The Pittsburgh Steelers have thus far had an interesting relationship with the league’s new concussion protocols, including their newly appointed ‘unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants’, or spotters, who are in attendance at every game and have the opportunity to review film for signs of a possible head trauma, and have the authority to pause a game to check on a player if deemed necessary.
The Steelers were the first team for which this applied during the third game of the season when Antwon Blake was briefly pulled out of the game by the medical consultants—including the team’s own physician—during the middle of a defensive drive.