Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

NFL

NFL reports 18% increase in concussions during 2022 season

The NFL had seen a decline the previous two seasons

Ryan Morik By Ryan Morik Fox News
Published
close
Fox News Flash top sports headlines for February 3 Video

Fox News Flash top sports headlines for February 3

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on foxnews.1eye.us.

Concussions increased by 18% in the NFL during the 2022 regular season from last year.

The NFL reported 149 concussions were diagnosed in 271 regular season games compared to 126 in 2021. The total is also 14% higher than the three-year average from 2018 to 2020.

Tua Tagovailoa gets taken off the field

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) is assisted off the field during the first half of a game against the Buffalo Bills Sept. 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Dr. Allen Sills, the league's chief medical officer, said the increase comes from a protocol change that "broadened and strengthened" the definition of concussions following injuries suffered by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in a four-day span.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON foxnews.1eye.us

Tagovailoa suffered a lower-back injury that left him wobbly in Week 3. The Dolphins played Week 4 on "Thursday Night Football," and he suffered a concussion that sent him to a hospital.

Tua Tagovailoa hurt at midfield

Teammates gather around Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after an injury during the first half of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sept. 29, 2022, in Cincinnati.  (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)

"We continue to become more cautious and conservative in our evaluation and diagnosis of concussions," Sills said, via ESPN. "That's not just an opinion. That's backed up by the data."

Independent spotters and on-field officials performed nearly twice as many medical evaluations this year than last.

NFL logo on field

The NFL logo on the field before a game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium Oct. 3, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The NFL did see its lowest number of training camp concussions in eight years with just 25. Players wore extra helmet protection during the summer practices.