The official is given discretion to decide whether a player has taken a hit that requires him to be checked for a concussion.
After RW took a helmet to the chin, the official sent him to the sidelines to go through a concussion protocol check.
Sideline cameras clearly showed, that just as the blue privacy tent was being lowered over Wilson for the test, he suddenly waved it off, stepped out, put on his helmet, and went back into the game.
The Seahawks say that he went through the protocol later and passed, but the rules require him to be checked and pass before he can re-enter the game.
That did not happen.
The whole point of this protocol is to make players safer (or avoid lawsuits), and is in response to the concussion issue that has come to the fore.
The NFL cannot afford to just let RW or the Seahawks decide that the game situation is just too important to do that right now, and wave it off. If they do, why should other players or coaches comply if the game situation is critical? And there goes any legal protection or safety benefit from the policy.
There will be some consequences, but hard to say. Policy says fines and/or up to loss of draft picks.
I'm guessing the Seahawks will be fined if it's a first offense.
They were discussing this on the Seahawk forum, obviously with lots of justifying and complaints that the refs decision is very arbitrary.
But one idea there that I kind of agree with was, if the contact leading to a concussion protocol check is caused by an infraction, a play where the hitter is penalized, then that player should have to exit the game also, for as long as the player being checked is out. Seems fair.
But what if the check reveals that there is a concussion?
Ramily!
