The NFL and NFL Players Association have concluded that the Dolphins violated the concussion protocol by not conducting a full evaluation of quarterback Matt Moore in the locker room after he took a blow to the chin from Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree earlier this month in the playoffs. The Dolphins disagree with the conclusion.
It’s unclear whether the Dolphins will make their position on the issue public. Per multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, the Dolphins privately believe there was no violation.
The investigation concluded that Moore should have been taken to the locker room for an evaluation because he was bleeding from the mouth. The Dolphins believe that the bleeding was minimal if not negligible.
The CBS broadcast backs up that claim. In none of the various images of Moore’s face following the blow to the head is there any visible blood on the mouth or face of the player.
The CBS broadcast also shows a Miami team doctor speaking to Moore on the sidelines. Based on fairly rudimentary lip-reading skills, Moore is asked about the presence of any concussion symptoms, along with “Where are we right now?” and “What’s the score?”
The blue-hatted Unaffiliated Neuro-trauma Consultant is present for the exchange, monitoring and taking notes. The league’s statement regarding the matter explains that the team doctor and the UNC “jointly cleared” Moore to return. The statement, however, says nothing about the UNC’s responsibility for the alleged error.
Here’s why: The protocol makes the team doctor “exclusively” responsible for the decision.
Think about that one for a second. When it comes to a player returning to practice or game action after suffering a concussion, the Independent Neurological Consultant has final say. When it comes to decisions made in the heat of the moment as to whether a player will be sent to the locker room for a full evaluation or returned to game action, the UNC has no responsibility.
Instead, it all falls on the shoulders of the team doctor -- even if the UNC agrees that a player should be returned to action.
That’s a problem. Why have a UNC if the UNC can’t override the potentially skewed assessment of whether a player should be cleared to return to action?
The easy answer is that the league doesn’t want to be blamed for any mistakes made by the UNC in the heat of the moment, whether the mistake comes from clearing a player who shouldn’t return or, more significantly from a strategic standpoint, sending a key player to the locker room for a full evaluation during crunch time of a playoff game.
What would happen if the UNC trumps the team doctor and orders Tom Brady to the locker room for a concussion evaluation during the final drive of a Super Bowl that New England is training by four points -- and if it turns out after the Patriots lose that there was no concussion? It’s the team, not the league, that finds itself caught between a potential strategic disadvantage and a possible punishment from 345 Park Avenue.
In this case, the punishment was minimal. However, there arguably should have been no punishment at all.
