It’s official.
49ers quarterback Alex Smith won’t play on Monday night against the Bears.
The team announced the decision on Monday, explaining that the team’s medical director and concussion expert, Dr. Dan Garza, made the determination.
It’s still unclear whether Smith reported concussion symptoms, or whether he failed the team’s “contact” test. The 49ers use the “contact” test for every player who has suffered a concussion (contrary to a recent report that one player wasn’t required to pass a “contact” test), subjecting the player to simulated game contact to the head and monitoring him for symptoms in lieu of securing clearance and then having the player suffer concussion symptoms in a game.
Some other team’s use the “contact” test, but it’s not required. In this case, the end result of the team’s analysis is that Smith will be required to not play.