You are the head ATC of the Eagles, read on to make your RTP call.
Concussions are a hot topic in the world of athletics recently, and although this article isn't about a break through discovery, it is meant to get you thinking. As we have all learned, and which is important for my group especially being at a D-III institution, is that the NCAA has made it mandatory that someone who sustains a concussion cannot RTP until 7 days symptom free, not 7 total days, but 7 days completely symptom free. High Schools have similar rules and although I am not aware if all states follow the same, I know they are fairly similar.
This does not seem to be the case in the NFL, where in this instance, Mike Vick sustained a concussion last sunday. According to the article posted by the L.A. Times, Vick was slated to play the following sunday after sustaining a concussion (which, after watching football on sunday, Vick did indeed play while sustaining another injury). By protocols that we have learned as athletic training students, Vick would have been re-evaluated 24-48 hours post injury, and even if symptom free at that point it would still leave him ineligble to play sunday, by the standards in which we have been taught.
My question to you guys is, would you have let Vick play?
After reading this post there are a number of factors that weigh in to letting Vick return to play. The most important thing in my belief are his signs and symptoms throughout the rest of the week. I would run through my symptoms checklist with him either 2 or 3 times a day. I would also have coaches and teammates monitoring him at all times to make sure he seems to be acting as himself. I think a main identifier of a concussion is noticing that the player is not acting how they normally act. Another factor involved is the value of Vick to the Eagles team. This is a struggling team that relies very heavily on him to win games. He is their star player and most important piece of their offense. I would allow him to play in the following Sunday game if his symptoms did not increase during the week of practice and his teammates and coaches reported that he was acting like himself. If this were a collegiate or high school athlete I would be more conservative in allowing return to play. I would definitely now let them play in the very next game just to be cautious. But with a professional athlete of Vick's status and his role in their offense I would be more likely to allow his return to play the following week.
ReplyDeleteMatt - interesting question you pose to the readers, and as I had stated to you before, I would like to believe that I would have the ultimate authority to keep a player out, I think Matt Hoffman's comments regarding this being a professional sport, and Vick being a key player in their ability to win, would probably over rule my conservative efforts to keep him out.
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