After sending Wilson back out, Seahawks fined for violation
The Seahawks have been fined $100,000 for not properly following concussion protocol with quarterback Russell Wilson during a game in November.
The NFL and NFLPA announced their decision following an investigation that lasted more than a month. Along with the financial penalty, Seattle’s coaching and medical staffs will be required to attend remedial training regarding the concussion protocol. Seattle is the first team fined for such a violation.
The investigation determined that Wilson was allowed back on the field before a required evaluation was performed on the sideline.
The Seahawks said Thursday that they accepted the results of the investigation and that any missteps in violating the protocol were not intentional.
“I guess that’s what they decided to do. I thought everything was done in the right way,” Wilson said. “There was a lot of confusion. I didn’t really understand why I was coming out of the game, anyway. I was completely clear. My jaw was a little messed up. Other than that; that’s what they decided.”
Coming off the second concussion of his career, Seattle linebacker K.J. Wright said he believes any player that suffers a concussion should be required to sit out at least one game.
Wright missed Sunday’s loss to the Rams after he was not able to pass the concussion protocol in time to be able to play. Wright was fine with the decision.
“The NFL needs to make it mandatory to where you miss one game if you have a concussion. Because you’re just not right,” Wright said. Index cards forbidden: The NFL has told its officials not to use index cards or any other paper to aid in measurements.
In Sunday night’s CowboysRaiders game, referee Gene Steratore tried to slide what appeared to be an index card between the tip of the ball and the end of the chain while measuring for a first down. When the card didn’t slide through, Steratore signaled a first down for Dallas. He said he had decided it was a first down before the odd measurement. League didn’t pressure Richardson to sell: The NFL made it clear Thursday that it isn’t forcing Panthers owner Jerry Richardson to sell the team while he is under investigation for sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace.
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said during a conference call that “there was no pressure from the league on Mr. Richardson” to sell his team. Lockhart said Richardson “came to the conclusion over that weekend that putting his team up for sale was what he wanted to do. We found out about it shortly before the announcement came out.”
The NFL plans to hire an outside counsel to conduct the Richardson investigation, but a final decision has not been made on which firm.
Lockhart said the league didn’t know about the allegations against Richardson until Friday, the same day the Panthers put out a stunning news release first announcing their own investigation of Richardson’s alleged workplace misconduct. That was followed on Sunday by a Sports Illustrated report that detailed Richardson’s alleged misconduct. Briefly: The Giants interviewed ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for their general manager’s job . ... New Orleans placed Kenny Vaccaro (groin) on injured reserve . ... Minnesota left tackle Riley Reiff ’s sprained ankle has improved, and the team has listed him as questionable to play at Green Bay on Saturday.