NFL believes concussion procedures were followed properly in Panthers-Broncos

The NFL said Friday that medical experts on hand at Thursday night’s season-opening game monitored the hits on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and found no cause to have Newton removed from the field or undergo testing for a concussion during the game.

The experts felt there were “no indications of a concussion” necessitating further steps at the time, the league said in a written statement.

“There was communication between medical personnel on the Carolina sideline, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, and the two independent certified athletic trainer spotters in the booth,” the NFL’s statement said. “During stoppage in play while on-field officials were in the process of administrating penalties, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and team physician requested video from the spotters and reviewed the play. They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player from the game.”

The NFL believes the concussion procedures were followed properly, a league spokesman said.

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Newton received several helmet-to-helmet hits by Denver Broncos defenders during the Broncos’ 21-20 victory.

When asked at his postgame news conference whether he’d undergone concussion testing, Newton said he’d answered questions following the game.

The league and the NFL Players Association have a new joint policy to monitor whether the sport’s concussion policies are applied properly during games. Under those policies, a player demonstrating any sign of a concussion is to be removed from a game to undergo testing.

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