Concussions climb after 2 years in decline
The number of diagnosed concussions suffered by NFL players during the just-completed regular season was up 18 percent from the previous season, according to injury data released Friday by the league.
The increase — from 126 last season to 149 this season — came after modest declines in each of the previous two seasons. It also came after concussions were down during the preseason.
“It’s a number that I wish were zero, but medically speaking, it’s unlikely to be zero,” Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, said in a video conference with reporters Friday. “But I think, again, I go back to saying we want to drive these numbers down. We want to diagnose them with a high degree of fidelity. But we want to prevent them. … We want the numbers of concussions to go down. But more importantly, we want the number of head impacts to go down. Now that we can measure that, we’ll be tracking that and working very actively against it.”
The number perhaps was higher in part because the NFL’s regular season now is longer, with teams playing 17 games apiece for a second year since the league’s new schedule format was enacted. It’s unclear whether the increase was driven by an actual uptick in the number of head injuries suffered by players or by improvements in the detection and diagnosis of those injuries.
According to Sills, medical staffs for NFL teams conducted more in-game concussion evaluations of players than in previous seasons, and the number of medical timeouts taken during games to identify players in need of such evaluations was sharply higher.
“I think that there are a lot of factors that we’re looking into as to what could be driving that,” Sills said. “Obviously I mentioned earlier that we’re doing more evaluations than ever. We did change the protocol to become even more conservative. We had the more medical timeouts that I mentioned. And certainly we know that we continue to emphasize the importance of player self-report.”
The evaluation and treatment of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered two diagnosed concussions this season, drew intense public scrutiny. The league and the NFL Players Association modified their concussion protocols to eliminate an exception that allowed Tagovailoa to be cleared by doctors to reenter a September game after he stumbled following a hit.
“We’ll have a continued very major focus on getting the head out of the game because reducing the number of head impacts is going to be the main driver for reducing concussions,” Sills said.
About 60 percent of the increase in concussions was attributable to head injuries suffered by quarterbacks and players participating in specialteams plays, according to Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy.
“It’s something that obviously we’ll take away (and) talk to the competition committee about, both quarterback injuries as well as special teams,” Miller said.
Charges against Mixon dropped
Bengals running back Joe Mixon no longer faces a misdemeanor charge of aggravated menacing over allegations that he threatened and pointed a gun at a woman in Cincinnati.
A Friday order dismissing the case in Hamilton County Municipal Court said only that the city prosecutor’s office requested the dismissal “in the interest of justice.”
A warrant for Mixon was issued Thursday. A police officer’s accompanying affidavit alleged that the 26-year-old pointed a firearm and told the victim: “You should be popped in the face. I should shoot you, the police (can’t) get me.”
It said the altercation happened a few blocks from the Bengals’ stadium on Jan. 21 — the day before Cincinnati beat the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round playoff game — but included no other details about the circumstances.
“I really feel that police have an obligation before they file charges — because of the damage that can be done to the person’s reputation — to do their work,” said Mixon’s agent, Peter Schaffer.
A statement from the Bengals said the team was investigating the situation and not commenting further on the charge or its dismissal.
Ex-Commanders OC joins Raiders
Former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner is joining the Las Vegas Raiders’ staff, likely helping oversee the passing game.
“I’m just happy to be a part of the staff, and it’s obviously coach ( Josh) McDaniels’ deal, and I’m just going to be ready to contribute and help the best I can,” Turner said Friday. “I’ll get out there and get a feel for the team. It’s just everything’s so new right now.”
The 40-year-old Turner was the Commanders’ offensive coordinator for the last three seasons before he was fired Jan. 10.
Washington ranked 20th in total offense, 21st in passing and 24th in scoring this season.
Turner, the son of longtime former NFL offensive coordinator and head coach Norv Turner, oversaw eight quarterbacks during his time with the Commanders.
Their offense was ranked in the bottom half of the league all three seasons.