5 unrealistic ways the NFL can lessen number of concussions

Sep 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell talks with Referee Carl Cheffers before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell talks with Referee Carl Cheffers before the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dr. Shervin Dashti, Neurosurgeon at Norton Healthcare, stands for a portrait in his office at Norton Neuroscience Institute in Louisville, Ky. on Monday, August 6, 2018. Dr. Dashti recently discovered a cure for a rare disease, radiation necrosis, that previously perplexed neurologists.Dr. Shervin Dashti
Dr. Shervin Dashti, Neurosurgeon at Norton Healthcare, stands for a portrait in his office at Norton Neuroscience Institute in Louisville, Ky. on Monday, August 6, 2018. Dr. Dashti recently discovered a cure for a rare disease, radiation necrosis, that previously perplexed neurologists.Dr. Shervin Dashti /

Assigning three to five people to make a final decision on a player’s ability to return to the field in a game.

The NFL shouldn’t be relying on a “spotter” to determine the severity of a potential concussion but instead, should be relying on them to identify potential players to go in for testing. They should have no say whatsoever on whether a player returns to the field.

This should be a major point of contention for the NFL on every level and it should be something that was immediately thought about when the new rules were put into place ahead of last week.

There should be five people to discuss each player’s availability to return to a game. Those five should consist of one team trainer, one opposing team trainer, a UNC, and someone assigned by the NFL as an independent or another neurologist.

The NFL needs to make sure that what happened with Teddy Bridgewater is not the norm but sadly, the precedent has been set and the NFL needs to follow the current protocols as written. That is going to create a lot of problems in the future and it is something that needs to be corrected now before someone else is removed from a game that probably shouldn’t be.

If the NFL is serious about protecting their players, they need to change the protocols as they stand and that starts with getting people involved who both have an interest and no interest in the outcome of a game.