By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writer
NFL teams now have new, stricter instructions for when players should
be allowed to return to games or practices after head injuries,
guidelines that go into effect this week.
In the latest step by the league to address a hot-button issue,
commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the 32 clubs Wednesday saying
a player who gets a concussion should not return to action on the same
day if he shows certain symptoms.
Those include an inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness, and persistent headaches.
The old standard, established in 2007, said a player should not be
allowed to return to the same game if he lost consciousness.
Wednesday's memo also says players "are to be encouraged to be candid
with team medical staffs and fully disclose any signs or symptoms that
may be associated with a concussion."
Nearly one-fifth of 160 NFL players surveyed by The Associated Press
from Nov. 2-15 replied that they have hidden or played down the effects
of a concussion.
The league said its
concussion committee, team doctors, outside medical experts and the NFL
Players Association developed the new standards.
NFLPA assistant executive director George Atallah said the union is
"encouraged by this new policy." He added that the NFLPA "will continue
to examine these issues independently to recommend the best possible
policies and procedures."
The new policy
states, in part: "Once removed for the duration of a practice or game,
the player should not be considered for return-to-football activities
until he is fully asymptotic, both at rest and after exertion, has a
normal neurological examination, normal neuropsychological testing, and
has been cleared to return by both his team physician(s) and the
independent neurological consultant."
Teams were told this month they have to find an outside neurologist who
can be consulted on concussions, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said
Wednesday all of those independent doctors have been approved and are
in place.
Since last month's congressional
hearing on NFL head injuries, momentum has been building for changes in
league policy. The revised return-to-play rules come about a week after
Goodell sent a memo to clubs informing them that the two co-chairmen of
the league's concussions committee had resigned and that he has been
looking into possible rule changes.
On
Wednesday, Cleveland Browns running back Jamal Lewis was put on injured
reserve with post-concussion symptoms, ending his NFL career. Lewis had
previously said he would retire at the end of the season. His teammate,
starting safety Brodney Pool, also went on IR after getting at least
his fourth known concussion last weekend.
They were among 11 players listed on Wednesday's league-wide injury
report with concussions. Another eight were listed with head injuries.
The two starting quarterbacks from last season's Super Bowl --
Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger and Arizona's Kurt Warner -- sat out
last Sunday after saying during the week they planned to play despite
getting head injuries the previous week.
"The evidence demonstrates that team medical staffs have been
addressing concussions in an increasingly cautious and conservative
way," Goodell wrote in Wednesday's memo. "This new return-to-play
statement reinforces our commitment to advancing player safety. Along
with improved equipment, better education, and rules changes designed
to reduce impacts to the head, it will make our game safer for the men
who play it, and set an important example for players at all levels of
play."
