In light of the incident with the Browns and Colt McCoy's belatedly diagnosed concussion, the NFL has decided to put an independent athletic trainer in the press box of every football game to watch each of the league's 32 teams for proper adherence to TBI assessment protocols. This can be a unique opportunity to promote the profession of athletic training and to demonstrate that we are capable of performing more than just taping ankles and getting ice. I hope that this will not only bring more stability to the NFL, but will also promote the safety of the players, and bring some positive publicity our profession.
Upon reading many comments of fans and others interested in the TBI crisis, I found a great many of them had a very negative response to this new rule. Many of them were asking "Why can't a doctor just be hired to do it and forgo the AT. To this, I have two answers. The first is cost. ATs are far cheaper to hire to watch from the press box than are physicians. Secondly, according to neuropsychologist Dr. Mickey Collins at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the designers of the ImPACT program, "There is a large number of athletic trainers that are practicing better medicine with regards to this injury than many physicians." I can't think of a better endorsement than that for allowing ATs to have this chance.
One thing is certain, I will be investigating the position and see if I can get into this for a side job. After all, it sounds like fun.
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