The NFL and the NHL are the leading major league sports with the most reported concussions season after season. Why do some athletes feel the need to hide their concussions from the coaching staff or the team physician?

1. B Y : E L I Z A B E T H S O U D A N
CONCUSSIONS IN THE
NHL AND NFL

2. WHAT IS A CONCUSSION?
• A concussion is a complex pathophysiological process
that affects the brain, typically induced by trauma to the
brain. (Sports Concussion Institute)
• It can be caused either by a direct blow to the head, or an
indirect blow to the body, causing neurological
impairments. (Sports Concussion Institute)

3. CONCUSSIONS AND THE NHL
• In October 2016, a new concussion protocol was enacted
indefinitely.
• “A new staff of Central League Spotters will monitor all
games from the Player Safety Room in New York and will be
authorized to require a Player's removal from play for
evaluation for concussion if the Player exhibits certain visible
sign(s) under the Protocol, following a direct or indirect blow
to the head.” (NHL PR)
• Flyer’s forward Dale Weise checked Anaheim defenseman
Korbinian Holzer’s head on October 20th, and was not
penalized for it during the game, but has trial for suspension
and fines nearly a month after the incident.

4. CONCUSSIONS IN THE NFL
• When a potential concussion is identified the player shall be
removed immediately from the field
• The NFL team physician will:
-review the video of the play
-perform a focused neurological examination
• If there is suspicion of a concussion, the player will be
escorted to the locker room for a full assessment
• In September, Cam Newton was hit by Deion Jones. Jones
lead with his shoulder and made direct contact with
Newton’s head, which is considered an illegal hit. At the time,
the hit was considered “legal”, and therefore no penalty was
given.

5. NHL AND NFL
• 182 reported concussions in the 2015 NFL regular season
• 108 reported concussions in the 2015 NHL regular
season
• NHL: Fines ranging from $1,000-$50,000. Penalizes hits
to the head from any direction along with a 1 to 20 game
suspension
• NFL: Fines ranging anywhere from $3,000-$48,000 and a
1 game suspension
• Both the NHL and NFL are facing many lawsuits from
former players with long term brain damage due to
neglect of recognizing concussions.

6. WHY ATHLETES AVOID REPORTING
• Some players don’t disclose their concussion symptoms
to the doctor in order to keep playing the game.
• They do this because of their own job security or they
don’t want to lose their spot in the line up.
• More secured players, like Sidney Crosby on the
Pittsburg Penguins, recently came back from a month
break after a severe concussion and immediately played
in the starting line.

7. QUESTIONS
• 1. When players avoid reporting concussion symptoms after a
visible head injury, who is liable if the concussion goes
unrecognized? The coaching staff? The team physician? The player?
• 2. Are more popular or more secure athletes with a concussion
treated differently than less popular or lower ranked athletes who
have concussions?
• 3. Is there too much pressure on young athletes to play more and
stay in the game to “prove themselves” to the coaches and the team,
so they would tend to cover up the severity of the injury?
• 4. Is the player who hit them liable or does the training of the player
have an affect on the way they engage in aggression with
opponents?

8. SOURCES
• http://www.espn.com/nhl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/1105
1889/nhl-says-concussions-decreased-protocol-remains-
imperfect
• http://www.cmaj.ca/content/183/8/905
• http://www.post-
gazette.com/sports/penguins/2016/10/11/Penguins-center-
Sidney-Crosby-suffers-another-
concussion/stories/201610110052
• http://www.concussiontreatment.com/concussionfacts.html
• http://images.nflplayers.com/mediaResources/lyris/pdfs/
NFL_Diagnosis_Mgmt_Concussion.pdf
• http://operations.nfl.com/football-ops/fines-appeals/