National Football League

NFL's new concussion protocol includes special app

Published Feb. 22, 2013 8:05 p.m. ET

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The NFL is providing an iPad application to help team doctors diagnose whether a player has a concussion.

League officials demonstrated how the new system will work at the annual scouting combine Friday in Indianapolis. The move comes after a recommendation from the NFL's Head, Neck & Spine Committee.

The questions and treatments will not change. But the app will create a scoring system to determine if there are large discrepancies between a player's baseline score and his game day score. If there is a large discrepancy, it would indicate the player has sustained a concussion.

Seahawks team doctor Stanley Herring, a committee member, says that while it will help diagnose head trauma, team doctors still need to trust their observations and instincts, too.