Former LSU standout Jamal Adams enters concussion protocol in first NFL game back in 13 months

Jamal Adams made his long-awaited return to an NFL field when he took part in the Seattle Seahawks’ "Monday Night Football" matchup against the New York Giants.

After just nine snaps, the former LSU standout was once again forced to the sideline.

In his first game back in 13 months, Adams entered concussion protocol in the first quarter. He entered protocol after Giants quarterback Daniel Jones kneed Adams' head while the seventh-year safety tried to tackle him. The hit that caused Adams' head injury can be viewed here.

Adams was noticeably wobbly when he tried standing up on his own, and ultimately had to be assisted off the field at MetLife Stadium. He was taken to the Seahawks’ injury tent, where he was evaluated before being taken into the training room for a concussion evaluation.

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Adams was visibly angry as he was being escorted from the field, yelling in the direction of the independent neurologist on the Seattle sideline.

He was later ruled out by the team for the rest of the contest. Before exiting the game, Adams had two tackles, both unassisted.

Adams was a first-team all-SEC selection and second-team all-American at LSU in 2016. After being drafted by the New York Jets with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Adams was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2019 before being traded to the Seahawks the following offseason.

Jamal Adams injury history

Monday night’s setback was unfortunately not the first injury of Adams’ NFL career.

In 2019, the native Texan missed two games with an ankle injury in what would be his final season with the Jets. The following year, his first in Seattle, he was forced to miss four games with a groin injury and missed the Seahawks’ final five games in 2021 after tearing his labrum in a win against the San Francisco 49ers.

His most devastating injury, both from a timing and severity standpoint, occurred in 2022: Just 15 snaps into his season, Adams tore his quadriceps tendon in Seattle’s season-opening win against the Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football." He missed the rest of the season.

After that pair of injuries, Adams has appeared in just two of the Seahawks’ past 24 games.

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NFL concussion protocol

By sitting out the remainder of Seattle’s game Monday night, Adams was strictly following the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Developed in 2011 by a team of NFL-affiliated doctors and scientists, the league’s game-day concussion diagnosis and management protocol requires that a player enter the protocol if the player exhibits or self-reports signs of a concussion or another party — a team medical official, a referee, coach or teammate — initiates the protocol.

From there, the player is taken to the sideline to undergo the concussion assessment, which is outlined here.

The protocol was updated in 2018, when the NFL’s head, neck and spine committee instituted the following changes:

• A third independent neurotrauma consultant was added to the process. That new consultant monitors the broadcast and audio feeds of each game from the spotters' booth, and notify on-field consultants of possible head, neck or spine injuries.

• Defined impact seizure and fencing responses as independent signs of potential loss of consciousness. Players who display either of these signs at any time are required to be removed from play and may not return to the game.

• Required an evaluation for all players demonstrating ataxia (abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination, or dysfunctional speech) to determine the cause of the instability. If it’s determined the instability has neurological cause, they cannot return to play.

• Instructed officials, teammates, and coaching staffs to take an injured player directly to a member of the medical team for appropriate evaluation.

• Required all players who undergo any concussion evaluation on game day to have a follow-up evaluation conducted the following day by a member of the medical staff.

In order to return to the game, a player is required to follow a five-step process. Any potential return is dependent on a variety of factors, including the player’s concussion history, his current injury, family history and future risk.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jamal Adams enters concussion protocol in first NFL game in 13 months