Quickly identifying a concussion is important in part because a concussed brain is much more susceptible to repeat concussions. (That’s why players who are diagnosed with concussions must be cleared as symptom-free before they can resume football activities.) According to the protocol developed by the N.F.L. Head, Neck and Spine Committee, “If a player exhibits or reports signs or symptoms of concussion on the field … he must be removed and evaluated by the Club medical team.” Edelman seemed to be demonstrating some of the observable signs listed by the protocol, which include:
Slow to get up following a hit to the head (“hit to the head” may include secondary contact with the playing surface)
Motor coordination/balance problems (stumbles, trips/falls, slow/labored movement)
Blank or vacant look
Yet Edelman didn’t come out of the game until after the Patriots scored on that drive, and he returned for subsequent offensive possessions, eventually scoring a touchdown to give his team the lead. He ended up playing in seventy-two of the team’s seventy-four offensive snaps.
Why didn’t anyone with the power to intervene force Edelman to the sidelines? In addition to each team’s own medical personnel, the N.F.L. assigns an independent physician to each team to monitor head injuries, and there is another independent “spotter” who watches players on both teams from a booth above the field and can radio to the sidelines if there is evidence of an on-field concussion. After the game, when he was asked about the hit, Edelman said, “We’re not allowed to talk about injuries.” The fact that Edelman was speaking with reporters suggested that he had not been diagnosed with a concussion—league rules forbid concussed players from talking to the media after the game. On Monday, the Associated Press, citing an anonymous source, reported that Edelman had passed a concussion exam that was administered on the sidelines.
(The normal baseline test takes between six and eight minutes.)
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