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Report: Seahawks to face consequences after violating concussion protocol

The NFL’s investigation into how the Seattle Seahawks handled Russell Wilson and a potential head injury on Thursday night will likely lead to some consequences for the Seahawks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting.

Citing “a source close to the situation,” Schefter wrote that the Seahawks violated the NFL’s concussion protocol when they allowed Wilson to re-enter the game against Arizona before the quarterback had been taken back to the team’s locker room and being cleared by team doctors as well as an independent doctor.

Once an official, in this case referee Walt Anderson, removed Wilson from the game to be examined – Wilson took a shot to the chin from Karlos Dansby for which Dansby was flagged for roughing the passer – he was required to go through proper protocol, and he did not.

The Seahawks will likely be punished after not following concussion protocol for quarterback Russell Wilson. (AP)
The Seahawks will likely be punished after not following concussion protocol for quarterback Russell Wilson. (AP)

Wilson missed just one snap.

Schefter wrote that the NFL and NFL Players Association will investigate jointly, interviewing members of the organization in the coming days and coming to a decision within the next couple of weeks.

A league spokesman told ESPN that no interviews have been conducted yet, so the NFL has not reached any conclusions.

By rule, Seattle can be fined up to $150,000 for violating the protocol, but it’s unclear right now what the team’s penalty will be. On Friday, the league announced it was opening an investigation into the incident.

Wilson did not suffer a brain injury on the play, but that does not excuse the team from not following the rules as prescribed.

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