NFL Fines Seattle Seahawks $100,000 Over Russell Wilson Concussion Protocol Violation
Joint review with the NFLPA determines ”there was a failure in the application of the protocol following the tackle of Mr. Wilson during the Seahawks-Cardinals game“ on Nov. 9
The Seattle Seahawks are getting a lump of coal from the NFL this holiday season.
The team has been fined $100,000 for failing to keep quarterback Russell Wilson off the field while a concussion evaluation was performed on him in a Thursday night game against the Cardinals last month.
“The NFL and NFLPA have jointly reviewed the application of the Concussion Protocol to Russell Wilson. The results of the joint review determined there was a failure in the application of the protocol following the tackle of Mr. Wilson during the Seahawks-Cardinals game on Nov. 9,” the league said in a statement on Thursday.
The Seahawks coaching and medical staff will also now have to attend remedial training regarding the protocol.
According to NBC Sports, the hit to the jaw in question came from Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, after which Wilson left the game on the instruction of referee Walt Anderson. However, after sitting briefly in the medical tent, the 2013 Super Bowl champion grabbed his helmet and returned to the field.
The $100,000 fine is the maximum punishment for a first offense under the concussion protocol.
In a response, the Seahawks released a brief statement on Twitter saying they did not “knowingly disregard the Concussion Protocol. Any misstep was unintentional and the result of confusion on the sideline.”
The NFL and NFLPA have jointly reviewed the application of the Concussion Protocol to Russell Wilson. The results of the joint review determined there was a failure in the application of the protocol following the tackle of Mr. Wilson during the Seahawks-Cardinals game on November 9.
As a result, Seattle has been fined $100,000 and the coaching and medical staffs will be required to attend remedial training regarding the protocol.
The results of the joint review determined that the protocol was triggered when Mr. Wilson was directed to the sideline for an evaluation after the referee, Walt Anderson, concluded that a medical examination was warranted. Nonetheless, the required evaluation was not conducted and Mr. Wilson was permitted to return to the game without an evaluation. Once it is determined that a medical examination is warranted, a player may only be cleared to return by the medical staff; Mr. Wilson’s return to the field without a sideline concussion evaluation was therefore in violation of the Concussion Protocol. Subsequently the team medical staff did examine the player and clear him per the protocol.
As determined by the NFL and NFLPA, an immediate update will be made to the protocol instructing officials, teammates, and coaching staff to take players directly to a member of the medical team for a concussion assessment. The NFL and the NFLPA will continue to look at potential modifications to the protocols in an effort to keep players safe.
14 Moments That Rocked the Sports World in 2017, From Super Bowl Overtime to World Series Nail-Biter (Photos)
Sports are unpredictable in their nature, but 2017 gave us more heart-stopping moments and epic upsets than normal ... even before the president chimed in to share his opinion of the NFL.
New England Patriots Super Bowl LI comeback Down 28-3 against the Atlanta Falcons, coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady engineered the greatest comeback in the history of the Super Bowl to win 34-28 in overtime. It didn't take long for Barstool Sports to make a "comeback" tee-shirt to celebrate the achievement.
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College Football National Championship do-over
After losing to Alabama the year before, the Clemson Tigers met the Crimson Tide in a rematch for the national championship rematch on Jan. 9. Led by quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Tigers erased a 14 point deficit to secure the lead (and the win) with one second left on the clock.
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On April 19, only days after being acquitted of a double homicide charge (but still serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd), former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell of an apparent suicide. Doctors later discovered that Hernandez was suffering from stage 3 CTE, the most severe case of the brain disease ever discovered in a person his age.
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Fight of the century?
After about 18 months of "will they, won't they?" undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and UFC superstar Conor McGregor met on August 26, 2017 for one of the most highly-anticipated fights in history. Mayweather won the match after McGregor tired out, but both men earned untold millions of dollars for one night of their lives. Did anybody lose?
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Jamie Horowitz's abrupt Fox Sports exit
Just months after he signed off on multiple layoffs from Fox Sports and eliminated much of its online editorial content, Jamie Horowitz exited as president amid claims of sexual misconduct and harassment.
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More ESPN layoffs
ESPN was hit with two major rounds of layoffs in 2017. The first most high-profile bout saw on-air talent such as John Clayton (above), Jay Crawford, Danny Kanell, Ed Werder and Trent Dilfer. In November, 150 people in studio production, digital content, and technology sectors got pink slips.
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NFL players take a knee
Former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick started a movement in 2016 when he decided to kneel on the sideline during the national anthem. While a few players followed his lead at the beginning of the 2017 season, President Trump added fuel to the movement caught fire when he called for any players who protested the anthem to be fired. as many more players protested against the president's by kneeling locking arms, or even refusing to come out of the locker room during the anthem. The movement has since spread to pro baseball, the WNBA, and Major League Soccer.
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White House ban
On Sept. 22, two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry tweeted that he did not want to visit the White House after winning the championship with the Golden State Warriors. Trump quickly fired back, tweeting that Curry was no longer welcome. The entire team decided to stick with Curry and announced they would not go for the traditional visit while LeBron James, who lost to Curry and the Warriors in the Finals, called President Trump a "bum," adding that "going to the White House was a great honor until you showed up!"
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USA out of the World Cup
With a 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago on Oct. 10, the United States Men's National Soccer Team stunned American soccer fans by failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986. After less than a year on the job, Hall of Famer Bruce Arena resigned as the team's manager following the humiliation.
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Jemele Hill v. Donald Trump
On Sept. 11, "SportsCenter" co-host Jamele Hill called President Trump a "white supremacist" during a series of critical tweets, prompting a backlash from the White House and the president's supporters. Despite calls for her firing, ESPN stood by Hill and clarified that her views did not reflect ESPN's position. The company later suspended Hill for two weeks after she suggested fans should boycott Dallas Cowboys advertisers after Jerry Jones threatened to bench players who knelt during the national anthem.
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Hurricane Harvey hero
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Injured Reserve
2017 could easily go down as The Year of the Sports Injury. Arguably the worst rash of injuries in NFL history has seen an unusually large number of superstars such as Watt, Odell Beckham Jr. and Richard Sherman knocked out of the season too soon.
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Graphic NBA fall
The NFL wasn't the only organization to suffer from injuries. Six minutes into his debut as a Boston Celtic, Gordon Hayward fractured his leg and dislocated his ankle after landing awkwardly during a national broadcast. The gruesome image horrified many, and Hayward was later confirmed to be out for the remainder of the season.
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World Series stunner
One of the craziest World Series ever played, the 2017 Fall Classic was perfectly encapsulated by Game 5 between the L.A. Dodgers and the Houston Astros. No team (or fan) felt safe while ahead, nor out of hope while behind. In the end, the Astros won the game, and eventually clinched the Series for the first time in the franchise's 56-year history.
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With epic comebacks, heartbreaking tragedies and politics galore, 2017 proved to a roller coaster ride for sports fans
Sports are unpredictable in their nature, but 2017 gave us more heart-stopping moments and epic upsets than normal ... even before the president chimed in to share his opinion of the NFL.
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