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Goodell plans to move on injuries
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly will expand restrictions on returning to games for players who sustain head trauma.
Fox Sports reported yesterday that Goodell will issue a memo this week to all 32 teams expanding grounds for the removal of a player with a head injury or concussion.
Currently, a player can return to the game after being diagnosed with a concussion if he is asymptomatic at rest and under exertion, and is cleared by the team doctor. The lone exception is if the medical staff determines the player lost consciousness, in which case he is ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The report said that if a player is "woozy, has general dementia or memory loss," Goodell wants him barred from returning to a game.
"We are continuing to review all aspects of our guidelines on concussion management and treatment," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.
The NFL says its data show an average of one reported concussion every other game -- about 120 to 130 concussions per regular season.
Kurt Warner had a problem adjusting his eyes, so he and Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt played it safe by deactivating him against the Titans. "Whatever you want to call it, it feels like a light sensitivity or my eyes just aren't quite adjusted right. That was the one symptom," Warner said. Warner left last week's win at St. Louis after he hit his head against the turf. The 38-year-old quarterback counted that as his fifth concussion by his own tally.
Quarterback Eli Manning has developed a stress reaction in his right foot that could eventually lead to further injuries which might sideline him indefinitely. Manning has suffered from plantar fasciitis since hurting his foot against Kansas City Oct. 4. The stress reaction is not an unexpected development, but the team wants to prevent a stress fracture that could end Manning's year.
St. Louis offensive tackle Jason Smith, inactive against the Seahawks with a concussion, was taken to a hospital for observation after becoming ill near the end of the game. Smith, the second overall pick of the draft, failed two baseline tests during the practice week. He was on the sideline with the team's inactive players before becoming ill.
Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson sustained a concussion against Washington, the second offensive starter to get a serious head injury against the Redskins this season. Jackson left the game after he was hit on a catch late in the third quarter.
First Published November 30, 2009 12:01 am
