Bay Area Star's Hit Helped Usher In NFL's New 'Edelman' Concussion Rule
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Blaine Gabbert took a brutal hit by former Niner Phillip Wheeler during Sunday's contest against the Atlanta Falcons.
And while Gabbert got up, and went back into the huddle, a new NFL rule forced him off the field for an evaluation.
The new rule is nicknamed after the Bay Area's own football star Julian Edelman and the hit he took came in Super Bowl XLIX --the most watched event in American TV history.
In the 4th quarter, Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady threw a pass to Edelman who then promptly got hammered. At the time. social media lit up with tweets and posts about whether Edelman just got a concussion.
Famed sports agent Leigh Steinberg remembered seeing it.
"It was a vicious hit," said Steinberg, shaking his head.
Edelman popped up, ran several yards, seemed to fall over his feet, got up on one knee and then stood up. A teammate and a referee both appeared to ask if he was ok.
After the drive, Edelman was evaluated for a concussion, and "cleared to return to play".
But outcry over that "hit" at Super Bowl XLIX along with a few other hits that occurred at other games was heard loud and clear at the NFL.
After the Super Bowl, team owners unanimously passed a player safety resolution. It's officially called the G2 Resolution or Medical Timeout. Unofficially, the new rule is called "the Edelman rule."
"If that's what the league wants to do to protect players, then I'm all for it," said 49ers guard Alex Boone.
The rule allows for the first time medical time-outs.
If the NFL spotter in the press box sees a possible concussion and the player stays in the game, he can push a button, talk directly to a referee and immediately stop the game.
The spotter is a trained and certified athletic trainer who is not employed by either team.
Once the player leaves the field, he will be evaluated by a doctor on the sideline and evaluated for a concussion.
The decision is not left up to the team and it does not count against the team as a "timeout"
"There are some people who have great concerns about this and what it may do to the flow of the game," said Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Tim McAdams of Stanford Medical Center and the team physician for the San Francisco 49ers.
"We'll have to see how it works out, but I know it's the right thing to do because things happen so quickly," McAdams said.
According to the CDC, playing in the NFL triples the risk a player will die from a degenerative brain disease
The evidence suggests the cause is due to repetitive blows to the head.
"The Edelman rule is critical in at least making a dent in this because the basic nature of players is that they're in denial." said Steinberg.
Steinberg said bypassing the team is important because that the denial can extend to coaches and trainers
"They are all part of the same system which is real men play with pain, real men hang in there, real men under all circumstances remain on the field," explained the sports agent.
So far this season, KPIX News has learned that the Edelman rule has been invoked at least 3 times: During Sunday's 49ers-Falcons game and previously in the Rams-Steelers game, and Vikings-Broncos game.
In all 3 cases, the players were removed, evaluated and then cleared-to-return-to-play.
The evaluation is done not just by the team's physician, A second doctor - an unaffiliated neuro-trauma expert - is also involved.
At Levi's Stadium that job falls to a national expert: UCSF Neurosurgeon Dr. Mitch Berger. Berger is not only the chair of the Department of Neurology at UCSF but he is also a member of the NFL's Committee on Concussions.
"We're just another set of eyes to help them as a specialist, but completely independent of the team," said Berger.
KPIX News spoke to some of the Niners, and they actually like the new rule.
"They're trying to look out for the player's best interest after football -- to try to make sure we're able to walk and enjoy family things ... once we leave football," said Dontae Johnson.
Julian Edelman was raised in Redwood City and went to Woodside High where he played football. As for how the new rule is influencing play at his prep alma mater?
Head football coach Justin Andrews said the NFL is sending the right message.
"There is still this old school mentality you have to bash the kids apart in order to make them into football players and that's not the case," said Andrews.
