Did Vikings use smelling salts to revive concussed player? Concussion expert calls out franchise
The topic of concussions in the NFL is at an all-time high, with Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa at the center of the discussion. Due to what happened to Tagovailoa, the issue is being examined deeply, with experts calling out NFL franchises for not following proper protocol. Dr. Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., called out the Minnesota Vikings as he shared a video on Twitter. The video shows the team possibly using smelling salts on a player that might be concussed.
Vikings appear to pull out the smelling salts here, which are famous for being used to revive someone after a #concussion. While also used "recreationally" it's a terrible look for the NFL after Tua.
Thanks @alanschwarz, who we all owe a lot to, for the video. https://t.co/gn3aW5ifZ3
The practice of using salts has been banned for decades by major boxing organizations. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said this regarding smelling salts:
"Team medical staffs do not use [smelling salts] in any way for the treatment of any concussion or other injury. We have seen no proven performance enhancement and minimal risk. Team medical staffs monitor all aspects of their players' care."
Smelling salts are typically used when a player is light headed or blacked out on the field. When a player comes up dizzy due to a hit from another player, the team trainers bring out smelling salts to revive them. However, the league is trying to fix the way concussions are dealt with.
How the NFL and NFLPA are dealing with concussions
The NFLPA opened an investigation into the Dolphins organization after Tagovailoa returned to the team's Week 3 game versus the Buffalo Bills. The quarterback was visibly unstable after taking a hit from linebacker Matt Milano. Furthermore, the NFLPA fired the neurotrama consultant involved in the decision-making of allowing the Miami quarterback to return to the game.
A few days later, the former Alabama quarterback started for the team versus the Cincinnati Bengals. In the second quarter, he took another big hit from Bengals defensive lineman Josh Tupou. He was taken to the hospital for head and neck injuries after leaving the game on a stretcher.
The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to a framework of modernizing concussion protocols that will sit players who show gross motor instability, as Tagovailoa did against the Bills. In a joint statement by the NFL and NFLPA, they discussed the agreement on updated protocols, saying:
"The joint NFL-NFLPA investigation into the application of the Concussion Protocol involving Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains ongoing. Therefore, we have not made any conclusions about medical errors or protocol violations".
Now, Congress has stepped into the discussion about the league's handling of the injury. We will see if more will be done to protect players going forward.
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