The status of Bears' safety Jaquan Brisker proves there's still much to be done regarding how the NFL handles concussions
Concussions have been a major concern for the National Football League and the league is still trying to figure out how to manage these serious injuries that are unfortunately going to always be a part of the game.Right now, Chicago Bears' safety Jaquan Brisker is dealing with one of the most severe cases of the […]
Concussions have been a major concern for the National Football League and the league is still trying to figure out how to manage these serious injuries that are unfortunately going to always be a part of the game.
Right now, Chicago Bears' safety Jaquan Brisker is dealing with one of the most severe cases of the season.
Brisker suffered a concussion on October 6th in a game against the Carolina Panthers and has since been working through the concussion protocol.
"I always have concern with anyone that's in concussion (protocol),” head coach Matt Eberflus said back on October 23rd. "It's a big injury. It's something that you've got to be very careful about and our guys do a great job with those guys working through the protocol. That's why it's in place and that's why the NFL has instituted that. It's where it is right now and we're hoping that he's getting better every single day."
That comment by Eberflus was 21 weeks ago, and now Brisker is expected to miss his fifth consecutive game of the season due to the injury.
The concussion was the third such injury of Brisker's three-year NFL career, which adds even more concern to his case. And the injury itself isn't the worst part, it's how the injury was diagnosed and handled on the field.
Even though the concussion occurred in the game against the Panthers in Week 5, Brisker never entered the protocol until he self-reported his symptoms on the following day to the training staff.
The hit that caused the injury occurred during the second quarter of the game when Brisker hit Panthers' tight end Tommy Tremble helmet-to-helmet. Tremble left the game and went into the locker room, but Brisker returned to the game after being checked on the sideline.
That means, some how, Brisker passed all the visual and cognitive tests and no-go factors necessary to return to the field.
According to Sporting News, no-go's include loss of consciousness, gross motor instability, confusion, amnesia, fencing response, impact seizure, history of concussions, abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue. If any of these issues are found, then the player is not allowed to return to the game.
Given Brisker's recent history with concussions, that alone should have prevented him from coming back into the game. Here's the play where Brisker was concussed and you can see him lying on the field for a brief moment after taking the hit. It's confusing as to how Brisker got cleared to return after this hit.
Once a player is diagnosed with a concussion, they then enter the protocol and have to pass a series of phases before being cleared to play again. Here are those phases:
– Phase 1: Symptom limited activity
– Phase 2: Aerobic exercise
– Phase 3: Football specific exercise
– Phase 4: Club-based non-contact training drills
– Phase 5: Full football activity (clearance)
It's currently unknown which stage of the protocol Brisker is in, but it's been 38 days since Brisker suffered his concussion. During his rookie year, Brisker returned to the field after 28 days in the protocol. After his second concussion in the NFL in 2023, it took Brisker 18 days to return to the field.
It's now reached a serious point for the Bears' young safety given how long he's been out of action to the injury and there's no telling how much longer he will be out for.
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