Only one game into the regular season and there are already a handful of hits the NFL should have to answer for.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was repeatedly punished by the Denver Broncos defense Thursday night, taking three direct hits to his head — something the NFL has supposedly made a priority of preventing.
Some of the hits were tough to watch. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Thursday night, it seemed like more of an afterthought as opposed to a priority. Anybody watching the game could see that the Carolina quarterback suffered several hits to the head.
Newton did go through the standard concussion protocol, but it wasn’t until after the game and before heading to the press conference. (RELATED: Kick Off The NFL Season With The Hottest Cheerleaders In The Game)
The NFL issued a statement Friday explaining why and how Cam Newton wasn’t taken out of the game, via FOX Sports:
“There was communication between medical personnel on the Carolina sideline, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, and the two independent certified athletic trainer spotters in the booth. During stoppage in play while on-field officials were in the process of administrating penalties, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and team physician requested video from the spotters and reviewed the play. They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player from the game.”
To be clear, it is the independent neurotrauma consultant and certified athletic trainer “spotters” job to recognize possible concussions and look out for potential brain trauma during the course of a game. These independent concussion spotters have the authority to stop the game for a medical timeout. They did not exercise that authority last night.
Newton suffered several blows to the head during the game. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Doctors and concussion spotters aside, let’s turn to the fact that several of the hits put on Cam Newton could certainly be penalized as “targeting.” And “[i]f the officials had penalized the Broncos on their earlier helmet-to-helmet hits, Denver probably would have stopped headhunting,” a Deadspin writer observed.
The NFL’s statement Friday morning seems to be nothing more than a covering of the bases. If there’s anyone to blame for Cam’s continued beating last night, they point the finger towards the independent doctors and trainers.
If the NFL really cares about the ongoing concussion issue or the players it affects, they should double check the people they’ve hired to cover their own ass.