Doctors have become the nanny police for the NFL?

[Enginerd]

I posted this in the thread on the divisional round playoffs as well. Suffice it to say that my opinion is different from aceplace’s.

@Enginerd

So two players (NO CB Keenan Lewis and GB OT David Bakhtiari) violated the NFL’s concussion protocol during the WC round - Lewis by remaining on the sideline and Bakhtiari by returning to the game without being cleared. In both cases, the players’ actions were taken “contrary to the advice of the team medical staffs.” The article states (without attribution) that no fines will be imposed for those violations.

IMO, that’s a big mistake by the league. If they’re going after players for hits that result in concussions, they need to take the same tack for teams that willfully endanger players who’ve suffered concussions. The Packers, in particular, should be heavily fined* for letting Bakhtiari go back into the game. I’m less upset about Lewis remaining on the sidelines, but the protocol still requires the player to be taken to a quiet space. Why bother to have a protocol if it’s not going to be enforced?

*players’ fines range from $15,000 (first violation) to $75,000 (just before a suspension). A team overruling its own medical staff is far more serious than any single hit, and should be punished accordingly. I’d start at $100,000 and start suspending position coaches for multiple violations.

The NFL has, as mentioned, run into a serious problem dealing with concussions, and they’ve made a number of rule changes to address that problem. They’ve come down hard on players who’ve violated the new rules. It’s time for them to come down harder on teams that do the same thing.