SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay H. Jones breaks down the biggest games of Week 16. USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Seahawks will pay the price for failing to properly apply the NFL concussion protocol to quarterback Russell Wilson earlier this season.
The team has been "fined $100,000 and the coaching and medical staffs will be required to attend remedial training regarding the protocol" after Wilson missed just one play despite taking a direct shot to the jaw from Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby on Nov. 9, according to a joint statement Thursday from the NFL and the players union.
Wilson was ushered to the sideline by referee Walt Anderson but was in Seattle's medical tent for just seconds before strapping on his helmet and returning to the game. He was only examined more thoroughly after the Seahawks defense took the field.
The NFL and NFL Players Association jointly reviewed the matter before making the determination. They also mandate "an immediate update will be 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. The NFL and the NFLPA will continue to look at potential modifications to the protocols in an effort to keep players safe."
"We accept the findings of the NFL and NFLPA joint investigation," read a statement distributed by the Seahawks. "We did not knowingly disregard the Concussion Protocol. Any misstep was unintentional and the result of confusion on the sideline."
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said Thursday: “In this case, we found that through a series of communication breakdowns, the protocol wasn’t followed.
"The player was allowed to return to the game without going through the protocol, and that is a clear violation."
Lockhart did praise Anderson's handling of the situation.
The league and union are also investigating the Houston Texans after quarterback Tom Savage absorbed a terrifying blow Dec. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers yet temporarily returned to the game even after his arms twitched in the air as he lay on his side following the hit.
Lockhart would not reveal when a decision will be rendered on Savage's case.
"A lot of work has been done on that, and I would hope — reasonably soon — we’ll have the results of that, and we’ll be able to talk that through," he said. "Until the investigation is complete, I can’t get into the details.”
***
Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis
PHOTOS: NFL injuries in 2017
