In recent years, the NFL has taken significant steps to make the game as safe as possible for players, and that’s included taking head trauma and concussions very seriously. As a result, the league has issued a pretty firm punishment to the New York Giants for violating the league’s concussion protocol.
On Friday, the NFL announced that it had handed out fines to the New York Giants, as well as head coach Brian Daboll and running back Cam Skattebo, for their actions involving concussion protocol during their win over the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this month.
The league has fined the team $200,00 for violating the concussion protocol involving rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, while also fining Daboll $100,000 and Skattebo $15,000 for “conduct detrimental to the league.”
“After a thorough review, the parties concluded that the team medical staff and unaffiliated medical providers properly followed all of the steps required by the collectively bargained and administered concussion protocol in their evaluation of Mr. Dart,” the NFL and NFLPA said in a joint statement on Friday.
“When the protocol is triggered, all gameday concussion evaluations must take place either in the sideline blue medical tent or in the locker room, to ensure that the player receives a thorough examination without distraction. The concussion protocol states that ‘only medical personnel deemed essential to the care of the athlete may be present for the tent and/or locker room evaluation. This includes the team physician best qualified to evaluate concussion, the club athletic trainer, and the sideline Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant.’ No other individuals are permitted in the tent or locker room during an evaluation,” the statement continued.
The NFL determined that Daboll and Skattebo violated this policy by entering the injury tent during his evaluation.
“The NFL and NFLPA concluded that the Giants violated the protocol when Head Coach Brian Daboll and running back Cam Skattebo entered the medical tent and spoke with Mr. Dart before his evaluation was complete, creating the perception that they were interfering with Dart’s exam. While the parties agreed that Coach Daboll’s and Mr. Skattebo’s actions had no actual impact on the exam or the care that Mr. Dart received, their conduct was inconsistent with and demonstrated a disregard for the concussion protocol’s requirements and therefore constituted a violation. The parties also noted that the Giants undertook immediate remedial steps to prevent any similar violation in the future, including by cooperating fully with the joint review, conducting additional training with club staff and players about proper use of the medical tent and taking additional steps to ensure that only permitted individuals are able to enter the medical tent during a concussion evaluation,” the statement concluded.
Obviously, this is a hefty punishment for the Giants, Daboll, and Skattebo, but it underscores just how seriously the league takes its concussion protocol.
The Giants are set to take on the Eagles once again this weekend.