The NFL has reached an agreement with its Players Association to amend its concussion protocols, it announced Saturday.
Both sides announced the change in a joint statement, which noted that the protocols now include the medical condition of ataxia, a condition caused by trauma to the part of the brain that controls bodily coordination. The condition, which causes symptoms such as slurred speech, balance or stability abnormality, a wide-legged stance, difficulty swallowing, and involuntary eye movement, is not the same as being concussed.
Medical staff and consultants for the league will now be required to screen players for ataxia symptoms. Athletes who show signs of the condition will be prohibited from returning to a game.
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This reported agreement comes after Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Cameron Brate was cleared for continued play after being hit during a game Sunday. Brate was then hit a second time, with 90 seconds left in the half, before being pulled out of the game and diagnosed with a concussion.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion late last month sparked a wave of outrage, though, after it was discovered that doctors allowed the athlete to play again despite being hit in a game just four days earlier. When the quarterback was tackled in the later game, his fingers locked up, which a medical expert on the Prime Video broadcast said was consistent with a “neurological response to head trauma.”
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The NFL Players Association, also known as the NFLPA, is the footballers’ union, formed in 1956.
