The NFL opened the 2016 season with an instant regular season classic as the Super Bowl rematch between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers delivered with plenty of drama. Broncos first-year starter Trevor Siemian leading the defending champs to another win over defending MVP Cam Newton’s Carolina Panthers in a 21-20 victory that had everything you could ask for in a season opener. Both teams picking up right where they left off as two of the best squads in the league played in a thriller that went down to the final seconds.
After the Broncos dramatic win following Graham Gano’s missed field goal for the Panthers, the storyline after the game quickly focused on Cam Newton and the NFL’s concussion protocol. The media attention firmly getting placed on the damage Newton took in a very physical game on Thursday night. Particularly the long list of helmet to helmet hits the Broncos defensive players put on Newton. Several plays that looked like potential concussions for Newton, who remained in the game save for a short stint from Derek Anderson after one of the helmet blows during the first half.
Newton suffered so many helmet to helmet hits during the game that it appeared as if the Broncos had a gameplan to attack the opposing quarterback. Three disgusting tackles from the Denver defense taking away from a game that normally would have been celebrated as a showcase of the best the NFL has to offer.
The Broncos went at Cam Newton’s head all night: https://t.co/4HxmQLA88m pic.twitter.com/gQPsnraOFJ
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) September 9, 2016
During the postgame press conference, Newton admitted to feeling “shitty” after taking some nasty shots from the Broncos defense. Newton also mentioning that he talked to the referees on the field about the uncalled hits to the head the Broncos players were getting away with during the game. Leading to further debate on if Newton should have been taken out of the game and if the NFL’s concussion protocol had been ignored to keep the MVP in the game.
Cam Newton keeps it simple on how he feels. pic.twitter.com/dcwssbptSc
— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) September 9, 2016
According to Alex Marvez of Sirius XM NFL Radio, Newton was cleared via the NFL’s concussion protocol after the game before speaking to the media. However, the bigger debate is if the NFL should have forced Newton to undergo a concussion protocol during the game. Especially after suffering multiple blows to the head that appeared to be red flags indicating potential concussions for Newton.
Instead, the NFL’s concussion protocol allowed Newton to continue to play on with no in-game test to see if the player had suffered a brain injury. A decision that is the opposite of what happens in rugby, where after a potential concussive blow the play is stopped and the player is forced to undergo a concussion test before potentially returning to action. A system the NFL may want to adopt in the future to avoid similar controversies where questions are asked about the seriousness of the protocol when it comes to in-game concussions suffered by players.
Even if Newton was cleared after the game, the little protection Newton received from both the referees as well as the NFL’s concussion protocol deservedly should raise questions regarding player safety. After all, if the league MVP isn’t protected from a long list of helmet to helmet hits who is truly protected by the league’s rules regarding targeting the head?
With a changing culture regarding how fans and the media view concussions in sports, the NFL clearly has a long way to go to change the public perception surrounding the safety of the game. Nights like tonight won’t help win over the growing list of critics who are turning away from the league and the sport due to the damages of CTE caused by an apathy towards concussive blows. Blows like the uncalled hits Newton suffered in droves tonight from the Broncos defense that will go unpunished by the NFL despite the league MVP’s head being targeted for four quarters.
If the NFL is truly serious about improving player safety, they will take tonight’s game as an example of why the need to improve their concussion protocol when it comes to in-game testing as Newton could have been at risk of further brain injury. Football will remain a violent sport where players will choose to play injured or not, but when it comes to concussions the NFL must adapt to the new norm of player safety. Which means tighter punishments for targeting the head and forcing players into in-game testing after concerning hits.
Players deserve to be protected while playing a physical sport and it is easy to see that the NFL failed in protecting one of its stars in a nationally televised game. That can’t continue to happen as the NFL needs to respond to moments like these with rule changes that improve the game for the better to avoid moments like tonight where the safety of the sport continues to remain in question.
