2018 Super Bowl Will Have 4 Independent Concussion Specialists on Hand

The NFL announced Tuesday that it will employ four independent concussion specialists for Super Bowl 52 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday.

According to ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert, there will be one unaffiliated neurological consultant on each team's sideline, a backup who will be thrust into action "in the event that another UNC is occupied" and a fourth specialist who previously had "been working as a centralized spotter in the league's New York headquarters."

The move comes a month after the NFL made in-season changes to its concussion protocol following a scary incident involving Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage, who was seen shaking on the turf after he absorbed a big hit from San Francisco 49ers linebacker Elvis Dumervil. 

At the time, the NFL said it was adding the centralized spotter "with the authority to alert sideline medical teams to look into an incident," per the Associated Press' Kristie Rieken. 

The NFL also instituted a rule that if a player was seen shaking, as Savage was, he would not be allowed to return to the game. Furthermore, the league mandated players "who stumble or fall when trying to stand will require a concussion evaluation in the locker room" rather than on the sideline. 

On Friday, the NFL announced players across the league suffered 281 reported concussions in 2017. According to USA Today's Lindsay H. Jones and Lorenzo Reyes, that represented a 15.6 percent increase over the league's five-year average.