Rob Gronkowski leaves Patriots' game to be evaluated for concussion after blatant helmet-to-helmet hit

Rob Gronkowski left the Patriots’ game against the Jaguars Sunday after getting hit in the helmet by Barry Church. Gronkowski would immediately be taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion.

Gronkowski would be ruled questionable to return.

Church was called for unnecessary roughness on the play, giving the Patriots 15 yards and putting the football on Jacksonville’s 45-yard line. The Patriots eventually scored on the drive to make it a 14-10 game in the Jaguars’ favor.

With the NFL’s new concussion protocol rules, players must be taken to the locker room if they show signs of a concussion. The changes came after Tom Savage appeared to suffer a concussion and was able to go back into a game against the 49ers.

The penalty was a good call.

The NFL approved a rule that brought the NCAA’s targeting calls into the pro game. It very liberally adopted much of the language in the actual NCAA rules, too (bolded):

Note 1: “Targeting” means that a player takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball. Some indicators of targeting include but are not limited to:
Launch — a player leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area
A crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area, even though one or both feet are still on the ground
Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area
Lowering the head before attacking by initiating forcible contact with the crown of the helmet

Going into halftime, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said, “The helmet-to-helmet was a good call.”

What is the league’s concussion protocol?

Team personnel and officials are responsible to know how to identify the potential observable signs of concussions. According to the league’s protocol, those are:

Any loss of consciousness.
Slow to get up following a hit to the head (which can include hitting the head on the playing surface).
Motor coordination/balance problems.
Blank or vacant look.
Disorientation.
Clutching of head after contact.
Visible facial injury combined with any of the above.

We’ll update as soon as more information becomes available on Gronkowski’s injury.

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