Wilson and Seahawks found to have dodged concussion test
A joint NFL and players union review unveiled Thursday found Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was allowed to return to the game in breach of concussion protocol on November 9 against Arizona.
As a result, the Seahawks were fined $100,000 and the team coaching and medical staffs will be required to attend "remedial training regarding the protocol," a joint statement from the league and the union said.
It said there was a failure in the application of the protocol after Wilson took a blow to the head and neck when tackled in the third quarter.
Wilson briefly ducked into the sideline medical tent for evaluation before returning to the field, a violation of concussion assessment protocol caught by television cameras.
The review determined that the protocol was triggered when Wilson was sent off for evaluation after referee Walt Anderson concluded that a medical examination was warranted.
But the exam was never conducted and Wilson was allowed back into the contest without being cleared by the medical staff. The staff later examined him and cleared him under protocol, but only after he had incorrectly been allowed him back into the game.
In the contest, Wilson scrambled and evaded defenders before making a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin as Seattle edged Arizona 22-16. Had he followed concussion protocol, he might not have been in the game to make the critical play. The Seahawks are struggling to land a playoff spot.
An immediate update was made to the protocol instructing officials, teammates, and coaching staff to take players directly to a member of the medical team for a concussion assessment.