Following harsh critiques from fans, managers and teams, the NFL has worked hard to improve their concussion policy. Very proudly, they released an updated joint policy with NFLPA claiming that the priority more than anything was the league’s “commitment to protecting the health and safety of NFL players.". This press release also framed the new policy as “one of many collaborations between the NFL and NFLPA to improve player health and safety.”

Paraphrasing from the new protocol (that can be read in full here), the NFL considers these visual concussion symptoms before requiring a sideline test:

- Loss of consciousness

- Slow to get up following a hit to the head (this is not just a player/player collision, but any other surface as well)

- Motor coordination/balance problems (stumbles, trips, slow movement)

- Blank or vacant look

- Any disorientation of field position or bench.

- Clutching at head or helmet following contact

- Visible facial injury in combination with any of the above (e.g. bloody nose/mouth)

If any of these symptoms are exhibited the player is expected to be pulled from the game and be administered a sideline test before being allowed back in.

Sounds good, right?

Fast-forward three months and the Panthers are stacked up again against the Denver Broncos in what will undoubtedly be a very physical and emotionally driven game. There is obviously some remaining animosity after Super Bowl 49, and the teams and fans were preparing for what would obviously be a battle. This violence, and this force is what drives that game. It’s what fans love to see, and what draws so many people to football in the first place. But in the midst of all this violence, as a fan we trust that our players are taken care of thanks to careful league regulation and monitoring.

So, what the hell happened to Cam Newton?

SB nation compiled all of the disturbingly, malicious hits he took in the fourth quarter into a video I will link below, but if you are a little too squeamish to watch it, this gif sums it up pretty nicely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrsCo-NhDdw

If these aren’t hard enough hits, to cue a sideline test than I don’t know what is.

In an official statement the league claimed:

““There was communication between medical personnel on the Carolina sideline, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, and the two independent certified athletic trainer spotters in the booth. During stoppage in play while on-field officials were in the process of administrating [sic] penalties, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and team physician requested video from the spotters and reviewed the play. They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player.” (deadspin.com)

I call bulls**t, but then again, I am no league official. I do not have experience calling these plays, nor have I ever been put in a situation such as the game on Thursday where so much is residing on my call. I am simply a fan. I am the girl who got up and watched the College Football Picks every Saturday with her dad, and the one had to listen to him try and sing the Sunday Night Football theme for as long as I can remember. But who I am is exactly why I have to write this. I am writing this because I am a fan, and I want the game that I have long loved and respected to be played right. I need to know that the player’s that I proudly represent every time I wear their jerseys are safe and secure because the proper protocols have been put into place to make sure that their health and well-being are the top priority.

In short, I’m a fan who loves the game, but I love the players more.

So when I see hits like I did on Thursday, I’m appalled and you should be too. Newton handled this graciously stating that it was not his place to question the officials, even though he publicly told them every time he sustained a head injury in the game. And he’s right, it’s not his place to question the call. It’s the official’s jobs to make the right call in the first place. On Thursday the league not only let Newton down, but lost the trust of every fan watching. All we can do is hope moving forward, that the right actions will be taken for the sake of our players. We have to put our faith in the system that they will be better, because it all boils down to one simple idea:

If we can’t play the game right, we shouldn’t play it at all.