New NFL rules coming for head injuries
The NFL soon will have its teams work with independent neurologists on concussion issues.
Commissioner Roger Goodell will implement the policy as soon as details can be worked out. The neurologists will work with the teams’ medical staffs.
Goodell recently called for players to tell their teams’ medical staffs if they think a teammate shows symptoms of a concussion. He and union director DeMaurice Smith also testified before Congress at hearings on football head injuries.
The Associated Press this month conducted a survey of 160 NFL players – about 10 percent of the league – and 30 replied that they have hidden or played down the effects of a concussion.
The NFLPA said it opposes Goodell’s suggestion that players tell medical staffs about possible head injuries to teammates.
SB XLIII QBs down
The two quarterbacks from last season’s Super Bowl left their games after taking blows to the head Sunday.
The Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger had thrown for 398 yards and three touchdowns when he apparently took a knee to the helmet while being sacked by Kansas City’s Derrick Johnson and gave way to Charlie Batch. Coach Mike Tomlin said he was not certain how severe the injury might be.
Arizona’s Kurt Warner was 15 for 19 for 203 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Cardinals take a 21-3 lead over St. Louis. It appeared Warner was hurt by safety O.J. Atogwe’s high hit on a blitz that drove the quarterback’s head into the turf. Warner lay on the field for a few seconds before getting up and stayed in the game for the last six plays of a 90-yard drive before giving way to Matt Leinart.
St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger said he took a blow to the head on the team’s final possession, apparently on a sack by Darnell Dockett, and will undergo evaluation Monday. Like Warner, Bulger said his head had cleared after the game.
Before and after every snap, the Cowboys’ Tony Romo felt the throbbing in his back, the result of an accidental blow while making a first-quarter tackle.
Redskins running back Ladell Betts, the fill-in for injured Clinton Portis, damaged the MCL in his left knee midway through the first quarter. Washington coach Jim Zorn said Betts will have an MRI exam to determine the severity of the injury.
The Green Bay Packers lost two cornerstones of their defense during a 30-24 victory over San Francisco and could be playing without them for a lot longer.
Coach Mike McCarthy said the knee injuries to cornerback Al Harris and outside linebacker Aaron Kampman “did not look very good” and were cause for concern.