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Mo News: NFL Considers Changes After Concussion Controversy
Mosheh Oinounou
October 03, 2022
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Hi everyone, and happy October!
The NFL's latest concussion controversy is leading to renewed questions about the league's safety protocols. Is enough being done to protect players from traumatic brain injuries?
Brazil is on edge as the world's 4th largest democracy heads to a presidential election runoff;
A blockbuster US Supreme Court term starts today. What you can expect;
A tragic soccer stadium stampede leaves at least 125 dead;
Several cheese products are being recalled over listeria outbreaks;
SNL launched Season 48 this weekend with a slew of new changes;
NASA Artemis 1 rocket has a new launch date... again;
And as always, Good Mood Monday to start the week right.
I will see you tonight at 9pmET for my regular Mondays with Mosh Instagram Live. Bring your questions.
~ Mosh
🏈 NFL CONCUSSION CONTROVERSY
Miami Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered what appears to be a brutal concussion Thursday night… but many say he never should have even played that game to begin with. The injury – his second severe blow to the head in just four days – is reigniting a fierce debate over brain trauma and player safety. Fans and athletes are now demanding answers from his coach, medical experts and the NFL -- as changes are being considered.
Getty Images
The Backstory:
Last Sunday: Tagovailoa took a blow to the head when a Buffalo Bills linebacker shoved him to the ground. Tagovailoa stood up, his head visibly wobbling, and jogged a few more steps before collapsing to his knees.He was taken to the locker room and evaluated for a concussion. Despite the severity of the hit, the Dolphins said it was not a concussion, just a back injury.Tagovailoa was cleared to return to the game by a Dolphins team doctor and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. He returned to the field and lead his team to victory. That decision is now sparking massive scrutiny.
Fast forward to Thursday night – only four days later: With five minutes left in the first half of the Thursday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagovailoa smacked the turf when he was tackled by a Bengals defensive lineman, suffering what appeared to be serious hit to his head and neck.
The replays were gruesome. Close-up and slow-motion videos show the moment his arms rigidly shot up, with his fingers curled and locked up in what looked like a “fencing response” – a concussion symptom.You can watch the play here – viewer discretion advised.Tagovailoa remained on the field immobilized for several minutes before he was wheeled off in a stretcher and taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Getty Images
The questions now: Should Tagovailoa have even been on the field Thursday night? Did doctors put him at risk by allowing him to play against the Bengals? And was Tagovailoa’s injury on Sunday really just a back issue?
The neurotrauma consultant who allowed Tagovailoa to return to play last Sunday has now been fired by the NFL Players Association. They have not been named.The doctor was removed for concussion protocol violations that resulted in the initial diagnosis that Tagovailoa did not have a concussion – which led to the decision to allow him to play in Thursday Night Football just days later. ~ New York TimesMultiple sources say the firing came after it was found the consultant made "several mistakes" in his or her evaluation. ~ ESPN
The Dolphins and NFL insist they followed every safety protocol before clearing Tagovailoa to play against the Bengals on Thursday night.Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel reiterated on Friday that Tagovailoa was cleared by several layers of medical professionals during that game, and said he did not have a head injury – remaining adamant it was only a back injury.NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills said Tagovailoa was evaluated for a concussion every day between Sunday and Thursday’s games.
Other medical experts tried sounding the alarm.In an eerily accurate prediction of what was to come, Chris Nowinski, the co-Founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, tweeted the following just hours before Thursday’s game:
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) is now investigating whether the Dolphins properly followed the league’s concussion protocols.
NFL Players Association President JC Tretter said Tagovailoa’s reactions after both hits were “no-go” symptoms under NFL concussion protocols. “We need to figure out how and why the decisions were made last Sunday to allow a player with a “no-go” symptom back on the field.”According to the NFL’s current concussion protocol, four symptoms are considered “no-go’s” – meaning players who exhibit these symptoms may be suffering a concussion and must be removed from the game immediately: Loss of consciousness, confusion, amnesia, and gross motor instability.Neurologists say the contorted position of Tagovailoa’s fingers on Thursday night were a symptom of a traumatic brain injury.Many said his stumble and collapse during Sunday’s game signaled a failure of motor skills.Tagovailoa is expected to be interviewed early this week as part of the investigation. ~ ESPN
Tagovailoa was discharged from the hospital Thursday night and was given permission to fly home to South Florida with his team.Tagovailoa is expected to be at the Dolphins' facility today - continuing his concussion protocol. In the meantime, images of his brain are being sent to three separate doctors to get different opinions on his condition, sources told ESPN.There is no timeline for when Tagovailoa might be able to play again. On Friday, the QB tweeted he was "feeling much better" and thanked everyone for their support.
What’s next for Tua Tagovailoa? He must complete a five-step recovery process before returning to the field. Read it here.
When can we expect the outcome of the NFL and NFLPA’s investigation? NFL Executive VP Jeff Miller estimated the formal investigatory response would take one or two weeks.
In the wake of Tagovailoa’s concussion controversy, the NFL and NFLPA are reportedly eyeing a rule change that would forbid players from returning to a game if they demonstrate "instability," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
KEY CHANGE: Currently, a player who demonstrates “gross motor instability” may return if the team physician, in consultation with the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant, concludes that the gross motor instability did not have a neurological cause. The new protocol will remove that exception. Any gross motor instability due to injury, head or otherwise, will keep a player from returning. ~NBC Sports
The NFL has made some safety strides in its approach to concussions in its 102-year history. The league has engineered safer helmets, implemented stricter safety protocols, and brought in unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants to work alongside team physicians and help diagnose concussions. ~ Yahoo Sports
Evolution of the football helmet: The earliest football helmets were optional, and made of soft leather. Helmets weren’t mandatory until 1943. The first variation of a face/mouth guard wasn’t added until 1955.
NFL Helmets worn in 1925 | NFL.com
Player safety and head injuries continue to get more attention. In 2011, the NFL added an “impact indicator” to the chin strap, to help identify the type and severity of a player’s head injury.
Broadcast backlash: This is Amazon’s first year broadcasting NFL games – and its Thursday Night Football crew is being criticized for its coverage (or lack thereof) of Tagovailoa’s second head injury. ~ Washington PostIt took nearly two quarters before any of the four broadcasters acknowledged Sunday's incident. Even at halftime, Amazon’s team made little-to-no mention of Tagovailoa concussion test after Sunday’s game, or the decision to let him return to the field.There was no discussion of whether Tagovailoa should have been playing in the first place – not even from Amazon broadcaster and former cornerback Richard Sherman, who once published an essay titled, “Why I Hate Thursday Night Football” – detailing his concerns over players’ safety in the short turnaround from Sunday -> Thursday games.
🗞 THE SPEED READ
Supreme Court returns & set to continue move to the right (NY Times)
The justices return to the bench on Monday to start a term that will include major cases on affirmative action, voting and discrimination against gay couples. Several will take on questions about race. The court’s six-justice conservative supermajority seems poised to dominate the new term as it did the earlier one. “On things that matter most,” said Irv Gornstein, the executive director of the Supreme Court Institute at Georgetown Law, “get ready for a lot of 6-3s.”
At least 125 dead in soccer stadium stampede (New York Post)
Indonesian police violated FIFA guidelines by using tear gas to quell fights at a soccer stadium Sunday, triggering a massive stampede that killed at least 125 people and injured more than 320. World soccer’s governing body specifically prohibits “firearms or ‘crowd control gas’… carried or used” to maintain order at a game — which local officials contradicted with deadly consequences. Police shot tear gas at the crowd when angry supporters of the losing team flooded the field after the final whistle, and fights erupted between opposing sides. In the chaos, fans were trampled to death instantly, while others suffocated. Others died on their way to the hospital.
Nearly 1 million Americans remain without power following the destruction caused by Hurricanes Ian and Fiona. The death toll from Hurricane Ian rose to 51 on Sunday. Of those confirmed dead, 47 were in Florida, while another four occurred in North Carolina, according to AP.
At least 25 deaths in Puerto Rico may be linked to Hurricane Fiona, CNN reported. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will travel to Puerto Rico on Monday and then to Florida on Wednesday to visit victims of the storm.
Brazil's election is going into a second round in which left-winger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. With almost all the votes counted, Lula had won 48% against Bolsonaro's 43% - a much closer result than opinion polls had suggested. But Lula fell short of the more than 50% of valid votes needed to prevent a run-off. Voters now have four weeks to decide which of the two should lead Brazil. They have starkly different visions for this country of 217 million people. Brazil faces a host of challenges, including environmental threats, rising hunger, a sputtering economy and a deeply polarized population.
More than two dozen brands of cheese have been recalled in connection with a listeria outbreak that has left multiple people hospitalized, federal officials said. Old Europe Cheese recalled 25 brands of brie and camembert on Friday amid a multi-state outbreak of listeria infections that have been linked to the products, the CDC said. Six people have been infected, with five requiring hospitalization. No deaths have been reported. Those infected live in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey and Texas. Four of the patients reported eating brie or camembert prior to their illness.
Saturday Night Live’s Season 48 opener was all about change. The show introduced a new logo, a retro vibe that marked its first new look in eight years, and a cast size that was more reminiscent of classic seasons than the recent bloated pandemic years. The departures of Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, and Melissa Villaseñor, among others, has led to one of the series biggest transitions for the NBC show in over 20 years.
The long-anticipated launch of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket has been pushed back to mid-November after NASA waved off its September 27th launch plans in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The space agency announced on Friday that it’s aiming to squeeze in the Artemis I launch between November 12th and November 27th. NASA says “there was no damage to Artemis flight hardware,” and that its facilities only suffered “minor water intrusion" from the hurricane.
☀️ GOOD MOOD MONDAY
A Florida firefighter fought through waist-high flood waters to rescue a little girl from her home in St. Augustine, FL. "She’ll have a little piece of my heart forever," the firefighter, Hardus Oberholzer, said. ~Fox News
St. Augustine Fire Department via Fox News
[Top Banner Photo Credit: Getty Images]
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