The NFL is fining the Giants, Brian Daboll and Cam Skattebo a combined $315,000 for violating the league’s concussion protocol during the team’s Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL and NFL players’ association announced jointly that they are assessing a $200,000 fine to the Giants, a $100,000 fine to Daboll and a $15,000 fine to Skattebo for their actions during quarterback Jaxson Dart’s concussion evaluation on the night of Oct. 9.
“The NFL and NFLPA concluded that the Giants violated the protocol when Head Coach Brian Daboll and running back Cam Skattebo entered the medical tent and spoke with Mr. Dart before his evaluation was complete, creating the perception that they were interfering with Dart’s exam,” the league and union wrote.
“While the parties agreed that Coach Daboll’s and Mr. Skattebo’s actions had no actual impact on the exam or the care that Mr. Dart received,” the statement continued, “their conduct was inconsistent with and demonstrated a disregard for the concussion protocol’s requirements and therefore constituted a violation.”
The league and players’ association said that in the aftermath of those actions, “the Giants undertook immediate remedial steps to prevent any similar violation in the future, including by cooperating fully with the joint review, conducting additional training with club staff and players about proper use of the medical tent and taking additional steps to ensure that only permitted individuals are able to enter the medical tent during a concussion evaluation.”
The biggest step taken immediately after the violation was co-owner John Mara’s strong statement issued the very next day condemning Daboll’s actions.
“I spoke to Coach Daboll this morning about approaching the medical tent,” Mara said. “While I firmly believe, as he has stated, that he was not trying to influence the process in any way, he understands that the appearance of going to the tent is inappropriate.
“We have protocols in place as a league to ensure player safety,” Mara added. “And we need to allow our medical staff to execute those protocols without interference
“We understand the situation is under review by the NFL and the NFLPA, and obviously, we will fully cooperate.”
The NFL and NFLPA said they reviewed the relevant reports and video and jointly interviewed members of the club medical staff, independent medical providers, coaches and players.
They said they concluded that team medical staff and unaffiliated medical providers “properly followed all of the steps required by the collectively bargained and administered concussion protocol in their evaluation of Mr. Dart.”
“When the protocol is triggered, all gameday concussion evaluations must take place either in the sideline blue medical tent or in the locker room, to ensure that the player receives a thorough examination without distraction,” the league and union wrote.
“The concussion protocol states that ‘only medical personnel deemed essential to the care of the athlete may be present for the tent and/or locker room evaluation. This includes the team physician best qualified to evaluate concussion, the club athletic trainer, and the sideline Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant,’” their statement read. “No other individuals are permitted in the tent or locker room during an evaluation.”
Daboll might have known about the severity of his fine on Thursday.
When he was asked if center John Michael Schmitz was going to a neurologist Friday to get cleared from the concussion protocol, Daboll said: “You have to ask the doctors about the concussion protocol.”
Maybe he already knew about the money coming out of his pocket.
