For several years, the NFL has used ATC spotters to identify players who potentially have suffered concussions and to remove them from play. This year, ATC spotters have the ability to call a timeout in order to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.
On Sunday, in the game between the Lions and the Vikings, a concussion may have fallen through the cracks.
Minnesota guard Brandon Fusco emerged from the game with a concussion. Via TheVikingAge.com, Fusco apparently suffered the concussion on the last play of the third quarter.
Fusco pulled from the left guard position, made helmet-to-helmet contact with a Detroit defender, and then fell to the ground. After being helped up, the game wasn’t stopped.
The game wasn’t stopped even though the third quarter was ending. And so it seems that the ATC spotter simply missed this one. Which makes the power to stop the game meaningless, if the ATC spotter doesn’t realize the game should be stopped.
The good news is that Fusco appears to be fine. After missing practice on Wednesday, he returned to practice on Thursday. Still, he played an entire quarter with an apparent concussion; a second concussion could have led to a serious health consequence.