee Richard Sherman put forth the committee’s belief that “the concussion protocols were not followed” in Tagovailoa’s case, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports. 

Both the NFL and the NFLPA reportedly hoped to announce the results of their investigation before this week’s Thursday night football game, but since the two parties have yet to come to an agreement on what transpired or what consequences will result, no announcement was made. Sherman made the union’s opinion known and reiterated that they would like for “the players to be treated like patients, not like football players who are intent on being cleared to play football as quickly as possible.” Sherman questioned the NFL’s medical director's stance that an “abundance of caution” was utilized, questioning what “an aggressive approach” would look like.

If the two sides are unable to reach an agreement about what occurred and what should be done about it, the NFLPA will be able to file a grievance that might lead to an arbitration to resolve the case. The investigation “remains ongoing and no resolution is imminent,” according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

There seems to be more agreement and collaboration concerning the proposed new concussion protocols. A statement from the NFLPA, first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, states that the “union has agreed to change the concussion protocols to protect players from returning to play in the case of any similar incident” to what was seen with Tagovailoa. The statement also puts forth a desire that the new protocols be put into effect as soon as possible, before the weekend’s slate of NFL games, and urges the league to accept the change in protocol, as well, in time to make that happen.

A statement from the NFL in response to the NFLPA’s statement, and first reported by Pelissero, seems to agree without really agreeing. The statement says that the league agrees “that changes to the joint NFL-NFLPA protocols are necessary to further enhance player safety,” but doesn’t say outright that the league agrees to the proposed changes. The NFL also don’t blatantly state that it will put the changes into effect, instead claiming that it has “spoken to members of the NFL Head, Neck and Spine Committee and the leadership of the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Independent Certified Athletic Trainers who serve as spotters to discuss these likely changes.”

The proposed changes center on essentially closing the “loophole” on gross motor instability. The NFL has agreed to modify the protocols but has yet to approve the final language. Its responding statement seems to be an attempt to temper the expectations of the Players Association. While it would be ideal to implement the new protocol as soon as this weekend, the actual process of ensuring the protocol is applied consistently across the league requires re-training all involved members of the medical parties listed above in the NFL’s statement.

The league seems to be attempting to show the NFLPA that it is working toward implementing the necessary changes as soon as possible, without guaranteeing that there will be no bumps on the road of that implementation this weekend. The wheels appear to be in motion towards change, but the road is a bit longer than most would have hoped and requires a bit more time to travel.