The NFL has taken concussions more seriously in recent years, but the league has also made sure to keep an eye out for players faking the injury. This season, a player was fined for allegedly faking a concussion, according to NFLPA president JC Tretter.
On Thursday, Tretter released an open letter in which he outlined his issues with how the NFL disciplines players, especially when it comes to fines. Tretter made the case that the league has the tendency to be overly punitive, and he outlined one specific story as an example.
According to Tretter, a player was fined $50,000 earlier this season for allegedly faking a concussion after the medical staff told him to go down on the field. The player went through the proper concussion protocol, returned to the game after missing some time, and still received a fine.
"He came out of the game for a concussion evaluation, which was required by our jointly appointed UNC and AT Spotter because of the blow to the player's head," Tretter wrote. "He was evaluated for a concussion and missed the following two series. Despite the emphasis on players' self-reporting this most serious of injuries, the NFL determined in their review process that a $50,000 fine was warranted."
The fine was appealed and was eventually rescinded in full, but Tretter made the case that it should never have gotten to that point in the first place. He pointed out that it sets a "very dangerous precedent" for players to stop self-reporting injuries if they think they'll get fined after being cleared.
