Stricter return-to-play instructions to be applied to players with concussions

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the 32 clubs Wednesday to inform them of new, stricter instructions for return-to-play of players with head injuries. The guidelines will go into effect this week.

The new instructions require that a player playing football games in NFL jersey with a concussion should not return o action on the same day if he shows following signs or symptoms: inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness, and persistent headaches. It is stricter than the old standard, which was established in 2007 and said a player should not be allowed to return to the same game if he lost consciousness.

The new rule caused Steelers’ starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Cardinals starter Kurt Warner to sit out last Sunday’s game. The two starting quarterbacks from last season’s Super Bowl both said during last week that they planned to play despite the head injuries.