Below is an outline of the information provided by the NCAA on concussions which is useful not only to understand Ryan Mallett’s situation (or the situation of any other player in football, basketball, baseball or otherwise who suffers a concussion) but it is also a decent source of information for high schools and club teams in any sport.
Over the last year, the NCAA became more sensitive to the issue as reporters made the issue of concussions and particularly their long-term effects known. Through Committees and other bodies taking many things into consideration, the NCAA Executive Committee formally adopted a proposed concussion management policy in April of 2010 which was implemented in July of 2010.
The thumbnail sketch is that Ryan Mallett, as soon as he exhibited signs of a concussion was barred from play for the remainder of the day. At that point, the NCAA has four pages of guidelines found at pages 52-56 of the 2010-2011 Sports Medicine Handbook below, but the key requirement is this:
“It is essential that no athlete be allowed to return to participation when any symptoms persist, either at rest or during exertion.” (My underline.)
If Ryan were to begin to experience symptoms of a concussion again, he would be barred from practice or play that day and re-evaluated until cleared.
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten Tyler “Freakin” Wilson and his Monster Performance on Saturday!!! We are digging to verify that it was the biggest performance of any Razorback backup quarterback ever.
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Executive Committee OKs concussion management policy
“The effort to address concussion-management policies more broadly began in December with the competitive-safeguard committee’s revision of an NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook guideline advising member institutions on appropriate response to concussions and procedures for returning student-athletes to competition or practice.
In January, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel instructed playing-rules committees to review policies for stopping play for injuries and to consider rules that may further prevent head injuries.
In response, the NCAA Football Rules Committee modified that sport’s rules to require removing from play student-athletes suffering any injury (including exhibiting signs of concussion) until cleared to return by appropriate medical professionals...”
In an educational partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Concussion in Sports campaign, the NCAA has supplied each member campus with two posters and two sets of fact sheets addressing concussion awareness, prevention, and management. The following high resolution materials are available for downloading and printing.
NCAA Approach to Concussions — PDF
NCAA Requires a Concussion Management Plan as found in 2010-2011 Sports Medicine Handbook — PDF
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