I'm surprised that the Dolphin's team physician wasn't fired, along with the UNC.
The UNCs are independent contractors. The entire concussion protocol is a joint agreement between the NFLPA and NFL. Either organization can remove a UNC with no due process (not that I don't think the UNC shouldn't have been fired). The NFLPA exercised that right. The doc responsible for concussion checks with the UNC on gamedays is employed by the Dolphins, and is not the same doc as the "team physician". The NFLPA has no say on the employment of this physician, who is paid by the team and isn't an independent contractor. I would suspect this doc will be/ was already let go, but don't know if the Dolphins would announce it, since they publicly made the UNC the scapegoat already and the negative press is dying down.
Source: I was a UNC in the past
As a UNC I have some questions if you don't mind:
- My understanding that the diagnosis of a concussion isn't 100% - meaning there isn't like a blood or urine test that says "you had a concussion". Is that correct?
- Assuming that's correct, how accurate are the diagnosis in your opinion?
- How dependent is the diagnosis on the individual being honest in their answers?
TIA
1) correct. there is a blood test in existence still being tested, but not being used in hospitals as far as i know, let alone on a sideline of a football game. maybe 10 years from now?
2) too complex for me to answer in a forum like this, but often not clear-cut especially when doing the testing in real time a few minutes after the hit
3) a diagnosis of concussion can be made with no self-reported player symptoms if they fail the test. That said, if they pass the test and lie about not remembering the play, or their vision is cloudy, or they can't feel their hands, what is the doc going to do? If the player says he feels great and passes the exam,
you can't just pull him unless there is no-go criteria on the film, which was the failure here IMO