The NFL has been investigating whether or not the Seattle Seahawks violated the league’s concussion protocol with Russell Wilson in Week 10, and a verdict has been reached.
On Thursday, the NFL and NFL Players Association announced that the Seahawks have been fined $100,000. Their coaches and staff members will also be required to attend training sessions regarding the concussion protocol.
Seahawks fined $100k for not following the concussion protocol with Russell Wilson. Yet another infraction for Pete Carroll's team pic.twitter.com/ppTXVXBc1o
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 21, 2017
The Seahawks allowed Wilson to return to their Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals just minutes after an official ordered him to leave the field to undergo concussion testing. Television cameras appeared to show the quarterback telling doctors in the sideline medical tent that he was fine before he ran back onto the field. It seemed clear that NFL concussion protocol regulations — which include “at a minimum” having a team doctor ask the player a series of questions and check for symptoms — were not followed. Wilson was on the sideline for just one play.
The Seahawks are no strangers to violating league rules, and they have been penalized for it in the past. If you remember, they were fined $400,000 and docked a fifth-round draft pick last year for having players break the “no-contact” rule during a portion of the offseason.
