Concussions were again a hot topic of conversation this season in the NFL, and the chatter isn’t likely to quiet anytime soon.
On Friday, the NFL confirmed that concussions made a concerning jump in 2022. According to the data released by the league via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, concussions rose by 18 percent compared to 2021.
NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills stopped short of attributing the rise of concussions to better league-wide diagnosis, instead citing protocol changes and a different way of defining concussions as reasons behind the growing trend.
“We continue to become more cautious and conservative in our evaluation and diagnosis of concussions,” Sills said. “That’s not just an opinion. That’s backed up by data.”
Sills said there were “twice as many” medical timeouts in 2022 triggered by independent spotters and on-field officials, adding that there were an average of 1.6 medical evaluations per game, which is also up from last year.
Regardless of the reason, concussions continue to be a serious issue in the NFL. Despite increased measures to spot and treat players who sustain head injuries during a game, the NFL came under fire for its protocols throughout the year. The Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol twice this season after several frightening incidents, which the NFLPA investigated.
The NFL and NFLPA modified concussion protocols in October. Still, calls for further reform are bound to get louder now that there’s tangible evidence proving that the problem continues to be an issue and a growing one.
