NFL, NFLPA Announce New Policy to Enforce League's Concussion Protocol

The NFL and the NFL Players Association announced an agreement on a new policy Monday that will focus on enforcing game-day concussion protocol.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will have full discretion over disciplinary action for violations, per the news release:

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A first violation will require the club employees or medical team members involved to attend remedial education; and/or result in a maximum fine of $150,000 against the club.

Second and subsequent violations of the concussion protocol will result in a minimum fine of $100,000 against the club.

In the event the parties agree that a violation involved aggravating circumstances, the club shall be subject, in the first instance, to a fine no less than $50,000. The commissioner shall determine appropriate discipline for subsequent violations involving aggravating circumstances.

In the event that the commissioner determines that the club's medical team failed to follow the protocol due to competitive considerations, the commissioner may require the club to forfeit draft pick(s) and impose additional fines exceeding those amounts set forth above.

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The NFL and NFLPA will have one representative each to investigate possible violations and monitor the policy's implementation.

Representatives involved in the violations investigations won't make medical judgments. They will simply "determine whether the protocol was followed."

Once investigations are finished, the NFL and NFLPA will decide whether a violation was committed. A third-party arbitrator will intervene if the two sides can't agree and then issue a report to Goodell, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and other relevant parties.

One of the noteworthy elements of the new protocol enforcement initiative is the penalty of forfeiting a draft pick or picks if a team keeps a player in a game for competitive reasons.

Citing an example from last season involving Case Keenum of the Los Angeles Rams, the NFLPA "threatened to claim malpractice vs team docs, league neuros to gain enforcement of concussion rules," reported ESPN's Ed Werder. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently talked about trying to stay in a game despite suffering a concussion in an interview with Bill Simmons on HBO's Any Given Wednesday.

"I went back out there for a couple of plays, and I couldn't call the plays," Rodgers said. "I couldn't call the plays. I called a play because I could recite it from my helmet, and the only thing I remember about that sequence is that I was under center, and I didn't know if it was a run or a pass."

Rodgers added, "When you're competitive, the last thing you want to do is come out of a game, regardless of what kind of injury."

The NFL and NFLPA have already implemented policies to better assess concussions on game day, such as using independent certified athletic trainers beginning in December 2011.

The trainers attend every game, watch from the press box and review video to monitor possible concussions. They have the right to call a medical timeout if necessary.

Monday's announcement marks yet another step forward for the NFL in addressing concussions and related issues. As Rodgers said, though, players will want to stay in games, and that will likely remain a tricky problem.

If a player is found to have suffered a concussion and refused medical attention, the NFL and NFLPA will face a difficult dilemma given the hefty fines and valuable draft picks at stake.