NEW YORK -- The NFL's new guidelines on concussion
management include a telephone hotline that will make it easier to
report to the league when a player with a head injury is being
forced to practice or play against medical advice.
The league's new concussion guidelines, many of which stemmed
from a conference in June involving team trainers and doctors, were
formalized Tuesday and will be sent to all players and other team
personnel.
They include whistleblower provisions for individuals to report
concussions with the telephone hotline and a booklet that will
allow players and their families to identify symptoms.
"We want to make sure all NFL players, coaches and staff
members are fully informed and take advantage of the most
up-to-date information and resources as we continue to study the
long-term impact of concussions," commissioner Roger Goodell said
in a statement issued by the league.
"Because of the unique and complex nature of the brain, our
goal is to continue to have concussions managed conservatively by
outstanding medical personnel in a way that clearly emphasizes
player safety over competitive concerns."
Concussions have become an increasingly high priority for
Goodell and team officials in the past year. Last spring, the
commissioner announced that all players would be given baseline
tests during their training camp physicals that can be used to
diagnose when they have concussions.
Former New England linebacker Ted Johnson told The New York
Times in February he was showing signs of early Alzheimer's
disease.
The concussion issue is also part of the continued dispute
between some retired players on one side and the league and the NFL
Players Association on the other over disability benefits to
retirees.
In addition, the league and the NFL Players Association have
created a plan that contributes as much as $88,000 per year to
former players suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's. So far,
doctors have not been able to link the effect of concussions to
those players.
League spokesman Greg Aiello said Tuesday that the mailings are
an effort to make everyone involved with the NFL aware of how to
identify concussions. They also spell out the guidelines agreed
upon by doctors and trainers on when a player with a concussion
should be allowed to return to the field.
The guidelines include prohibiting any player who has lost
conciseness from returning to a game or practice. It outlines the
symptoms, which include confusion; problems with immediate recall;
disorientation and blurred vision and says that a player should
have no concussion symptoms and normal neurological test results
before returning to play.