The TV replay that more clearly showed Savage’s reaction to the hit was not available until after Savage’s initial evaluation was underway, according to the league and union.
“The people who were responsible for examining him were examining him,” Thom Mayer, the NFLPA’s medical director, said by phone Friday. “And they were examining him at precisely the time those views came through. The doctor who did the examination did say that had he seen it, he would have removed him from the game … You can say: Was this a weakness [of the protocol]? Maybe. But we hadn’t had the experience before to dictate these changes.”
The statement by the league and union said: “The NFL and NFLPA recognize that Mr. Savage’s return to the game did not reflect the expected outcome of the Protocol. As such, the parties have agreed that no discipline will be assessed, but have already implemented several improvements to the Protocol to prevent such an unacceptable outcome in the future.”
The changes enacted to the concussion protocols, according to the league and union, include having an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant stationed at the NFL’s offices during games to monitor the broadcasts of all games; immediately removing from a game any player who exhibits signs of “defined impact seizure and fencing responses” as Savage did; requiring a locker room concussion evaluation of any player who stumbles or falls when attempting to stand; requiring any player who undergoes a concussion evaluation on game day to have a followup evaluation the next day; and adding a third unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant to be on hand for post-season games in case one of the two others is occupied with another injured player.
The league and union also reemphasized a change made after the Wilson review: that any player sent to the sideline for a concussion evaluation must be taken directly to a member of the medical staff.
The NFL and NFLPA said they reviewed the changes via conference call with teams’ medical staffs and other medical personnel.
According to Sills, the Wilson and Savage cases are the only formal reviews conducted by the league and union this season of the approximately 560 concussion evaluations performed, although all of the evaluations are reviewed outside the formal process.
“I think the 2017 version of the protocol is the best we’ve had,” Sills said. “But I certainly hope the 2020 version is even better.”