Here's (a little of) what I think about the concussion issue in football.
Firstly, I think that the vast majority of current and former NFL coaches are talking out of their … backsides … when being critical of Miami's handling of Tua. This is a Hershel Walker/abortion level of hypocrisy. It wouldn't take long to find countless examples of this if one were to look into the past player handlings of Harbaugh, Belichick, Ryan, and just about any other head coach. Many have already been highlighted on Twitter and other social media formats.
Joe Burrow
Julian Edelman
This is because the strategies in place for player safety do not exist in a vacuum. There are always strong competing contingencies in place. In other words, let's compare two fictitious scenarios.
Scenario 1:
The Cardinals are 8-0. They're up 21-0 late into the 3rd quarter vs. the Jets. They have a BYE next week. Kyle Murray takes a big hit. He's slow to get up and is called over to the tent.
Scenario 2:
The Panthers are 4-4. The game is tied 21-21 in the 4th quarter vs. the Bucs. Baker Mayfield takes a big hit. He's slow to get up and is called over to the tent.
In the first scenario? Kliff Kingsbury's job is safe. The season's going well. Hell, they can likely finish off the Jets with Colt McCoy. And Kyler Murray? He just signed a massive contract extension. His job/money is as secure as it gets. Even if Kyler has only minor "concussion symptoms", he'll go into the concussion protocol with 0 risks of missing their next game, which is 2 weeks away. While there is the "Can Kyler Murray stay healthy?" media narrative, the competing contingencies are minimal.
In the 2nd scenario, we have significant competing contingencies on the coaching and player end of things. Matt Rhule's playing for his job, and Baker's doing the same, while he's also vying for his next big contract. In this situation, everyone involved has influences that interfere with the safest, most conservative option.
Let's pretend that Baker passes his concussion check (*more on this later), but Rhule notices that he seems a bit "off," and says to him, "I'm pulling you for your own good." Baker's response may possibly be, "Go fuck yourself. If you pull me, you're fucking with my career and money. I'm playing." Or, more likely, he may
think this, while presenting his argument much more cordially/convincingly.
I can't remember a time when the NFL has been this 24/7. EVERY FUCKING SECOND OF THE DAY, "analysts" are breaking down QB performances, ranking the league's QBs, and calling for a number of QBs to be replaced. ALL OFF-SEASON AND SEASON, Tua's heard that he's not good enough, he can't stay healthy, and that this is his ONE YEAR to prove that he's "legit." Is it a surprise that he has to be taken out on a stretcher before ever leaving willingly? Tua's wonky brain was likely screaming, "THIS IS YOUR CAREER AT STAKE! EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED WILL BE TAKEN from YOU!"
This brings me back to concussion testing. I have the joy of attending graduate school with many future sports psychologists, a few of who are specializing in brain trauma. Here's the deal: Players are experts in the process. They do things like intentionally underperforming on their baseline test (which is used to assess their cognitive status post potential head trauma), memorize common/standard questions, and flat-out lie about concussion symptoms.
It's a lot more complicated of an issue than most are reporting on.