By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    grief
    Coping With Depression from Loss After a Preventable Accident
    November 14, 2024
    medical research
    The Key to Medical Progress in Clinical Trials
    March 13, 2025
    HIPPA compliance
    How Medical Office Staff Can Make Your Practice HIPAA Compliant
    October 29, 2021
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Emergency Room – Don’t Use It For Primary Care!
    March 19, 2013
    Encouraging Medicare News From Senate Republicans
    March 17, 2012
    chronic disease
    Lifestyles Cause Most Serious Disease and Deaths
    May 25, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Colt McCoy’s Concussion Fumbled by Team Physicians
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Medical Ethics > Colt McCoy’s Concussion Fumbled by Team Physicians
Medical EthicsNews

Colt McCoy’s Concussion Fumbled by Team Physicians

Michael Kirsch
Michael Kirsch
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

The Cleveland Browns have been in the news this week, and not because of newfound success on the gridiron. While sports is not among my highest priorities, I have developed increasing interest over the years since professional sports is religion to so many here in Cleveland and in Ohio. Cleveland sports teams all enjoy great success, provided that success is not defined by victories. It’s not if you win or lose but how…

The Cleveland Browns have been in the news this week, and not because of newfound success on the gridiron. While sports is not among my highest priorities, I have developed increasing interest over the years since professional sports is religion to so many here in Cleveland and in Ohio. Cleveland sports teams all enjoy great success, provided that success is not defined by victories. It’s not if you win or lose but how…

I watched the Cleveland Browns compete against the Pittsburgh Steelers two Thursdays ago. I cringed as I witnessed our young quarterback, Colt McCoy, take a blow to the head that could have landed the perpetrator a 10 year prison sentence had this act occurred on the street. I wasn’t worried that McCoy would have to miss the rest of the game. I feared that he might have to miss the rest of his life. Violence sells tickets.

If an activity requires a participant to don a helmet and a coat of armor, then clearly it is an unwise activity for a human to engage in.

More Read

FDA Approves Another Drug for Erectile Dysfunction to Compete with Viagra
ACP Ethics Manual on Social Media, Catastrophes, and More
China Medical Device Reimbursement: Securing Coverage
7 Painful Ways Untreated Hearing Loss Will Hurt Your Life
5 Things CIOs Should Do in Light of the Recent Patient Records Theft

McCoy was taken off the field and reentered the arena 2 plays later, after an exhaustive evaluation that was completed in about 100 seconds. Since everything in sports and medicine is now measured, we know that McCoy was sidelined for a total of 3 minutes and 50 seconds before his soggy head reentered the arena. Perhaps, emergency room physicians should consult the Browns’ medical staff to learn how they can expedite their medical evaluations in their emergency rooms. With a little training, a heart attack patient, for example, can be treated in 3 minutes or less.

McCoy’s father went public chastising the Browns for the decision and the process that led to his son Colt returning to the field. While the NFL is now investigating, the Browns maintain that proper procedures were followed.

As more facts dribble out, we learn that McCoy did not receive the standard medical evaluation that is required after a suspected concussion known as the SCAT2 (Standard Concussion Assessment Tool , version 2). Apparently, Browns’ medical personnel were attending to others and did not witness the helmet-to-helmet collision. Are these folks aware of the futuristic technology commonly known as instant replay?

If the only medical training you ever had was how to swallow aspirin or apply Band-Aids, it is likely you would know that a 4 minute time out is not a sufficient assessment period after a cannon ball blow to the skull. Initially, the Browns were vague on the extent of neurologic testing that was performed on the concussed quarterback. We now know that there was no evaluation.

As a physician who has been sued, I am sensitive to applying blame retroactively. I can understand based on the available facts why McCoy was sent back in. But this event shows that either the process is flawed or that proper procedures were not followed. This episode warrants investigation for the right reasons, not simply to apply the broad brush of blame to make some folks feel good.

Nevertheless, this is a particularly galling vignette for physicians like since we are trained and dedicated to practice high levels of patient advocacy. We advise our patients on what we believe to be in their best interests. Sometimes, we take heat for this. We may, for example, advise an individual that they should surrender their driver’s license. We may counsel a patient not to travel even though a family trip was planned months ago. We may warn a patient that his job is threatening his health.

Our advice should not be contaminated by external considerations. We would not, for example, clear a patient to return to work prematurely because this would serve the employer’s interest.

In professional sports, team physicians advocate for the team. Obviously, there is an enormous conflict between serving the team and serving the player. If McCoy’s primary care physician were consulted after the head thrashing incident, do you think he might have offered a second opinion? Let’s hope so.

TAGGED:concussionfootball
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

How Digital Is Transforming Employee Healthcare

November 16, 2015

Wanted: A Youth Party to Tackle Health Care

April 9, 2012

New Study Contradicts ‘Conclusion’ about Lab Studies

April 4, 2012
online healthcare discussions are dominated by patients and caregivers
BusinessNewsSocial Media

Online Healthcare Discussions 98% Patient or Caregiver Driven

March 17, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?