Nextmanup

That's one way to interpret the rule for sure. I think the spirit of the rule is saying that if you see a player stumbling around punch drunk, or falling to the ground in a state of imbalance, he has to be removed from any further playing that day, unless you can show the GMI was "orthopedic" in nature, meaning, unrelated to head injury. If you can rule out the orthopedic cause, he has to come out. Miami basically invented an orthopedic cause to get around this rule which is sort of a de facto "thou shalt not return" type of rule, given what we all saw Tua doing on the field.

The funny thing about the weather on Sunday is that it was perfectly normal for September in SE FL. It was in upper 80s, nearly 90, and like 101 on the heat index. It's been pretty much that way down here on a daily basis for maybe 3 months now, or more. And it's exactly what it usually is in September. I still don't understand why the players were so bothered by the heat in this particular game. The conditions had to be nearly identical to what they've played in down here, early in the season, for the last good many years.

Here's the language from the concussion protocol. If you read it carefully, you will see why the Dolphins invented the story that Tua had a bad back; they were looking for an orthopedic "cause" of his Gross Motor Instability, so that they could argue it was OK for him to return to the game. Had they conceded that the Gross Motor Instability we all saw was the result of a neurological condition (hit to head) and not an orthopedic cause, Tua would have fallen immediately into the "NO GO" provision, meaning, he could not return to the game, regardless if he may have been "cleared" during inspection at halftime. But obviously they wanted him to return, regardless of his actual condition. "No-Go" Signs and Symptoms. If a player exhibits or reports any of the following signs or symptoms of concussion, he must be removed immediately from the field of play and transported to the locker room. If a neutral sideline observer or a member of the player's club's medical team observes a player exhibit or receives a report that a player has experienced any of the following signs or symptoms, the player shall be considered to have suffered a concussion and may not return to participation (practice or play) on the same day under any circumstances: 1) Loss of Consciousness (including Impact Seizure and/or "fencing posture") 2) Gross Motor Instability (GMI), identified in the judgment of the club medical staff in consultation with the Sideline UNC, who observe the player's behavior, have access to the player's relevant history and are able to rule out an orthopedic cause for any observed instability 3) Confusion 4 )Amnesia https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/resources/fact-sheets/nfl-head-neck-and-spine-committee-s-concussion-diagnosis-and-management-protocol

True story: at one point in my career, I was working in an office environment with a guy who said he received so many concussions growing up playing hockey, that he could sort of "jerk" his head in a quick, forward motion, and GIVE HIMSELF A NEW CONCUSSION. He seemed to be taking it OK, like he was telling us a drinking trick or something. He almost mentioned it with a smile, as if to say "Isn't that weird?" I would be horrified if I could do that.

PS: I enjoyed the score check in with the Bills beating Oakland! That was 1980---year we were good and won the AFC East! The commentary about the Bills is also great. "Most people didn't think they were that great at the start of the year but they look more for real every week" or whatever...

Hey Big Turk, thanks for posting that. I just watched the relevant section and found that very entertaining. It's great to see the old Houston helmets, the old Bengals helmets before the tiger stripes, and Bum Phillips out there looking like a cowboy. Most folks here do not seem interested in actually talking about the GAME OF FOOTBALL but you DO! So I appreciate content like this. Interesting watch! 👍

Lots of guys in many sports retire from concussions. Others have as much as 7 or 8 of them, including severe ones, but are "OK" at a certain point and continue their careers. You can't say who should do what with blanket statements. It all varies greatly from player to player and from hit to hit. The fact that Tua was clearly concussed 4 days ago and then got slammed again does not bode well for his longterm future, and yet he may easily recover from this, if that's how it plays out. Then again, he may be experiencing bad symptoms right now. In recent years, we have had Buffalo Sabres who missed an entire season of hockey and had to sit motionless in a dark room to avoid severe headaches and dizziness...and even they came back to play. We will have to see how it all plays out for him.

I hear where you guys are coming from, but I don't think so. Miami has now been caught and this is going to get a lot bigger before it goes away. I think Tua sits out for a while at this point. The fact that he was released from the hospital last night and flew home with the team means nothing. He may have severe lingering effects for weeks. Or none. It's impossible to predict what's going on with him, but if he is "not right" I think he sits, as Miami already knows they are in enough trouble without doubling down. That's not how the system works. If what we all assume is correct, the breakdown occurred with the independent neurosurgeon assigned to the team to clear players. If there is visible evidence of head trauma in a game, even if the player later clears evaluation, the independent doctor is there to stop the player from re-entering the game he just got injured in, and the rule is he cannot play again that day. Miami failed to do that, largely because Tua is a hell of a lot better QB than Teddy Bridewater. Probably everyone involved in the process from head coach to head team physician to independent physical to Tua know what was going on, and they all went with the "I think he's fine, let him play!" Which defeats the entire point of having the process in place. It was basically a throwback to the 1980s and pre-concussion protocol thinking.

True, but any team losing their No . 1 QB will disappear into obscurity. That's just how it is.

They DID address the situation, sort of, and I didn't think they would. Notice that they didn't actually say anything in a declarative sentence... I was surprised to hear Al say this will open up a hornet's nest or can of worms or whatever he said. That was about as scathing as his commentary got.

I'm the last guy on Earth to know the answer, but I bet you can! That would be my guess.

Setting the Tua situation to the side for a moment, we got us a real 15-14 barn burner!

As an attorney, I can assure you most legal conversations here are ridiculously sophomoric and just generally wrong. But people enjoy "talking" so I guess there's a value to it. I have seen enough pro sports and seen enough guys get lit up to know that he had head trauma last week, and it's also why he had more tonight, especially stemming from much less violent contact. This is going to be a huge story and heads will end up rolling; it will take time to get going however. It won't explode overnight.

Players were pretty much as fast and strong back then (human beings haven't evolved in 20 years!) and the game was MUCH MORE VIOLENT. Open field free shots on receivers, for example, are now outlawed. In the older days, players made names for themselves by KILLING PEOPLE ON THE FIELD. Steve Atwater! Ronnie Lott! Bill Romanowski! (who injured hurting people) etc...

I don't know, of course, but I'm guessing we are not going to see TUA for a LONG time. Like this season is probably over the Fish. So yes, we want Bengals to lose, though I don't think they will be trouble for anyone this season anyway.

Well, you see the dangers of trying to run a democracy when a handful of corporate entities own everything, and all news media is disseminated from basically FIVE (5) sources right now. It WILL be interesting to see who says what and when. This is going to be a HUGE thing.

Guys get concussions all the time in the NHL; very few last 1 year and even fewer end careers, though both of these things can and have happened. It depends on the person; it varies from case to case, how many you have had before, and so on. I would say in hockey its common to miss a solid MONTH or more however.

LOL...Jason OTC looks young and seems a tad naive.

Amazon first and foremost won't want to be sued by the NFL for implying on air that someone was doing something improper last week. And of course! They don't want to piss the NFL off. You don't annoy the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Speaking as an attorney, I would be shocked if the announcers have not been told already DO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT. I mean from big shots at Amazon or whoever is in charge of producing the broadcast tonight They just won't go there..you watch.

Well, it was exactly the same sort of action....he did not hit it nearly as hard as he did last week though. Was more of a tap that likely would have not bothered him, had he not concussed his head 4 days ago!

This is a HUGE story that hasn't even started yet. The big thread around here in the days ahead will be all about TUA and calls/demands for penalizing Miami and changing the review system.

The argument would be that ALL players want to return to the game and will do/say whatever they can to get back in there. That's how it always was in the old days. That's why it's critical to have a league-created system in place to take the decision OUT of the hands of the player. So in a sense, I would say "NO" you can't blame TUA...the system around him is what failed.

Thank you!

Come on, that's the culture of the league. Everyone does that all the time. Maybe not with head trauma, but still....they likely just think "Good for Tua...he's a "warrior"" and similar football player idiocy..