Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles explains dealing with of TE Cameron Brate’s concussion

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ dealing with of tight finish Cameron Brate’s concussion in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Sunday night time raised some eyebrows, however coach Todd Bowles mentioned Monday that the group initially believed Brate injured a shoulder and didn’t present concussion signs till halftime, which is why he remained within the sport.

With 1 minute, 35 seconds to go within the second quarter, Brate’s head collided with teammate Chris Godwin’s shoulder as he was operating throughout the sphere. Brate flung backward onto the bottom, drawing a collective gasp from the gang.

“He went on the sideline. He complained of shoulder discomfort, nothing about his head,” Bowles mentioned Monday. “He was checked out thrice. You simply say, ‘Give him a minute.’ Nothing got here up. He went again in till the tip of the half. At halftime, he began having signs, however they have been delayed. He began complaining about that. We examined him, he is within the protocol, and we stored him out the remainder of the sport.”

Brate lay on the sphere for just a few seconds, showing dazed, and was sluggish to rise up. Offensive sort out Tristan Wirfs put an arm round him. Then as he jogged off the sphere earlier than the following play, Brate bumped into an official. It’s unclear what induced him to run into the official — the truth that he was making an attempt to get off the sphere rapidly or that he was disoriented, and Brate was not out there after the sport to reply questions on it, as gamers with concussions will not be permitted to talk to the media.

After he went to the sideline, Brate didn’t go into the medical tent to be examined and was again on the sphere for that very same collection. He suffered no apparent extra blows to the pinnacle after that play, however he was dominated out with a concussion within the third quarter.

When requested why nobody examined Brate for a concussion given the violent nature of the hit, Bowles defined, “He complained about his shoulder, not his head. You may’t see a neurologist or speak about concussions when you solely complained in regards to the shoulder. It got here up at halftime the place he began to have signs about his head. So if you say, ‘Your shoulder’s hurting, you want a second on your shoulder.’ No one’s actually checking off your head. And you then return in, you discover out at halftime that you’ve got signs in your head, you then go, ‘Concussion, concussion protocol.’ That is all you are able to do, actually.”

Former Bucs head coach and Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Tony Dungy, who was on the sideline working as an analyst for NBC Sports activities, was critical of Brate going back into the game and known as the NFL’s concussion protocol a “broken system.” He additionally expressed concern as to why play wasn’t stopped by the officers.

The league’s dealing with of concussions has come beneath excessive scrutiny this week with the NFL and NFL Gamers Affiliation launching an investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ dealing with of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who confirmed important indicators of neurological impairment — stumbling to the bottom after taking successful from Buffalo Payments linebacker Matt Milano — in Week 3.

Tagovailoa was cleared to reenter the sport by an unbiased neurologist, and he was cleared to play simply 4 days later final Thursday night time, when he was hit once more, by Cincinnati Bengals defensive sort out Josh Tupou, and appeared to exhibit what’s known as a “fencing response,” which entails locking the fingers and arms into an uncommon place after a blow to the pinnacle impacts the brainstem. He left the sport on a stretcher. The unbiased neurologist who cleared Tagovailoa to play was fired for the NFLPA on Saturday. Tagovailoa is within the concussion protocol and has already been dominated out this week.

In Brate’s case, the Bucs relied on him talking up about his signs, and it would make clear a layer of the concussion protocol that must be reexamined, by which the duty shifts from gamers self-reporting to these charged with the duty of monitoring them, which, on this case, could be the coaches, coaching workers and unbiased neurologists.

The NFL and NFLPA are engaged on revising the protocol, together with language that might prohibit a participant from reentering a sport if the participant confirmed gross motor instability (a present loophole that exists is that if the participant and group say the instability was brought on by one other harm; in Tagovailoa’s case, it was his again). Within the meantime, group trainers and unbiased neurologists have been inspired to err on the aspect of warning this week.

“It is all the time essential for gamers to talk up,” Bowles mentioned. “It is essential for us to see it as properly. Clearly, we see a tough hit, anyone upside the pinnacle, you need to try it. Some issues you do not see because it’s wherever round this space proper right here (factors to the collarbone space) which will have delayed response with a knee-jerk factor. So participant security’s essential for us on this league. We’re not making an attempt to play anyone that is harm.”