Referees to Watch for Concussions

Ten days after the Chargers' Kris Dielman suffered a grand mal seizure on the flight home after suffering a concussion during a game, the NFL is taking steps to tighten its surveillance on players with suspected brain injuries.

Dielman's hit, early in the fourth quarter, left him stumbling on the field. The Pro Bowl guard waved off a referee and stayed in the game. Team doctors apparently were unaware of the situation and were treating another player at the time.

On the plane ride home to San Diego, Dielman suffered a seizure. An ambulance met the plane and transported Dielman to a local hospital. He is unsure when he will return to the playing field.

New emphasis

NFL referees will now receive additional training on the signs and symptoms associated with concussion.

"We are taking the step on officials to make them alert to obvious concussion symptoms," Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president of public relations, said. "We're not trying to train the officials to be doctors, but we're asking them to treat it like other injuries that may make it necessary to stop the game and get them medical attention, either on the field or by getting them off the field," according to ESPN.

Whether to require a player who has suffered a concussion to undergo a more rigorous evaluation before being allowed to go home after a game, is also under discussion.

In its first test, Jets' tight end Dustin Keller hit the ground hard and came up woozy, in Sunday's game against the Bills. Officials called an injury time-out and he was removed from the field, but returned for the seond half.

Source: NFL to refs: Be aware of head injuries -- ESPN

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