The National Football League came out with a newer protocol prior to the 2016 season for observing and preventing concussions. It puts into place observers that are unaffiliated with either team and rules for examination and re-entry into games.
So in the first game of the 2016 NFL season on Sept. 8, when Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was slow to get up in the fourth quarter following a hit to the head, the protocol would suggest that he be removed from the game and examined for a possible concussion.
But just because the NFL has a protocol does not mean that it’s enforced, or that they follow it.