The NFL still has work to do when it comes to protecting players with possible concussions against the risk of a second concussion.
On Thursday night, Texans running back Arian Foster took a blow to the head in the second quarter of his team’s game against the Colts. Foster then left the field for one play, before re-entering.
On his next play back, he was given a handoff -- and his helmet was knocked off during the tackle.
Said Tracy Wolfson of CBS after Foster returned: “Arian Foster basically put himself back into the game. As soon as the trainers were talking about it, he turned around and he just walked about out there. . . . They said to him, ‘You need to come back out here. Do you want us to look at you?’”
Foster instead went to the field, and per Wolfson the independent neurologist assigned to the Texans sideline was reviewing the video of the hit. When the drive ended, the Texans took Foster’s helmet away, evaluated him on the sideline, and then took him to the locker room for further evaluation.
Before leaving the field of play, Foster slammed a tray of Gatorade products to the ground.
It’s good that they got him to the locker room, but Foster never should have gotten back onto the field. If the ATC spotter in the booth is going to have the ability to call a medical timeout, the independent neurologist on the sideline needs to have that power, too.