NFL tells officials to call injury timeouts if a player looks hurt

Posted by Michael David Smith on November 16, 2013, 4:41 PM EST
AP

Officials don’t only take injury timeouts when a player is down on the ground and obviously hurt. The NFL instructs officials to call injury timeouts even if a player is upright and walking back to the huddle, if that player appears to be injured.

That’s the word from NFL head of officiating Dean Blandino, who said in a video distributed to the media that the league office tells officials to call injury timeouts any time they believe a player should be checked by the medical staff.

“If you notice a player that’s in distress, a player that’s injured, or a potential injury . . . we’re telling our game officials to look for this type of reaction from a player and stop the game and get him out of the game,” Blandino said.

Blandino said the officials did a good job of recognizing that Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro looked dazed after a hit on Sunday. The officials called an injury timeout so that Vaccaro could be examined. Vaccaro did, in fact, have a concussion, and he will not play this week.

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11 responses to “NFL tells officials to call injury timeouts if a player looks hurt”

  2. It would be interesting how it works out, when it happens to an offense that is trailing and want to preserve their timeouts inside the two min mark. What I understand is within two min mark any injury that happens to an offensive player as per rule they will charge the timeout on offense.

  3. What’s that, player? You want to try to keep playing through that injury?

    Too goddamn bad.

  5. Yeah because the officials don’t have enough stuff to screw up on lets add another distraction. Why not just replace the officials with a person or two in the booth and if a penalty is committed push a BUZZ sound over the PA and take over the big screens informing of the infraction.

    One official to spot the ball and start the clock and then have another official observing players for owwies.

    There is your simple solution and it’ll speed up the game. OOOH WAIT, you don’t want the game to go faster because that means less commercials and less commercials means less $$$.

    We see you NFL, we see you.

  6. Oh yeahhhhh – I’m sure this will never be abused, and corrupt game day results.

  7. Another pathetic overreaction by Goodell and his lackeys.

    They’re also “enhancing” QB protection and reportedly considering making hits that are too low illegal …. under the pretense that they’re so concerned for player safety and welfare …. as they have been turning their back on NFL vets for DECADES.

    Hypocrisy extraordinaire.

  8. Ben Roethlisberger ‘looks hurt’ getting off the team bus…how is he ever going to finish a game now?

  9. The sad truth – if the officials hadn’t have called an injury timeout he would have continued to play because neither he nor his team would have pulled him out if he was upright and the least bit aware of his surroundings.

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