This week, the NFL and NFL Players Association announced stiffer policies aimed at enhancing enforcement of its concussion protocol. The new policy calls for fines or harsher penalties, including the loss of draft picks, if teams are found to be in violation of the rules.
Here’s how it will work. The NFL and the players’ union will assign a representative to monitor teams to determine if they are properly following the protocol. Teams may be fined $50,000-150,000 for a first violation. The second time that it has been determined that a team violated the protocol, a $100,000 fine will be assessed. Subsequent violations will also net a $100,000 fine. If it’s determined that a team ignored the protocol for competitive reasons, they may be forced to give up future draft picks.
The new ruling gives the NFL an additional way to ensure that the health of its players is held in higher regard than their ability to win football games for their teams. The NFL had 271 reported concussions in 2015. This included all preseason, regular season games and practices.
In the long run, if teams are held more accountable for how the administer the concussion protocol, there is a chance that fewer players will suffer from the symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), once their careers have ended. CTE is a degenerative brain disease found in people who have suffered severe or repeated head trauma. In 2015, researchers at Boston University found CTE in the brains of 87 out of 91 former NFL players who had passed away.
If your career has come to an end but symptoms of CTE have intensified, consider discussing your case with the NFL concussion attorneys at McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi & Guito, P.A. They will work with you to ensure you get the justice you deserve. Contact them today at 844-511-4800.
